There will come a time when it will be perfectly normal to go out and enjoy yourself without giving alcohol a second thought. I’m a writer, competitive chess player, Army veteran, physicist, and former professional heavyweight boxer. My work focuses on self-development, realizing your potential, and sobriety—speaking from personal experience, having overcome both poverty and addiction.
Can Drinking Wine Make You Feel Depressed?
I got out of debt, started a company that provides digital recovery, launched a podcast, and am in the middle of writing a book. Additionally, avoiding alcohol can lead to better physical health, as you’ll likely experience fewer hangovers and potentially lose weight due to reduced calorie intake. Plus, you’ll save money by not spending it on expensive alcoholic beverages. When someone inquires why you’re not drinking, express that you’re “sober curious” or note that you can’t handle the hangover.
Navigating Social Events with Alcohol Present
- Or, host brunch at your home with elaborate fixings.
- It’ll allow you to get outdoors, dirty your hands, and meet some cool people.
- There are few things more liberating than being outside on a Saturday morning, and NOT because you’re squinting in the sun on your walk of shame back to your car or home.
- If you moderate your drinking, getting outside will feel even better.
- But this, I’ve learned, is a beautiful thing.
Follow her on Instagram at @holly. 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. For example, you may have developed a co-dependent relationship, or a family member, friend, or employer may have been enabling you without even knowing it. 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.
Substance Use Treatment
- Get on Google, find a class, and make it happen.
- Normally I wouldn’t mind—I mean, my conversations are littered with expletives—but when it’s two in the morning, and I’m sober and tired, it wears thin quick.
- Personally, I always thought drunk people were fun, and I didn’t want my own poop relationship with alcohol to stand out.
- Participate in a community cleanup and meet your neighbors.
- When your entire social life has revolved around getting wasted, it’s normal to feel like there’s nothing to do.
- Just know that you can get there, and the Soberish community is here to support you.
Whether you’re interested in romance, sci-fi, or even war history, there are books for you that you truly won’t be able to put down. Spending time and connecting with like-minded people is an important part of the recovery process, just as much as finding activities to do that don’t revolve around substance use. We promise there are better ways to fill your free time that don’t involve drinking, even if all of your pals were only in it for Dry January. Exercise is great for everyone, especially those in recovery. Exercise can relieve stress and anxiety, improve mood and release feel-good neurotransmitters.
If you feel numb, like you’re in a fog, or have nothing going on – this is possibly one of the reasons. It goes away, and it is magnificent when it does. And those horrid little capillary bursts on my chest have disappeared. That last one is called spider naevi, and it’s not only gross but a sign that your liver isn’t doing so well. 💙 Expand the depth of your connections with Strengthening Relationships, a guided exercise on connecting with others in a real way. Without alcohol, you might find your conversations are more thoughtful and engaging.
When you make the decision to become sober, one of the most annoying things you have to deal with is your friends, family, and colleagues trying to convince you to have a drink. When you are sober you will notice a change in drunkenness normally five or six drinks in. People can go from mildly merry to very loud/obnoxious/repetitive/sleazy/silly/stupid/dulled/introspective etc. When you are sober you have the power to recognise this. An asshole would pick up on these changes and be affronted by it.
Fried and overly sugary foods will also artificially spike your dopamine levels and cause your brain to overcorrect, leaving you feeling irritable, depressed, and cranky. These are all things you’re trying to overcome from drinking. Getting outside and communing with nature is scientifically proven to reduce stress and improve mental health and cognitive function in both kids and adults.
Can socializing without alcohol lead to stronger friendships?
- ” I didn’t understand I could decline to answer or that I didn’t have to make sense to everyone.
- There are many resources available to help you manage your social anxiety without relying on alcohol.
- Accepting that putting yourself first will change who you surround yourself with is an important part of recovery.
- If people press that response, I’ll either stare at them and hold an uncomfortable silence (this is enjoyable at some point), or just change the subject.
You can binge-watch a series of movies, or just watch one of your favourites. You can also go to the movies to watch the latest film out. This is a great way to have fun and jump into a new world being sober around drinkers while maintaining your sobriety. Although challenges are a normal part of the human experience, your life doesn’t need to be boring and mundane at all. It can, in fact, be infinitely more fun than active addiction. Getting more active can be as simple as taking your dog on those walks you’ve been promising them.
There is an initial learning curve. It’s important to have the right mindset about sobriety. So many people quit drinking and end up walking around in a dopamine deficit state, struggling to find joy in anything.
