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Living a sober life means not only avoiding drugs and alcohol, but also avoiding toxic relationships that can trigger old behaviors. This includes past romantic partners who may have contributed to substance abuse in the past. By setting boundaries and removing ourselves from these negative influences, we are able to focus on our own recovery and personal growth.
- It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare providers.
- Helping others helps you get your mind off your own problems, It helps instill gratitude.
- Recovery is about much more than living a drug or alcohol-free life.
- Instead of spending Saturday morning hungover in bed, you can get out and hike at a new park, bike a local trail, or go out for lunch with friends.
- It may help to pick a quit date, or a day when you choose to discontinue use of alcohol or drugs.
While being sober doesn’t guarantee a happy life, using drugs ensures one is trapped in a downward spiral of addiction. When living a sober life after addiction, your overall health improves immensely. This is because you’re no longer attacking your body by putting dangerous amounts of toxic substances in it. Early sobriety may come with feelings of fatigue, anxiety, or depression. You may also experience sobriety triggers (people, places, and things that trigger the desire to use). Know that it will get easier as you move through treatment and explore why you were using drugs or alcohol in the first place.
Why Living a Sober Lifestyle Isn’t Just About Abstaining from Substance Abuse
Most people who make their way into recovery have left a lot of pain and suffering in their wake. Feeling guilty or ashamed of past behavior or actions during active addiction is natural and healthy. Financial troubles and problems finding and keeping employment are major triggers for relapse, but it is possible to take baby steps and get your finances in order.
Having a chaotic or disorganized lifestyle can also hinder your recovery. It’s important to develop a structured daily and weekly schedule and stick to it. This article discusses what sobriety means and describes strategies that can support your long-term recovery. It also Top 5 Questions to Ask Yourself When Choosing Sober House covers tips on how to deal with the challenges you’ll face on your journey to sobriety. You can focus each day on doing something that will make you feel happy and fulfilled. You might not feel ready to go back home right after treatment and need a place to transition.
There’s Life Beyond Addiction
Due to the toxicity level of alcohol and drugs, when you chronically abuse them, your immune system lowers. Therefore, when you stop placing such toxic substances in your body or even relieve your body of the toxic substances that it already has within it through detox, your immune system receives a boost. When your immune system improves, your overall health improves.
