I relied a lot on hour-long hot baths before bed to calm down, but still my sleep was horrendous. Many people are also surprised by how much money they save by adopting an alcohol-free lifestyle. These extra funds can be put towards retirement, travel, or other investments. Sobriety also has other psychological and social benefits.

This seems like a common sense statement, but some people think they can jump right back into the same life they were living when drinking and stay sober. But it’s important to really think through the risks involved with returning to your normal life immediately after getting sober. It’s not always the best decision and needs to be thought through. Most people had unhealthy relationships while misusing substances.

My daily journey to a better life

After the first year of sobriety, it might be time to graduate from your sober living house. Most sober living homes allow people to stay as long as they need, which sometimes involves residencies over a year. However, it is probably time to start thinking about next steps. Sober living home staff can guide you in this process.

Look at it throughout the day if your mood is faltering. Exercise releases endorphins, the feel-good Sober Sayings and Sober Quotes hormones. It’s crucial for your emotional and physical health to engage in regular exercise.

Getting Support

And so the stress of the marriage was not going away. And there was no cooperation to fix it go to marriage counseling. Just an adamant refusal to go to counseling. And so then I said, Okay, like if we’re not going to work on this, I’m going to leave and he said, I’m not going to work on it. And I said that I’m going to leave and that that was that we were divorced six months after that. But I think it was because like, we both knew it was so broken.

Most of what I do are wonderful practices for anyone, but I do them because I know that if I am not intentional and consistent about how I care for myself, I am more likely to slip and want an easy crutch. When I did stick with it, well-meaning people started to sometimes ask me if I noticed https://g-markets.net/sober-living/intermittent-explosive-disorder-symptoms-and/ any changes. I knew what they were asking — was there something singular and miraculous that had happened to my physical health — but I struggled with how to answer. It was never about losing weight (thank goodness, because when I stopped drinking, I gained weight. Go figure).

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I knew it immediately – Alcohol was it. It gave me the confidence that other people seemed to possess naturally. It numbed away my massive insecurities and removed my inhibitions. Looking back now and knowing what I know, my relationship with alcohol has never really been a healthy one. (Side note – If you are questioning your relationship with alcohol and just read that, thinking “well I’m not THAT bad,” you shouldn’t wait until your house is on fire to stop a gas leak).

• My life had become one of drinking most of the day, most days a week.
• I grieved the person I’ve always been.
• And so like there was it was really well received.

And you know, tell people you’re not drinking all the things. I mean, I go to bars for live music now, and have no issues with it at all. So in the early days, don’t torture yourself or make it harder, but like don’t think also that the way you feel right then is going to be forever because it won’t. Research into the success rates of sober living homes has demonstrated that residents have a higher chance of maintaining their sobriety after completing their initial rehab treatment. One such study was conducted over a 5 year period from 2005 to 2010 in California.

Form a Support System

And meeting new people is exciting. It’s just bonkers, but no, I’m just having fun with it. And, you know, there’s a lot of stuff in there that I’m not proud of, and that I don’t like, and it’s not required, like, no, it’s easy to just say, I had a lot of goals that I wanted to accomplish. And drinking just didn’t fit with those goals.

Staying sober requires a person to dive deeper and begin unraveling why they were using the substance, their triggers for relapse, and how to avoid falling into a pattern of use again. Since there are different reasons for using drugs and alcohol, there are also varying reasons why someone wants to get sober. Whatever your “why,” know that with treatment and support, getting sober is not only possible, but it’s also manageable long-term. Challenges in the process can include intense cravings, relapse, or a return to using the mind-altering substance. Staying sober may require several strategies and supports, including seeking professional and peer support.