It would be, like, three days late, and the news cycle would already have moved on. First of all, let me preface this by saying that getting and staying sober has been, by far, the best decision that I’ve ever made. But I’m also going to say something else that might not be what other people in being sober sucks recovery want to put out there, but what I have found in my experience to be completely true. The 24 hour news cycle only exacerbates my stress. I decided to minimize even more BS from coming into my brain by cleaning up my Instagram feed. I unfollowed accounts that make me feel inadequate.
I Actually Like Myself…A Lot
First and foremost, find a treatment program that has a positive track record in terms of patients completing treatment and maintaining sobriety. This is most likely to occur in programs that provide services and therapies based on research. Evidence-based addiction treatment uses the current and best research-based evidence to make informed decisions about your rehab care. Now that you are sober, you may have discovered that some of your past relationships were not only unhealthy but downright toxic.
My Mental Health Is Stronger
This Ted Talk discusses the value of community in recovery further and is worth having a listen. If meetings and group programs aren’t your things right now, try counseling with someone who specializes in alcoholism. Whatever recovery path you take (and there are MANY), the main thing is to acknowledge that you don’t have all the answers and could use some help. That step alone will lighten the emotional load significantly. The actual recovery process of sobriety starts to get better around the 3-6 month mark, but the psychological recovery can take even longer. We usually start drinking alcoholically because we are trying to hide from something.
- God grant me the serenity to rock the house down tonight.
- Loving and encouraging family and friends can definitely help support your journey to become sober.
- Even if you’re not an addict, living a sober lifestyle can seem like a difficult feat.
- Part of my sobriety journey involves forgiving myself for being a truly atrocious and high-maintenance friend to some pretty amazing people.
Realizing that YOU were the problem
I got out of debt, started a company that provides digital recovery, launched a podcast, and am in the middle of writing a book. Unfortunately, for someone in recovery, feelings of discontent are dangerous. It doesn’t take https://ecosoberhouse.com/ long for thoughts to become words and words to become actions. Before you know it, a lousy day in sobriety can quickly turn into your last day in sobriety if you turn to drugs and alcohol to ease your emotional discomfort.
Whatever it is, if you keep working on your sobriety and believing that you have the power to change your life, you will do exactly that. Now, not every program or therapy approach will work for you. But you don’t know until you try, and you have to genuinely try. There are so many emotional benefits to volunteer work that you could use right now.
It can seem intimidating to look at the end goal and know the many steps it will take to get sober. Unfortunately, there’s no quick fix for getting sober. No one can wave a magic wand and make you or someone you love sober. Sobriety is a lifelong journey filled with challenges and obstacles but also incredible rewards.
I love being sober
For example, a Veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who misuses cocaine, doesn’t have the same needs as a stay-at-home mom struggling with alcohol use. Getting sober is when someone stops using an intoxicating substance. It can include a medically supervised detox, various forms of treatment including therapy and 12-step programs, and calling upon family, friends, and professionals for additional support. Early sobriety may come with feelings of fatigue and the stress of dealing with challenges (people, places, and things that stimulate the urge to use). It’s impossible to know how you’ll react and how your life will change when getting and staying sober.
Build Healthy Relationships
And so then I could let out whatever it was that I was trying to manage and see if maybe it served some purpose in my life. Before you call me ungrateful or tell me that I am a hop, skip and a jump away from a relapse, hear me out. Yes, freedom from addiction and a life of sobriety is an incredibly amazing (not to mention totally worthwhile) journey. While getting and staying sober was the best decision I’ve ever made, in a lot of ways it’s also been the most challenging. And another thing about sobriety…who would want to know what his spouse thinks of him? I mean, now I have to be considerate and show at least a minimum level of compassion to foster a thriving relationship.
Step 3: Find the Right Treatment Program
- If these emotions become excessive, they can hold you back from recovery.
- They want to be there for you when you are struggling.
- I still feel like there’s this crisis, because somehow those people are not on the front page of the news every day.
Her parallel lives of partying and reporting culminated in a life-altering moment at a Black Lives Matter protest that catalyzed the protracted and dramatic ending of her relationship. Her boyfriend, injured by police, experienced a manic episode that led Witt to question her own perception of reality. The hope is that you will be ready to resume daily life after treatment, manage stressors and triggers, and stay sober for the long term. The reality is that many situations can make it hard to reintegrate into normal life without some hiccups and potential for relapse. Aftercare programs make it easier to remain in recovery and avoid returning to substance use. This vice has become my saving grace lately.
Leave a comment