Marijuana users alone experience accidents at work at a55% higher rate than non-users, as well as 85% more injuries and 75% more absences. When someone with an addiction looks in the mirror, it may be difficult to see much more than the substance, much more than the pressure of the addiction closing in. Once the eyes begin to clear on the road to recovery, the face in the mirror looking back brightens. Relinquishing bad habits and staying clean offers so many more possibilities which all feel much more possible when the weight of addiction is not holding you back. Being the parent, spouse, or child of somebody with a drug addiction can be very emotionally difficult.

  • Again, if you’re fearing a relapse due to guilt, distress and shame, then close your eyes and imagine this scenario.
  • As addictions spiral out of control, addicts have less control over their lives.
  • They may also experience paranoia and anxiety.
  • Imagine another stint at another rehab center…

There’s a variety of meetup groups online and plenty of free events. There’s no shortage of ways to get out and meet some new people with similar interests. The only way to get even some of the goodies that this life has to offer is to meet life head on and on life’s terms. Ask anyone who has done it, and they will probably tell you that their worst day sober was better than their best day high. You can now have honest, deep, and lasting relationships. Addicts don’t have relationships; they take hostages. Once you are sober, someone can choose to love you rather than choose to stay because they are afraid for you or of you.

Your Loved Ones.

Don’t wait, give us a call today to learn more about our treatment options and resources. However, we hope that as you or someone you love embarks on the journey to beat addiction, they can keep these 10 reasons to stay sober in mind.

reasons to stay sober

When you’re sleep-deprived, you feel cranky, foggy, and unhealthy. Alcohol and drugs aren’t conducive to good sleep – they can keep you up late at night, make it hard to fall asleep when you want to, or make you sleepy during the daytime. When you’re sober, you’re able to stick to a healthy sleep schedule and wake up feeling refreshed every day. Drug abuse is detrimental, bearing many physical, psychological, personal and external consequences.

Tips to Help You Stay Sober

Relationships between addicts and non-addicts tend to be shorter and less fulfilling than when neither partner reasons to stay sober is an addict. The loved ones of drug abusers can lose trust in the addict due to unpredictable behavior.

My first year sober: Why I did it and what I’ve learned – WBEZ Chicago

My first year sober: Why I did it and what I’ve learned.

Posted: Wed, 29 Jun 2022 07:00:00 GMT [source]

It’s hard to stop even when facing negative consequences. When sober, you’re more likely to make good decisions. It’s easier to weigh the pros and cons of certain decisions and to make the safety of others a priority. You’ll be putting yourself and others in safer situations and also be in contact with less questionable people. Get help now so you may live a life free of drugs and alcohol tomorrow. Call to talk privately with All American Detox‘s team, if you or someone you know needs to get sober and clean.

Early Recovery Skills to Keep in Mind

Addiction devours your time which is a factor in many people’s relapse. They get bored and wander back to what they “think” they’d rather be doing. Something simple like working at your local deli. Choose your hours and fill up that idle time. You’ll save money on gas, potentially groceries, and keep yourself busy in a productive manner. 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.

  • The idea of sobriety can feel boring or lame, and like it’s only an option for someone who’shit rock bottomand had to become sober because they had no other choice.
  • Feeling guilty or ashamed of past behavior or actions during active addiction is natural and healthy.
  • Have an open mind, but for a few of us in recovery, this does work.
  • Once the eyes begin to clear on the road to recovery, the face in the mirror looking back brightens.
  • It also revitalizes your mental and physical health making it easier to tackle challenges and get more done.

Sober, you no longer have that extra expense and you are capable of earning more. Your friends and family will be happy to see and count on you again. If you are continually doing things that are self-indulgent or hurtful to those you love, they have no choice but to turn away from you. Plain and simple, enduring addiction is painful, mentally, and physically. Drugs and alcohol can cause damage to the body and create wearisome consequences. The amount of wreckage that piles up can be overwhelming, but once you see the light at the end of the tunnel of recovery, you never have to go back to that dark place again.

Issues in relationships with family, friends, and romantic partners

Addiction tends to center all of our attention around one thing – getting our next high, our next experience with the substance, often just to feel normal. When you have done the work and stuck with a recovery plan, you will find a lot more free time to do things you’ve always wanted to do. Obviously, beyond the emotional and financial relief that comes with ending an addiction, the physical benefits are substantial. Addictions like drinking and drugs destroy your body over time – those health classes in high school knew what they were talking about. While it may seem too late to change, now is a better time to quit than ever.

When you feel the pull to drink again, you can stay sober by reading up on what’s happening in your head that’s making you think you want to drink. To prevent a relapse, one of the best things you can do is manage your time wisely. Again, there’s a lot of hours in the day and you will feel each hour tick by at a snail’s pace, especially when cravings occur. With time, it will get easier, but especially when you’re jumping back in, keep a strict schedule. Journaling is great for a multitude of reasons , but an element that’s not often talked about is how your brain functions when you’re putting pen to paper. 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.

Your journey can inspire others; it may even save someone one day. And when you stop using, you get to find out exactly who that is. You get to discover what you like, what you don’t like, and what you want your life to be like. https://ecosoberhouse.com/ You are probably not proud of a lot of what you have done in the throes of addiction, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t redeem yourself. Recovery allows you to transform your life and begin treating yourself with respect.

Is 4 days without alcohol good?

However, by day 4 without alcohol, most people will have got beyond any initial withdrawal symptoms. All the alcohol will have left your system by now, and your body will begin to bounce back. If you're not as focused on alcohol, you may be eating better, drinking water, moving more, and perhaps sleeping more deeply.