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With enough of those sublime experiences under your belt, you can almost be guaranteed a smile on your deathbed (again, this has not been proven in any studies. If you’re involved in a 12-step program, you likely already know the importance of milestones.
Getting clean allows you to spend your free time actually having fun. You can go for a bike ride, spend time out with friends or family, or travel and see the world. In the fog of drug use, you may have done things to break trust and damage your relationship with your family. reasons to stay sober While not all injuries mend with time, many do. What most families want above all else is for their loved ones to get well. Once the person has cleaned out their system and learned to manage their sobriety, they are finally able to get their lives under control.
The Pros of Being Sober
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. Learn that you have choices and that you can maintain control. If any area of your life is out of control, it will not help you maintain lasting sobriety. 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. Depending on the type of dependency, PAWS can last from six months to two years after you stop using drugs or alcohol.
- In most cases, medical detox serves as an important initial step.
- 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.
- Heavy drinking causes mental health issues like anxiety and depression.
- However, group therapy is usually only temporary and not meant for lifetime support.
- The severity of the memory troubles depends on how often the addict uses the drug, but memory is affected regardless.
One big reason people feel so afraid of sobriety is because of what they see in the media, pop culture and even from people they know on social media. There’s the sense that if you’re not usingdrugsor alcohol, somehow life is boring or uninteresting. There’s the misconception that if you’re sober, you aren’t fun, you won’t be able to enjoy your life to the fullest and you’ll have trouble forming relationships. The answer to that question seems easy enough to someone not battling addiction. For those who face this daily challenge, it seems “easier” to just drown away the world’s troubles. Every person struggling with alcohol or drug addiction needs a go-to list.
Reasons to Stay Sober (And How to Make it Happen)
In these programs, it’s customary to receive plastic chips as you progress to the one-year mark, at which time you receive a bronze coin. It is also important to seek help from a therapist. A mental health professional can help you cope with some of the challenges you’ll face on your path to sobriety. To avoid relapse https://ecosoberhouse.com/ and remain sober, it’s important to develop healthy relationships. Sobriety means not being under the influence of a substance. However, the word is often used in different ways in different contexts. Many 12-step programs suggest that sobriety means total abstinence—never using the substance ever again.
Since then she has been writing on addiction recovery and psychology full-time, and has found a home as part of the Guardian Recovery Network team. Failing to fulfill personal responsibilities and obligations because of your drug or alcohol use.
You have more fun.
Treatment centers can help to keep you safe from the triggers and stressors in your everyday life. Sober living homes can be the next step after completing a treatment program. Recovery can be a linear process, yet you might need to go back if you aren’t ready to move forward. For example, you might complete a sober living program yet do not feel prepared to get back in the real world. Be honest with yourself and your support team.
