Why Living a Sober Lifestyle Isnt Just About Abstaining from Substance Abuse

Hеlр оthеrѕ wіth ѕоbrіеtу аnd уоu wіll hеlр уоurѕеlf live a sober life. When that change involves giving up the crutch of drugs or alcohol, that uncomfortable feeling can escalate into fear, dread, and avoidance. You may be afraid that you will lose your current friends, or not be able to cope with the emotions that surface while sober. While addiction can end up feeling like there is a lack of choice to be made, sobriety always involves a conscious choice. The following are some of the rational steps to take toward the beginning, and maintaining, a decision toward being sober. Here are a few things you can do to make living a sober life easier.

Better sleep is another of the hidden benefits of Sober House. Many people have trouble falling asleep and also wake up more often throughout the night. However, getting clean should improve the quality of your sleep. One of the hidden benefits of living a sober life is that you will probably gain more self-confidence. A serious addiction is often a source of shame and embarrassment. Even if you hide it from the world, it probably is still affecting your self-confidence. By overcoming addiction, you’ll give yourself something amazing to be proud of.

Your diet improves.

If your alcohol abuse has resulted in loss of income, insurance, or housing, you will want to research your public funding options for treatment. And if you lose heart along the way, do research into recovery stories of others. This can help living a sober life to boost your resolve and remind you that a life of sobriety is both achievable, and desirable. As you are walking through nature, take time to notice how you feel. Do you feel better than you do during the everyday, busy times of life?

People often abuse drugs and alcohol to cope with difficult life circumstances or to mask feelings of anxiety or stress. However, this can be a double-edged sword because substance abuse can also cause these issues. When you cut drugs and alcohol out of your life completely, you are forced to face these painful emotions and difficult circumstances without substances. But as you learn how to cope more healthily, you’ll eventually find that you feel less stressed and anxious overall. In fact, being sober can make your life more fun and rewarding than it’s ever been before. When you’re sober, you have more time and mental energy to spend on the people who matter most to you. Without the distraction of wondering when you can go get drunk or high, you’ll be able to stay physically and emotionally present with others.

Get Your Loved one Family Son Daughter Mother Father Friends Kids Self Job Back

But people are diagnosed with these diseases every day, and if you abuse alcohol or drugs regularly, chances are high that you’ll eventually be one of them. When you’re sober, you don’t have to worry about developing life-threatening complications from your habits. This is because addicts spend most of their time looking for drugs or alcohol, getting high or drunk, or recovering from the bender. When someone is living a sober life, they have much more time to improve their life and spend it doing meaningful activities and hobbies with themselves, with friends, or with family. Substance abuse causes damage to every organ in the human body, causing progressive harm the longer the addiction continues. Long-term substance abuse can also cause chronic medical conditions and potentially fatal diseases. As you progress in your sobriety, your overall health will begin to improve.Your immune system will heal, causing you to get sick less often.

• It’s a subversive, hardcore choice to take your life into your own hands.
• But even moderate drinkers should seek a medical opinion before abruptly stopping drinking, since there is a possible and very serious risk of seizure.
• The overall length of an individual’s time in a sober living arrangement heavily depends on his or her progress.
• All and all, sober living homes aren’t considered hospital or rehab settings.
• In the ’40s and ’50s, California began to dismantle its custodial care systems (e.g., local jails and state psychiatric hospitals), creating an even greater need for sober living houses.
• This means you’ll have an easier time functioning at work, carrying out your daily routine, reading a book, and even just having deeper thoughts and ideas that add value to your life.

When your blood pressure becomes too high or too low, it can cause your body to go into shock. Therefore, it is sometimes imperative for your blood pressure and overall health to become sober. If these emotions become excessive, they can hold you back from recovery. If you are trying to maintain a sober lifestyle, those feelings can become toxic and contribute to relapse if you don’t deal with them properly. For many people living a sober life with a substance use disorder, it’s simply a matter of never having learned the appropriate way to manage anger. Talk to your therapist, other healthcare provider, or sponsor about how to deal with your anger in ways that won’t cause you to harm yourself or others or turn to alcohol or drugs. Now that you are sober, you may have discovered that some of your past relationships were not only unhealthy but downright toxic.

Seven Lessons I’ve Learned During Seven Years of Sobriety

Drinking and drug use are forms of self-medication that many of us engage in to soothe emotional pain, usually stemming from some sort of adverse childhood experiences. Unfortunately for some who become addicted, trying to stay clean and sober and live the sober life is a lifelong journey. When you put your mindto something, you not only acquire new skills and interests, but you also learnhow much you are capable of achieving. This is one of the most attractivebenefits that leading a sober life can bestow upon a person. When you’ve gottenyour drinking under control, the specifics of your life no longer become cloudyto you.

Now I’ve learned that there is a whole world out there of things to do that do not involve alcohol. I found out it was what was holding me back from really experiencing life. Sober living houses can foster peer encouragement, camaraderie, character development, and accountability in residents. The outcomes of living in such an environment can include positive health, behavioral, and relationship changes. Today, sober houses are “free-standing,” independently owned and operated. They’re not licensed by an official body, nor do they provide licensed professional services onsite. In the communal home, residents must pay their own way and may be required to take on more responsibility than they would in a rehab center. For example, members must often pay for rent and hold a steady job or attend school. They must also contribute to the community by helping with chores, taking responsibility for their actions, and respecting and obeying all house rules. Becoming sober isn’t just about abstaining from alcohol.

I learned that I could use my own experience with addiction to help others.

Staying busy and further involved in the community is super important to the maintenance of long-term recovery. Typically, a sober living arrangement comes in three phases. Generally, the three phases allow individuals to gradually acquire more independence as time goes on. Such independence comes in the form of taking classes, cooking meals, attending meetings, finding jobs, and preparing for life in the real world more efficiently.