So sobriety for me is like a bridge back to a normal life. It’s not my whole life, but it can be a bridge to where I can reconnect with people in society and I can reconnect with friends and family and use tools that I’ve learned to engage with another person. Caring less about yourself and caring more about helping others. Having some small impact on someone else’s life. Before I got sober, I remember thinking that sober people were boring. I thought sober people didn’t go out, that they didn’t do anything, and I was honestly weirded out by people who didn’t drink.
Connecting with a community
If you are struggling with substance abuse, I encourage you to take the first step to sobriety and experience the many benefits for yourself. When you choose to get sober, all of that money stays in your bank account. Suddenly, you have more money to pay your bills, save for retirement or even take a vacation. The cost of addiction treatment is always cheaper than the financial, physical and mental price you pay by continuing to use drugs or alcohol.
RESPOND…DON’T REACT
“I was completely nodding off and falling asleep,” she recalled. “And unable to keep my head up or keep my eyes open, because I was so far gone.” The Bravo star, who previously discussed his relationship with sobriety on VPR, has been open about his journey. In fact, while celebrating his two-year milestone in May 2021, he reflected on his lifestyle change.
The Worst Parts of Sobriety
With time and patience, however, positive changes are sure to be the case. The key is to give yourself time to adjust and to live a new way. And in my 16 years of drinking, the longest I’d previously gone without drinking is a month, so to pull off half a year is a huge achievement. Check out this 6-week guide to changing your drinking habits. So now I’m sober, and I have zero choice but to be me in all situations. The weekends always felt like they flew by, probably because at least one of those days would be spent in hangover agony.
DON’T DRINK JUST FOR THE SAKE OF IT
I don’t think everything we do has to be “good for you.” Neither should everything we do lead us down a fiery path of ruination. Lately, I’m more than content with a few fingers of bourbon followed by a drink without alcohol. And, when I indulge, it’s still with the guardrails marijuana addiction on. Finally it’s really important to enjoy the journey. Celebrate the wins, big and small, whether it be a new day, week, month or year.
- It’s been over six years since I first started seriously questioning my relationship with alcohol and considered a life without it.
- In sobriety I’ve been around all this stuff and I think that’s one of the things people cast a stigma on.
- And, when I indulge, it’s still with the guardrails on.
- There’s no easy pass for me anymore, no more getting drunk and slipping past the part where you get to know each other.
- Now, I know I can comfortably partake in a couple of alcoholic drinks throughout the space of an evening if I want to, but in bigger groups, at work socials or with new people, where my anxiety is spiking, I steer clear.
- It doesn’t do anything for my spiritual state, my mental state, or my creative state.
Though I used to joke that without it I wouldn’t have a job, friends, or a hobby, I now teetotal most of the week and drink cocktails, whiskey, and wine infrequently. For my first one hundred or so days I posted every single morning, sharing how I was feeling, what I had done, what I was planning and how my life was changing for the better. Whereas before my life was pretty empty and drinking filled a void, I now had something positive to aim for; a feeling of adventure, joy, energy that I could remember from my youth but now seemed a long, long time ago. Having a sober brain this year has helped me keep my sanity, or at least recognise when it wanders off and I need to retrieve it with help from my sober toolkit. Having a newborn has also kept me on my toes and although the sleep deprivation is chronic, I’ll is life better sober take it over a hangover any day.
How Sober Living Homes Are Funded: Key Financial Insights
I remember little more from that time, maybe purposely, except the afternoons I waited hours for him to pick me up for the weekend. He’d call and say he was on his way, but he wasn’t coming. Have you ever been on an awkward date, or stuck in an uncomfortable social situation, gritted your teeth and said, ‘I’m going to have to drink through this one’?
My drinking was all about self-loathing, which I had done for almost twenty years at that point. People who are successful with their sobriety find ways to keep themselves busy. It’s through that process that many people start to forgive themselves and see the value they can bring to the world. Re-evaluating your relationships with other people is part of the process.
How has sobriety changed your life?
I can’t tell you how many messages I got in the beginning from people who told me how I’ve inspired them to maybe not get sober but to live their best life. Or telling me that they’ve had family members who have died from this or are struggling, and when they see me succeeding with it, it gives them hope that their family member or friend can succeed. Many times when we see posts about sobriety, it’s always famous https://ecosoberhouse.com/ people or before-and-afters of people being a mess and then cleaning up their lives. It’s not like, hey, these are real people and they just do it every day.
The first step was admitting that I had a problem and seeking help. This involved seeking out professional help through a local addiction treatment program. Then I went to outpatient treatment, found a sponsor, and worked a 12-step program. I found a faith-based sober living program that helped to bring structure, accountability, and Jesus into my life.
