The fortunate ones are the ones who find their way to a great treatment facility. When your immune system improves, your overall health improves. Long-term sobriety is a relative term—it means different things to different people. But many people consider long-term sobriety to be sobriety that has lasted at least one year. It depends on what substance you are recovering from, how long you’ve been using it, and how much you used. However, in severe cases of post-acute withdrawal, symptoms can last up to two years.

It’s a subversive, hardcore choice to take your life into your own hands. It’s an opportunity to grow into your bones, and every single crap thing that happens to you on the way only makes you stronger. There will be people who don’t want to date you because you’re sober. If people press that response, I’ll either stare at them and hold an uncomfortable silence , or just change the subject. There are exceptions to this, like if someone alludes to their own struggle with alcohol, and then I might offer up a bit more of my personal experience. You are a mirror now, a flashlight of sobriety in a society that is laced with the judgment that it’s abnormal to abstain from alcohol. People will assume you drink and will be very curious about why you don’t have a drink in your hand when they do. Ask any sober person whether they want to go to a cocktail party or stay in with a pack of La Croix, The Crown, and a bathrobe.

Deciding Which Sober Living Home is Right for You

Your weight will begin to stabilize, and your diet will be better as you crave fewer unhealthy foods. This can cause addicts to be less self-aware, making it easier to keep using. The world around you also comes into focus as you are more mindful of the things going on around you and how they are impacting your life. When I first went into treatment, the idea of living a life 100% sober terrified me. I thought it would be boring and I had no idea how I would deal with the stresses of everyday life. I had a lot of false information on what it meant to have a good time and I had no idea how great it would feel to lead a healthy lifestyle. I didn’t really think it was possible to live life 100% sober, but almost 7 years later, I’ve realized that it has been the best decision I have ever made. While completing a substance abuse rehab program before moving in may not be required, it can help individuals to stay sober. However, if residents are willing to remain sober, follow all house rules, and guarantee medical stability, they should feel free to apply.

Rather than trying to pretend that those pleasurable aspects don’t exist, give them some space for acknowledgment. Perhaps you enjoy the way that alcohol helps you cope with the stress of your job. Maybe you enjoy the way that it helps you to be more social or more creative. Alcohol could be the tool that you use to forget, temporarily, about the mistakes that you have made in life or the bridges that you have burned.Now, make another list. Check out our other blog posts to learn more about substance abuse, the road to recovery, and other pertinent information. Or if you’re ready to take the first steps in your own journey of recovery, contact Silicon Beach Treatment Center today. So you’ve gone to addiction treatment and freed yourself from the chains of addiction. Maybe you even spent some time in sober living housing and are now ready to live sober for a lifetime, without anyone holding your hand. How many times did you have to apologize for things you said or did while you were addicted? Without the influence of drugs and alcohol, you’re bound to make better decisions, and as a result, you’ll make fewer apologies to the people you love.

Things That Inevitably Happen to Your Personal Life When You Get Sober

You’ll have more clarity, focus, drive – and you’ll slowly start to build your relationships back up to go on living as a productive member of society. Living sober means abstaining from all mind-altering substances, including alcohol, prescription drugs, and street drugs. It is a day-by-day process that requires you to focus on the present rather than getting overwhelmed by the long-term. Our mission is to foster long-term sobriety by creating a supportive environment where house members participate in each other’s recovery. We encourage everyone to reinforce positive lifestyle changes through adventure, support, and peer feedback.

living a sober life after going through addiction gives you a new perspective on life. This is because it allows you to see the world through new eyes after being clouded by alcohol and drugs for so long. When you abuse substances to the point that it rewires your brain and consumes you, you struggle sleeping through the night. That’s why it’s so important to get the proper amount of sleep each night. Because of how vital sleep is, one of the key benefits of sobriety is that you get to sleep again. Unfortunately, there is a stigma surrounding those with addiction. In fact, many people view those suffering from addiction as being lazy and crazy. The only true way to avoid this stigma as an addict is to redeem yourself by becoming sober. Once you start living a sober life, people will respect you and your ability to overcome life’s obstacles. Continuous substance abuse can even do things like cause your blood pressure to spike or decrease to an unhealthy range.

