You can expect certain alcohol withdrawal symptoms such as sleep disruption to occur, though some people can experience seizures and other severe symptoms. If you recently had surgery or an injury, your doctor will be careful with the pain medication they give you, because some of those drugs can make you more likely to relapse. Ask your doctor about nonmedical ways to manage your pain, like massage or acupuncture. This may mean that you don’t spend time with someone you used to use drugs with or go somewhere you used to drink.
Ways on How to Stay Sober
This is a treatment that first prevents someone from using their substance of choice and then provides information about the harm of using. Loving and encouraging family and friends can definitely help support your journey to become sober. The first step to getting sober is recognizing and admitting that you have a problem with drug or alcohol misuse. It’s difficult to admit that you have lost control over your substance use. It can seem intimidating to look at the end goal and know the many steps it will take to get sober.
- The pull to return to familiar coping mechanisms can feel intense, but the great news is that there are things we can do proactively.
- Approximately 50 percent of clients in the U.S. pursuing mental health services are directly or indirectly affected by addiction (and therefore psychological trauma too, by default).
Manage Physical Pain
Police quickly assured the public that there were no signs of foul play while simultaneously assuring the public that no official cause of death would be announced for quite some time. Sobriety is often a lifelong commitment that requires dedication, support, and continuous effort. While the path to sobriety can be challenging, it is also incredibly rewarding. This broader definition acknowledges that different people have different paths to recovery and that what works for one person may not work for another. Breathing is a great way to give yourself something to focus on instead of your rapid thoughts.
My First Sober Christmas! (Thank God It’s Over)
Not everyone comes from an encouraging and supportive home environment. If your family and or friends aren’t motivating you to seek help for your substance misuse, make an appointment with a medical or addiction treatment professional. These individuals can direct you toward the resources you need for recovery, including the needed services and diagnosis of substance use and any co-occurring mental health disorders. In other words, instead of saying, “stop thinking about how far it is to the liquor store,” imagine you walk down there, buy the bottle of vodka, come home and start drinking. Imagine your sober streak disappearing and finishing the bottle that night. Imagine how your friend and family will feel and how it will effect your day the next day.
Holding onto anger, hostility, vengeance, and hate manifests into disease. It’s destructive to your physical and mental health. I know this is easier said than done, but it doesn’t negate its truth. However, be honest with yourself when considering each option to find the proper way to live your sober life. tips to stay sober Abstinence is your greatest chance of avoiding relapse.
Staying Sober Long-Term: 8 Research-Proven Strategies for 2024
Those struggling with trauma and addiction are often disconnected from their bodies, its cues, its needs, its signals, especially its respective trauma and addiction triggers. EMDR therapy in tandem with addiction support may work more effectively and get to the true root of the problem (the unhealed wounds and psychological trauma). The sooner we understand this, the more likely we are to heal the global pandemic of trauma and addiction.
Phone, Video, or Live-Chat Support
A lot of people feel lonely when they give up alcohol. When your entire social life has revolved around getting wasted, it’s normal to feel like there’s nothing to do. If you do not heal from past traumas and abuses, you are setting yourself up for relapse. Instead of overcoming and working through your hardships, you may find yourself running back to avoidance with whatever numbs your pain. Recovery often requires professional assistance for identifying and healing from your underlying conditions.
So whether you’re a skeptic, a believer, a data-driven engineer or artistic painter, a few of these tips should apply. Triggers for using drugs and alcohol typically are people, places, and things that remind you of your addictive behavior or encourage the use of substances you’re avoiding. This article will describe sobriety in more detail, the challenges a person faces while working to stay sober, the options for treatment, and tips for building a sober lifestyle. If you can’t avoid a trigger, have a plan in place. Develop coping skills to help you avoid drinking or using drugs in response.
- One of the most critical elements of staying sober is having a strong support network.
- While having a conversation with other people is ideal as they offer new insights and lines of thinking, talking your obstacles out loud to yourself doesn’t hurt either.
- In addition, it’s created an intimate closeness with God.
- Complete with medication and recovery meetings trackers.
- While the path to sobriety can be challenging, it is also incredibly rewarding.
It does not need to be rigorous exercise, it does not even need to be long. Go for a 15 minute walk and you’ll be better for it. Walking helps clear your head, increase circulation, and promote better heart health overall. You need to put your health at the forefront of your day-to-day activities and a 15 minute walk should be possible regardless of the weather or time of day. One of the healthiest things you can do for your brain and body is to work out at a gym.
