It’s essential to remain in touch with why you got sober in the first place. The further you progress in your recovery, the easier it is to lose sight of why you decided to stop drinking. Make a list of the motivations behind your tips to stay sober decision to pursue treatment, and keep it close at hand to remind yourself why you’re working so hard. These symptoms are impossible to manage on one’s own, as well as extremely unsafe to handle without medical supervision.
Once you have got over the initial hurdles, life is far better without alcohol. Of course, staying sober is not always a bed of roses. You will encounter difficulties in life, no matter how long you have been sober for. Recovery is a lifelong process that will have challenging moments.
Graduate School of Addiction Studies
Breathwork, meditation, and yoga are all some ways you can work on your emotional regulation outside of a healthcare provider’s office. Developing a structured routine can help you stick to your sobriety goals, make healthy decisions, and reduce the likelihood of triggers and relapse. Create a structured daily routine, but plan for days you may experience sickness or chronic illness flare-ups that could require adjusting your routine. Luckily, staying sober during the holidays doesn’t mean you need to avoid the festivities altogether. Here are alternatives to drinking that can help you maintain your sobriety while you celebrate the holidays. Support groups are foundational for maintaining sobriety from drugs or alcohol, both short term and long term sobriety.
- Utilizing these resources and regularly attending therapy and recovery groups helps create a support network you may need throughout your continued sobriety.
- But unfortunately, they did not and continued with enabling behaviors.
The main reason I used to use and drink was that I felt like shit mentally and physically. If you fix the physical element of this, you’ll find that staying sober can be easier. There’s something you need to keep in mind — if you’re struggling to stay sober in the first place, it’s an indication https://ecosoberhouse.com/ that there’s a deeper problem. Some powerful tools include establishing a routine, turning to supportive loved ones, and managing triggers. For many, professional treatment is essential for achieving sobriety. The challenge of staying sober varies in intensity from person to person.
How Do You Become Sober?
As you start a life of sobriety, try drawing up a schedule to help you restructure your life. Research shows that toxic relationships are damaging to recovery. Purge yourself of these, and don’t feel guilty about it. Having strong habits will set the stage for consistency and success. These habits look different for everyone, but starting the day with intention is a great start.
- Your goals could be new milestones or old ones derailed by your addiction.
- Some individuals start to exhibit compulsive behaviors, performing the same actions over and over, seemingly without reason.
- And it doesn’t get more human, or more recovery, than that.
- Withdrawal symptoms can be mild to severe, depending on your level of addiction and substance abuse disorder.
- This might be from friends or family members, or it might be from new sober buddies.
While new activities may be beneficial, you should not use them to fill the void left by the addiction. The idea is to find balance in your life by engaging in productive activities in a non-compulsive manner. Monument offers holistic online alcohol treatment with medication-assisted treatment, therapy, an anonymous forum, and online support groups. If you’re concerned about your drinking, you’re not alone. The CDC reports one in six US adults binge drinks, with 25% doing so at least weekly.
Breathing Exercises
Every successful sober story starts with asking for and receiving help. Monument offers resources on How to Tell People You’re Getting Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder. The FHE Health team is committed to providing accurate information that adheres to the highest standards of writing. This is part of our ongoing commitment to ensure FHE Health is trusted as a leader in mental health and addiction care. Emotional changes are also major warning signs for relapse.
Binge drinking is just one pattern of excessive drinking, but it accounts for nearly all excessive drinking. Over 90% of US adults who drink excessively report binge drinking, according to the CDC. Here are a few quick tips to help you stay on the road toward long-term sobriety. In many cases, as an addict nears a potential relapse, they begin to isolate themselves from their friends, family, and other close relationships. Often, they have “good” or “valid” excuses for self-isolating, but the behavior worsens as they become more lonely. This is something you can do online, face-to-face with a friend, or, if all else fails, a mirror.
Discuss with your counselor how to change problematic relationships and identify more supportive ones. It’s important to know that sobriety is difficult for everyone. While the drug addiction journey is often different, every recovering addict has their own set of challenges to face with long term sobriety.
Staying substance-free allows you to focus on your goals and live a meaningful, impactful life. Therapy offers a safe space with supportive individuals who want to see you maintain your sobriety. It is the place to honestly assess your situation and prospects of remaining sober. Therapy sessions usually include growth-oriented practices like mindfulness meditation which help solidify your resolve to stay clean.