When you can develop healthy relationships with, and get support from, your friends, family, and lovers, you will be able to keep yourself from engaging in self-destructive behavior. Sobriety, on the other hand, is a complete lifestyle change. It’s a life-long commitment to living a healthier, more productive life. It’s about finding a balance between the things you enjoy and what you have to give up. It’s about making an active choice not to do certain things and living a lifestyle that will help you get out of a cycle of self-destructive behaviors that no longer serve you. This might seem like a terrible thing; this is not a terrible thing. This is a JOYOUS and wonderful thing because it easily sorts out the ones that have a weird relationship with alcohol, or the ones that just aren’t for you. It will hurt , but in time you will come to see it as the gift it is—and you won’t waste time getting to know the wrong person.

Discover new workout ideas, healthy-eating recipes, makeup looks, skin-care advice, the best beauty products and tips, trends, and more from SELF. SELF does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Any information published on this website or by this brand is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional. The beauty in feeling awkward and being sober is that you become who you are, because you can no longer use the thing you were using to hide who you are. So now I’m sober, and I have zero choice but to be me in all Sober House situations. My biggest fears in life include being in large groups of strange people, standing at parties by myself, and really just people in general. Alcohol helped me forget my awkwardness and not-belongingness and it helped me talk to and be with people without my neck muscles freezing up . Drunk me didn’t have to worry if I was alone at a party because drunk me didn’t abide such things. Drunk me didn’t worry if she belonged, or said the right thing, or had to have small talk because drunk me just handled that. People will ask you why you don’t drink or just say stupid things to you about not drinking.

thoughts on “14 Reasons Being Sober Makes Your Life Better”

The space and time are needed as more of an adjustment period for everyday life. Constant support will provide you with a solid backbone, especially as you reestablish yourself in society. With some perspective — which you usually obtain after certain periods of sobriety — you start to understand that life is, on occasion, mundane. That’s not the same as boring, but the routine of work, of bills, of family obligations, of doing it all over again every day can seem quite tedious. It’s important to note that asking “is being sober boring? ” isn’t limited to those who haven’t received treatment for an alcohol and drug problem. Euphoric recall is a dangerous thought process that can jeopardize the recovery of those who have completed treatment and consider themselves sober.

Not only are these kinds of things emotionally healthy, but they also give you something to look forward to. Additionally, these sorts of things help to keep you busy, which is good because a bored mind is more prone to falling back into old habits. Pick up some new hobbies to fill that extra space in your life. For some people, this means working out, and for others, it’s volunteering. One of the consequences of drug use we don’t think about very often is the financial impact. You can rediscover what’s truly important in life and take steps to make that a priority in your daily routine. And since you can’t make lifestyle choices for anyone else, you may not be able to ask them to start doing something else. There’s no doubt that Americans often view the New Year as a fresh start.

Most people who make their way into recovery have left a lot of pain and suffering in their wake. Feeling guilty or ashamed of past behavior or actions during active addiction is natural and healthy. People in recovery from a substance use disorder frequently have problems meeting work-related responsibilities, maintaining employment, and managing money. If you were active in your addiction for a period of time, you may have developed financial problems. A therapist can help you learn new coping skills, develop new thinking patterns, and address any co-occurring mental health conditions that may make recovery more difficult. Sobriety means not being under the influence of a substance. However, the word is often used in different ways in different contexts. Many 12-step programs suggest that sobriety means total abstinence—never using the substance ever again. Opus Health is different than other drug & alcohol treatment centers in Orange County, California. Dоn’t lіmіt уоurѕеlf to grоwth іn оnе аrеа (ѕuсh аѕ ѕріrіtuаl grоwth).

But when we break down what “moderate drinking” really looks like, there are often patterns of what is known as “periodic binge” drinking. Unfortunately, the neuropathways in our brains, which have been so deeply etched over such a long period of time, become a sort of default. Thought to be the original therapy, this ancient art has been used for at least 3,500 years to help quiet the chattering mind, and help us find a deeper sense of calm and oneness. It’s been said that meds can “buy us time to do the work,” and they may indeed be indispensable for stabilizing an individual who has only known chaos and disordered thought and wild mood swings. Once settled, one can begin to pursue more holistic strategies. It’s understandable that some sensitive people who feel the pain of a world in crisis might need to numb themselves to it. As long as this emotional pain is left unprocessed and not dealt with in a therapeutic, healing way, we will continue to use the thing that brings us relief. Getting plenty of sleep will also help you to lower your stress levels. Try and get a good night’s sleep consistently every night.