Plus, positive reinforcement motivates people9 to commit to a substance-free life. The beauty of the healing journey is that you get to know yourself better, including your triggers. Researched, fact-checked and transparent articles and guides that offer addiction and mental health insight from experts and treatment professionals. The challenge of staying sober varies in intensity from person to person. For many people, staying sober is impossible without professional medical support. The healthier and more fulfilling your life is, the less likely you will turn to drugs or alcohol.
The Benefits of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Recovery
While it’s true, people on the internet can be cut throat, if you find the right community, you’ll find nothing but support. Tell your story, address your struggles and don’t be afraid to be open with others. You can always reach out to the I Am Sober app community and receive some healthy support there as well.
The combination of structure, accountability, and support creates a solid foundation for long-term sobriety. In this guide, we’re going to be sharing 70 ways you can practice self-care, treat yourself and show yourself some love when you’re not drinking. From hangover free mornings to enjoying a night out without alcohol, these ideas are bound to inspire you to think about your drinking habits and put yourself first, no matter the setting.
Experts make sobriety more achievable by offering valuable advice, holding you sobriety strategies: 13 tips for staying sober accountable to your goals, and helping you feel less isolated. People who reach certain sober milestones receive pins or chips, acknowledging their achievements. These people can understand your experiences better and give you the support you need in your recovery.
Prioritizing Self-Preservation During Social Gatherings
Explore real experiences and helpful tools at Soberlink Reviews, and take advantage of the many resources available to help you stay on track. Setbacks are frustrating, but they serve as opportunities for growth. They don’t define your progress, and how you respond to them matters. If you’re looking for treatment, please browse the site to reach out to treatment centers directly. If you’re a treatment provider and have a question, please reach out and someone from our Customer Success team will be in touch with you shortly.
Therapy
Cravings, which are intense urges to use substances, can tempt you to break sobriety. In a society where so many social events revolve around the consumption of alcohol, it may be difficult to say “no” when friends ask you to join them at a bar. But if you’re sober curious, you can remind yourself that there are many ways to socialize that don’t involve drinking, like seeing a movie or playing a sport. “The sober curious movement has led people to see the unhealthy habits that can go hand in hand with alcohol consumption,” she says. The holiday season, while potentially challenging, is also a wonderful opportunity to reaffirm your commitment to sobriety.
Seek Professional or Peer Support
You can do this out loud or silently to yourself, but start reciting all the things you’re thankful for and appreciative of. Studies have shown that gratitude can improve your mental wellbeing and actually help you make better decisions. Often times, when we start to feel the pull of liquor, calling us to a relapse, it’s because we start thinking of the “good” times (which were bad times but with rose-tinted, tunnel vision). Instead, be present, look at the things around you and identify only facts. Say them out loud, what you’re wearing, where you’re sitting, what year it is, what city you live in, that the light is on, that the walls are blue, etc. Doing this can help stop rapid thought and bring you back to the present.
As anyone can tell you, you can’t expect a 30-day program to keep you sober for a lifetime. If you feel yourself struggling consistently each day, then check yourself back into a treatment center. A big part of getting sober is plugging you into a new environment, detached from your usual acquaintances, and receiving constant guidance from trained professionals. So once you’re reinserted into your daily life with the same routine as before — minus the alcohol — it’s undersandable why someone would struggle adjusting to staying sober.
- It signifies a dedication to breaking free from the destructive cycle of substance abuse and embracing healthier alternatives.
- It’s much easier to figure out where your priorities lie and what to focus on.
- Be aware of these challenges and have strategies in place to cope with them.
- Addressing issues like anxiety, depression, or past trauma is critical to long-term sobriety.
- You may find your friends more irritating than usual or you may be quick to anger.
- They shouldn’t become a crutch, but they will always be thankful you turned to them instead of to your addiction.
What Does Stay Sober Mean?
In truth, however, there are warning signs they can heed before they relapse. One of the most important things you can do to achieve sobriety is to recognize what triggers your drinking or drug use. By Buddy TBuddy T is a writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism. Once you do return to work, it’s important to create a budget and take steps to safeguard yourself as work stress can be a relapse trigger. Post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS) involves withdrawal symptoms that persist past the detox period. Such symptoms are often related to mood and may include irritability, anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and fatigue.
- Having the self-control to determine your course in life is fundamental to the human experience.
- Keeping physically active during the holidays can reduce stress and improve your overall well-being.
- Metabolism rises and falls, bowel movements, and even one’s ability to focus on tasks.
- By fostering a sense of community, sober living homes allow individuals to connect with others who share similar recovery goals, enhancing their chances of sustained sobriety.
- Craving cues can vary from individual to individual and may include emotional triggers, environmental stimuli, social situations, or internal thoughts and feelings.
Take that thought and imagine it as a fish and let it float out of your vision. It begins a process of “thinking of thinking” and as strange as it may seem, it helps pull you out so you can calmly observe from afar. In general, we have a hard time discerning hunger from thirst and, in the case of cravings, it can feel just as necessary as food, water or sleep. Research studies have shown that people activated more parts of their brain and increased their ability to learn when putting pen to paper as opposed to typing. For someone struggling with their sobriety and learning a new way of life, this is one of the best exercises you can do. One of the first things you discover after getting sober is how much time you have.
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