After that first month, you start seeing more positive health benefits of sobriety. Your cravings are manageable, especially if you’ve figured out ways to replace alcohol with solid alternatives. Movements like Sober September serve as a reset or cleanse after periods of heavy drinking. It may be a way to kick off long-term sobriety or test out what staying sober might feel like.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, also says that even minimal amounts of alcohol of any kind increase a person’s risk for several types of cancer. “The benefits [of being alcohol-free] are it’s better for your kidneys, your liver, your skin. You’ll feel better, but you’ll also sleep better and eat better,” said Opland. Caitlin Opland is a licensed clinical social worker who works for Thriveworks, a mental health company.

Sandy Beach Drop the Rock Alcoholics Anonymous Talk

Find friends who like to do what you like to do – if you like to read then surround yourself with readers, if you like to write, surround yourself with writers. We spend a lot of time at work, so it would make perfect sense to be happy in what you are doing. If you like clothes, then work at a clothing store or a clothing design office. If you love cars find a job selling cars, or if you like fixing cars then work on being a mechanic. While at times it can seem like we don’t have many options or a choice in what we do, we can always look for a better job that we love and create the future we want while we working at our current jobs. Another 26% of people who are homeless are addicted to other substances.

Well, there’s a concept in psychology known as “confirmation bias,” and it means that we often look for evidence to support something that we already believe to be true. While making the decision to be sober was the best thing I’ve ever done, it’s also one of the hardest. Not only because not drinking is hard, but also because we live in a society where most everyone around us drinks. It is also critical to learn how to express yourself, how to listen, and how to function in society. Many who have been immersed in drugs and booze for a long time have forgotten the basic tenets of society like how to make conversation,  how to clean up after oneself, and how to extend a hand in greeting.

How to Choose the Right Sober Living

To many, this seems like a more realistic approach to sobriety, rather than avoiding drinking or using drugs. Living a sober life will give you way more time than living with addiction. This is because when you suffer from addiction, you become consumed with getting more alcohol or drugs and that alone. But, when you become sober, you get to have all the time that you would have normally used to obtain substances while suffering from addiction. With all this newfound time, you can change your life for the better.

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. Although the media may make getting drunk and using drugs seem appealing and fun, the effects of abusing substances are not. Hangovers are not fun, throwing up is not fun, embarrassing yourself is not fun, getting withdrawal symptoms due to drug dependency is far from fun, and suffering from addiction to drugs is insufferable.

Surround yourself with people who support you

Personal growth is a big part of getting sober and creating healthy boundaries for yourself will help you achieve that. While you were actively addicted, you likely had poor boundaries that contributed to self-harming behaviors like substance abuse. Part of living a sober life is establishing healthy boundaries and understanding the negative or positive impact of the people and things you choose to surround yourself with.

• Well, these benefits of sobriety also mean you have time to be more productive.
• Your therapist may recommend that you attend group counseling sessions.
• Once you start living a sober life, people will respect you and your ability to overcome life’s obstacles.
• People may want to feel numb so they can overlook the bad things in their life.

Acknowledging and celebrating the hard work of recovery is helpful for keeping you motivated and reminding you why you took this brave step toward sobriety in the first place. Just be sure that your rewards don’t involve drugs or alcohol. Instead, focus on things, experiences, and activities that will support your new, healthy lifestyle. If you find it difficult to make new, sober friends, try joining a support group.

DRUG EDUCATION AND REHABILITATION

Once you find these triggers, you can begin to create a plan of action to help you avoid the situations or behaviors that cause you to relapse. When people drink or use drugs, it frequently starts as a way to deal with hardships but becomes a primary coping mechanism. Things that happen in life may feel as if they’re too difficult to deal with without the effects of a substance. People may want to feel numb so they can overlook the bad things in their life. That often leads to being unable to see or enjoy the good as well. There are many effects of using drugs or alcohol that go beyond feeling high or drunk.

Looking at the ‘who’ behind the sober-curious, the greatest interest in living a fully sober lifestyle is found among Gen Z adults (21-24), followed by young Millennials (25-34). Adults aged 55 and older are the least sober-curious, but also the most likely to say they already abstain from alcohol altogether. Samantha has sober house a natural ability to help people engage in the recovery process and effectively extend the reach of treatment beyond the clinical setting into everyday environment. Derrick has a background in Hospital Management, specifically Sterile Processing. He has a passion for leadership and building up those around him making him.

Audible’s format is difficult for a daily reader

Ultimately, it is always safer for problem drinkers to completely abstain from alcohol in order to avoid the risk of relapse. That is why, instead of creating a list of rigid New Year’s resolutions that must be accomplished this year, we recommend creating a list of personal goals that you can work towards in 2018 and beyond. If sober life is your number one goal, make it your goal every day – not simply for the year, but rather, one day at a time. Over time, chronic substance abuse can even cause physical body issues such as heart palpitations and pain, diarrhea, seizures, diabetes, heart disease, and more.