Plus, assuming you’ve eliminated all your triggers, there’s a good chance your schedule has freed up tremendously, so you have time to explore or start new projects. Alcohol interrupts REM sleep (the most restorative period) and dilutes the ability to form memories in the night. As a result, a night of drinking usually results in a morning of grogginess. When you’re under the influence, it’s all too easy to give in to cravings for something greasy, sweet, or salty. You have fewer cravings, and you’re not surrounded by temptations like bar food. A weekly participant at Burning Tree’s Master Treatment Planning, Dawn is familiar with every client, from their very first week all the way to graduation.
Sober life can have a major positive impact on your relationship with your partner. For example, addiction can ruin an otherwise great marriage or be a deal-breaker for the greatest relationship you’ve ever known. The absolute best and most important relationship that sobriety brings is an improved relationship with yourself. When you feel good about yourself, you trust yourself and can keep commitments you’ve made to yourself.
What Does It Mean to Be Sober?
These could be physical discomforts like nausea, shaking, and fatigue or psychological challenges like depression, anxiety, and intense cravings. However, these can be effectively managed with the proper guidance and resources. For example, techniques https://curiousmindmagazine.com/selecting-the-most-suitable-sober-house-for-addiction-recovery/ such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and relaxation exercises can be beneficial in mitigating cravings and managing withdrawal symptoms. Additionally, medications might be prescribed in some cases to alleviate physical discomfort.
On the same token, alcoholism can lead to anemia and liver disease. Not to mention, addiction can also lead to depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders, which often impair the mental and physical well-being of a user. On the regular, substance abuse can lead to hangovers, excruciating withdrawal symptoms, and a weakened immune system. It can also dehydrate and deprive the body of essential vitamins and antioxidants. Various stages characterize the process of achieving and maintaining a clean lifestyle. The initial step involves recognition and acceptance, where one acknowledges the issue and desires change.
Developing Healthier Alternatives to Old Habits
By getting sober, you will find opportunities to reopen closed doors and restore bridges that have been broken over recent years. In addition, you may find that those reinstated relationships, without any influence of drugs or alcohol, are better than ever before. More than likely, some of your relationships with friends and family members were damaged by your addiction. Addiction often has that effect, whether you were cut off from loved ones who tried to help or you yourself pushed loved ones away in the name of drugs. By quitting drugs and alcohol, you will look/feel healthier and better about yourself. Alexis “Lexi” Thomas serves as Admission Specialist for Burning Tree Programs.
So, I would wake up every morning, sit on the ground in the dark in the spare room, set a timer on my phone, close my eyes and just focus on my breathing. I didn’t cross my legs because my hips are fucked from running heaps and stretching fuck all. I recently reached out to a good mate who has been sober for over two years and asked him about breathwork. I’ll go into this in more detail later in the blog, but he said to me, “breathwork, if done properly, will supercharge your sobriety”. When you achieve sobriety, many benefits may seem obvious, and some benefits you never knew.
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Being sober will not only monumentally improve your life — it will save your life. If you’re ready to experience the benefits of sobriety, alcohol addiction treatment can make a difference. Find a BrightView location near you today to get started.
- This can improve your overall self-esteem and keep you motivated in your recovery.
- Seeking sobriety can be incredibly difficult due to a combination of factors.
- Assisting a loved one on their path to sobriety entails providing empathy, emotional backing, and motivation.
- There will be hard days, but ultimately the positives will forever outweigh the negatives.
- This leads to poor judgement as all decisions are a means to an end for an addict.
Substance abuse may also interfere with your appetite and lead to poor nutrition. When you’re sober, you’ll be able to eat a balanced diet and provide your body with the nutrients it needs to function properly. You also reduce the health risks and give your body a chance to heal. It’s not hard to see why people get more done when they’re sober. When you’ve got high energy levels and lots of free time, it’s easier to stay focused on work, school, and personal projects. Much of our social behaviors involve the use of substances in one form or another.
