Content
This may mean that there is a large element of initial personal discovery that needs to take place. Being comfortable with who you are in your own skin is a key to happiness and contentment. Drinking alcohol can repress and cloud personality traits that help make you who you are. Individuals who enter long-term sobriety after living with a substance use disorder often discover, or rediscover, who they are and their own personality traits. Having the ability to reset, to re-calibrate, and discover who you truly are is a great gift.
It is very reassuring to know that if shit hits the fan, there are people that have my back. Now, getting sober isn’t going to make it easier to manage your money. That is a life skill that must be learned and practiced. There will be some hiccups and some bad choices along the way, but being clear headed definitely makes it easier to know what to and what not to spend money on.
Addiction
Frequent drug or alcohol abuse can result in addiction, a chronic brain disease that causes compulsive behaviors despite knowing the harmful consequences. People with addiction may lie or steal to support their drug or alcohol use. Substance use disorders can also result in heart disease, cancer and mental illness.
Drugs and alcohol can take a major toll on your body. While many addicts will say “the damage is already done, there’s no use quitting now”, studies have shown that this mentality is actually false. In fact, many cases have shown that damage done during substance abuse can be recovered from relatively easily, as long as the patient learns how to stay sober from drugs. Because staying sober means a lot to the ones you love (and will help maintain important relationships). Staying focused on yourself is a major aspect of the recovery process.
Reasons to Stay Sober: #5 Your Physical Health
Having a chaotic or disorganized lifestyle can also hinder your recovery. It’s important to develop a structured daily and weekly schedule and stick to it. John C. Umhau, MD, MPH, CPE is board-certified in addiction medicine and preventative medicine. He is the medical director at Alcohol Recovery Medicine.
One of the core principles of a clean and sober life is to become a self-supporting adult by way of your own contributions. This doesn’t mean that you don’t ask for help if you need it, but the goal is to be responsible through your own efforts. While we don’t want to encourage pointing fingers, it is okay for you to have a goal of NOT being like someone. Tell us some of the reasons you have for staying sober! I bet you’ve got a few, and listing them out will serve as a great reminder why it’s so worth it to kick booze to the curb. Without the influence of substances, you have the opportunity to enjoy sober relationships while ending toxic relationships.
What are the activities that help to stay sober?
Detoxification and rehabilitation programs are available in both inpatient and outpatient settings. They also recommend avoiding short-term rehabilitation, as three months is the minimum recommended length of stay, and more than one course of treatment may be required. As such, extended stay drug rehab is strongly recommended by the US government. It’s much easier to stay financially fit when you’re sober. Besides saving all that money in the first place, you’ll be in a better state of mind to make good financial decisions. And having that extra cash opens up a whole world of new opportunities – you could decide to save for a house, take a vacation, or go back to school, for example.
When you’re in recovery, you get a good amount of people asking you dumb questions. Detox can occur in a hospital setting or as the initiation into the inpatient or outpatient rehabilitation process. You don’t have to be alone in your sobriety journey. Even if you don’t have a strong support network right away, this is something you can seek out to help support your goals. One common mistake for those who are new to alcohol and drug recovery is substituting a new compulsive behavior for their old one. People new to recovery can find themselves approaching their new diet, exercise program, job, and even participation in support groups with a compulsion that echoes addiction.
Reasons to Stay Sober Today
Drugs are expensive, there’s really no hiding that fact, and as addiction grows, we begin spending more and more of our money on appeasing our habit. Once an addict begins figuring out how to stay sober from drugs, they start spending less and less money on drugs, instead creating a level of financial stability for themselves. Honestly, you would be surprised how much extra money you have when it isn’t all going to heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and alcohol. If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction and are ready to live a sober life, contact The Recovery Village. Substance misuse doesn’t just affect your mental health.
- The best way forward for your recovery from alcohol or substance use is to incorporate a wide variety of strategies that will help foster success.
- Sobriety has made it so much easier for me to fall asleep at night.
- You have people who look up to you, even if you don’t realize it right now.
- For true addicts, it’s not simply drinking alcohol, it’s how often they spend thinking about it.
In other words, count days between the sobriety and current date. Want to know how is your life expectancy affected by addiction to different types of substances? Whatever fuels your passion or encourages your creativity will work. Look for hobbies that you enjoy, even if that means adding a bit of adrenaline through bicycle racing, rock climbing, or something else.
You Are Better Sober
Decide what you’ll say if someone asks why you’re sober. You can try to avoid the conversation, but it’s good to have a response ready in case that’s not possible. If the question comes from someone you know well, you may want to say that drugs or alcohol became a problem for you, so you’re staying away from them.
Sobriety is an opportunity to become the son, daughter, parent or friend that you’ve always wanted to be. Now you finally get a chance to repair the harm you caused in the past as a result of drinking and using. Here are 10 reasons to remind yourself why https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/what-reasons-for-you-to-stay-sober/ it’s worth every bit of you to stay clean and sober. Reach out to someone for support on Pocket Rehab through the lifeline if you are really feeling like you may relapse. Immediate support can help by providing guidance to you in this difficult time.