And when we self-medicate with alcohol, we enter into a vicious cycle of drinking to avoid our problems and then causing new ones because, well, we drink. Before you know it, you’re drinking to avoid the fact that you have a drinking problem. We usually start drinking alcoholically because we are trying to hide from something.
Sobriety gets better in its own time.
Prove to yourself that you can finish what you start and be reliable. Push through and show up, even on days you don’t want to. If you’re starting from zero and struggling to find something positive about yourself to genuinely believe, I recommend forgetting about yourself for a minute and think of others.
Some people sober up, but they’re still jerks.
Find a new, better and more rewarding job. Regardless of the situation, alcoholism being a victim never kept someone in recovery. So you lost your job and it wasn’t your fault. But complaining about it not being fair, and focusing on the injustice of it all will just make you feel down and make you more likely to fall deeper into the “poor me” trap. Here’s how to stay sober, and sane, when life sucks. And one day, you’ll look back and think, “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I was ever like that!
speak with a recovery advisor 24/7
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. While making the decision to be sober was the best being sober sucks thing I’ve ever done, it’s also one of the hardest.
It is not the mere fact that I am away from mind-altering substances, but it is because of the spiritual actions that can free my mind from itself. 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.
When the smallest things could mesmerize you? From being outside sweaty, running around and playing with bugs in the mud, to laughing at farts (I still do that) and wrestling with your friends. There is such a calm presence with children because they haven’t yet been mentally affected by themselves.
- Similarly, a reader who commented on my post, “What Recovering Alcoholics Can Teach Us About Happiness,” discussed her negative experience in AA.
- That’s six hard, beautiful, glorious years during which I not only stopped drinking, but also finally moved on from all recreational drugs as well as a history of bulimia.
- Drunk me didn’t have to worry if I was alone at a party because drunk me didn’t abide such things.
- There is a lot of stuff to process as you build your life in recovery every day, and that isn’t always going to be easy.
- As you get going, keep a simple chart or use an app that tracks your progress.
- It means continually checking in with yourself, continually reaching out to new people who may have ideas you haven’t tried before, and continually asking questions that will help you improve your life.
Is Being Sober Boring? Why Do We Think That?
We invite you to share your journey of recovery and be featured on Recovery Connection! Fill out the form below and one of our team members will reach out to help you get started. Join Recovery Connection in celebrating your recovery with our sobriety calculator. I share my experience because I do not want others to be blindsided like I was. Sobriety is not all roses and reggae, after all, and those who are in a position to help, will always stress the indisputable fact that being clear-headed is better than being a drunk.