How to Live a Sober Life 70 Ways to Practice Sober Self-Care

Sober curious culture encourages a sober lifestyle, but welcomes individuals who aren’t willing, ready, or planning to give up alcohol completely. The sober curious movement has gained steam recently, such as with the rise of interest in “Dry January” — a time when participants decide to not drink for the month of January. Drinking alcohol can be fine in moderation for some people, but alcohol misuse or alcohol use disorder can lead to health issues and personal and professional problems.

  • Don’t let your brain fool you into thinking you can’t become sober or that it’s not worth your time.
  • Being farther away from the environment that initially drove an addiction can help individuals avoid relapse.
  • If PAWS is severe or if you’re experiencing prolonged symptoms, a medical professional can help you work through them and remain in recovery without relapse.
  • So your bold, life-improving decision to not drink will mean changes almost everywhere you look.
  • At Silver Linings Recovery Center, we provide a variety of inpatient and outpatient addiction treatment programs and therapy services to help you get back to living a sober life.

You have to spend time acquiring your substance of choice, using it, and then recovering from its effects. You can use it to work on your hobbies, learn new skills, spend time with your loved ones, work out, or anything else you please. Crystal Raypole has previously worked as a writer and editor for GoodTherapy. Her fields of interest include Asian languages and literature, Japanese translation, cooking, natural sciences, sex positivity, and mental health.

Avoid Old Routines and Habits

Everyone has to follow house rules in order to stay in the home, regardless of the management style. It’s worth noting that many sober living homes are covered under insurance plans or government funding. Most sober living environments provide separate homes for men and women. However, there are mixed-gender homes and homes that specifically cater to LGBTQ+ people.

The new reality of Zoom hangouts might not be the most fun option, but they do reduce the need to explain your choice not to drink if you aren’t comfortable telling others about your plans. Plenty of options for alcohol-free socializing and dating exist, of course. If alcohol affects your ability to manage your emotions, What is a Halfway House? What to Expect in Halfway Housing sobriety can improve your mood and help you communicate more productively. You’ll probably also see some improvements in your performance at work or school, since alcohol can interfere with memory and focus. To get some insight on sober curiosity and alcohol moderation, we reached out to Cyndi Turner, LCSW, LSATP, MAC.

What Amenities Do Sober Living Homes Offer?

Let’s get you set up with a routine when your brain can get dopamine and serotonin from other more natural, healthy sources outside of just drugs,” Espinosa adds. Those living in a sober living house are serious about their recovery. They want to be held accountable and to support their housemates. https://en.forexpamm.info/does-a-purple-nose-indicate-alcoholism/ The goal is to transition to an independent lifestyle – free of substance abuse and addiction. In the ’40s and ’50s, California began to dismantle its custodial care systems (e.g., local jails and state psychiatric hospitals), creating an even greater need for sober living houses.

  • It’s a safe haven that keeps you away from triggers and minimizes the risk of relapse.
  • Instead, you can contact the third-party networks listed below.
  • Toxic relationships are those in which you feel unheard, misunderstood, unsupported, demeaned, unsafe, or attacked.
  • Drinking frequently or heavily has several serious health effects.

He says that what is actually needed in order for success, like he’s seen with clients over his career, is a foundation and a direction.“California sober isn’t ‘Oh, I’m gonna use what I feel like it.’… There needs to be a plan, a wellness plan behind it,” says Blaber. Now, just a few years later, they have shifted gears, acknowledging publicly that the lifestyle led to relapse.

How to have fun in Brooklyn as a sober millennial

It’s an opportunity to grow into your bones, and every single crap thing that happens to you on the way only makes you stronger. My biggest fears in life include being in large groups of strange people, standing at parties by myself, and really just people in general. Drunk me didn’t have to worry if I was alone at a party because drunk me didn’t abide such things. Drunk me didn’t worry if she belonged, or said the right thing, or had to have small talk because drunk me just handled that. By Buddy T

Buddy T is a writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism.

The following tips are all ways you can help yourself reach your goals. You are a mirror now, a flashlight of sobriety in a society that is laced with the judgment that it’s abnormal to abstain from alcohol. People will assume you drink and will be very curious about why you don’t have a drink in your hand when they do.

Importance of an Exit Strategy After Treatment

The Minnesota Model was also developed during the 1950’s and formed the basis of the social model for recovery, which is foundational to modern-day sober living homes. The program used many of the same principles as Alcoholics Anonymous and soon became increasingly professionalized. This model influenced different versions of residential inpatient facilities that can be found today.

sober lifestyle

Unlike people who stay sober because of dependency or addiction, sober curious people may not necessarily meet criteria for an alcohol use disorder or intend to give up alcohol permanently. Continuous substance abuse can even do things like cause your blood pressure to spike or decrease to an unhealthy range. When your blood pressure becomes too high or too low, it can cause your body to go into shock. Therefore, it is sometimes imperative for your blood pressure and overall health to become sober. 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.

Why Living A Sober Life Just Got Very Cool

Being sober means nothing is slowing down your brain function and the appropriate amount of dopamine is communicating with nerve cells in your brain. So when you’ve been drinking for a few consecutive days and you feel like you can’t think clearly and your body is aching, it’s true. You’re left with a bunch of waste floating about in your brain while your body is struggles to patch itself together. If you want to learn more about the sober curious movement, read this blog post next.

sober lifestyle

But, many sober living homes have mandatory support group meetings. Both sober living homes and halfway houses support people recovering from substance use disorders. Both of them also offer access to resources that can help you with early recovery. Many people in recovery find it helpful to their sobriety to move into an environment with a readily available support system. If you need help finding a sober living home or other treatment options, contact a treatment provider today. Anyone who wants to stop drinking alcohol or using drugs should consider joining a sober living community.

What It Is Like Living in a Sober House: A Complete Guide

Not only because not drinking is hard, but also because we live in a society where most everyone around us drinks. Although these new activities are healthy and productive, they can be a stumbling block to lasting recovery if they become a transfer addiction to fill the void left by the original addiction. Most people who make their way into recovery have left a lot of pain and suffering in their wake. Feeling guilty or ashamed of past behavior or actions during active addiction is natural and healthy.

Before you know it, you’ll choose not to physically take care of yourself at all. The only way to get you out of this rut of not taking care of yourself is sobriety. It can be helpful to talk to other people interested in being sober curious. Having a friend who is also sober curious can make it easier to navigate social situations where drinking is encouraged or expected. Drinking frequently or heavily has several serious health effects.

It only seems fitting that when you stop loading your body with everyday toxins your outside appearance drastically improves. The truth is, a sober life has a handful of advantages that are going to make every aspect of your life better and more enjoyable. In a sense, sobriety means that you have the ability to find what matters to you.

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