Content
Drugs and alcohol alter your mental state, leading to lowered self-esteem and depression. The negative effects it has on your life, such as broken relationships or job loss, can also take a toll on your self-esteem. Through recovery, you see how strong you are and learn to love yourself again.
But, if you have the courage to choose this path, you will build a sense of self-worth that is absolutely unparalleled. This, my friends, is a superpower that most people will 5 Tips to Consider When Choosing a Sober Living House never even have a brush with. Furthermore, when you stop giving any time at all to the physical dysfunction of a hangover, your body starts to feel vibrant and energetic.
Giving up alcohol frees up your physical time and energy.
When sober and recovered from alcoholism or addiction, you cease fighting alcohol. The point however is that life for an addict or alcoholic has a lot more meaning than just being clean, and constantly fighting temptation over and over again. Just because someone is clean does not mean that they have treated their alcoholism.
What type of person is sober?
quiet or sedate in demeanor, as persons. marked by seriousness, gravity, solemnity, etc., as of demeanor, speech, etc.: a sober occasion. subdued in tone, as color; not colorful or showy, as clothes.
You won’t have to think about yourself as a person with no self-control or someone who says stupid things when drunk. You’ll also build your self-esteem by sticking with your decision to stay sober. Have you ever woken up unable to remember what happened the night before? Even if you don’t tend to black out under the influence, alcohol and drugs can make your memory foggy and unreliable. When you’re sober, you’ll feel sharper and more alert, and you’ll remember things better.
Don’t spoil things that are already fun
The non-alcoholic beverage industry has been trending hot over the last couple years with alcohol-free alternatives to beer, wines, and spirits that taste just like the real thing. Emotional sobriety is not about ignoring your feelings, but facing them. That way, you’re less likely to reach for a drink or head to a bar when those feelings get overwhelming. Emotional sobriety has also become a popular self-growth tool outside of just drinking habits for anyone who wants to get more in tune with what makes them tick. The longer I maintain my sobriety, the more I buy into the ideology that is sobriety, and the more I am beginning to understand it. If you’re fortunate enough to stay sober for long enough, hopefully like me you will start to have these realisations.
These healthy coping mechanisms are more sustainable than numbing pain or trying to drink away your past challenges. Hangover symptoms including nausea, vomiting, headaches and brain fog can last for days in some cases and can diminish your quality of day-to-day life. Nothing derails your productivity like a drug or alcohol use disorder.
A Happier Life
By embracing sobriety, individuals in recovery can enjoy the many advantages to a life with increased clarity and purpose. Despite popular misconceptions, it is important to note that sober living does not have to be a punishment. Instead, it is an opportunity to unlock greater potential and live a more fulfilling life.
If someone is dependent on alcohol, then they’re not getting the sleep they need and thereby putting extra strain on their body and mind everyday. Similar to how you’d “wring out a a sponge,” brain cells actually shrivel up to 40% of their usual size to expose and wash away waste. Meanwhile, sleep is also the time when the body heals itself.
Recovery is an excellent opportunity to explore new hobbies and develop new passions along the way. Early sobriety can be a difficult time, but exploring new hobbies or re-kindling old ones can help you refocus and spend your newly found free time wisely. In difficult times like this, it’s helpful to be reminded of all the good things that came as a result of getting sober. Aside from the obvious (no more hangovers, hospitalizations, jail time, etc.), there are so many ways life is better when you’re sober.
- As a result, you may be able to rebuild relationships that broke due to addiction.
- Back when you were addicted, you spent so much time being preoccupied with your next high, getting high, or recovering from it.
- Drinking alcohol can repress and cloud personality traits that help make you who you are.
- Many people have a difficult time when they have to give up their old habits.
- I learned that having a group of friends over for pizza and board games was perfectly fine for me and actually much more fun than getting drunk and sloppy at some club.
Exercise increases endorphins, which are the “feel-good” chemicals in the brain. It can be a good replacement for the release of endorphins caused by drinking alcohol. When it comes to improving physical health, better skin is one of the most noticeable changes in most people.
#5: Focusing on Things that Truly Matters Become a Lot Easier.
Perhaps one of the best things about a sober life is the relationship you begin to develop with yourself. You learn new skills, interests, and learn just how much you can overcome when you put your mind to it. This is one of the most beautiful things a sober life can offer you.
What are the hardest years of sobriety?
The first year of sobriety will be the hardest but also the most rewarding, and it will help you feel like a new person in a new world of possibility.
