11 Surprising Benefits of Sobriety That Will Transform Your Life

In my mind, the problem was that none of these things worked for ME. Yes, I already know EVERYTHING about how to manage depression. If someone attempted to offer me advice, I would interrupt before they could finish.

The Risks of Returning to Alcohol After Sobriety

Financial issues and problems finding and keeping employment can being sober around drinkers be triggers for relapse. Try to keep your finances in order and keep in mind that big improvements are unlikely to happen overnight. Alcohol addiction is a continuous and treatable medical condition that involves your brain, genetics, and environment. Even after admitting you have an alcohol problem, you may question whether that’s true. The types of professional help available include therapy, counseling, and outpatient treatment programs to help you achieve your desired outcomes.

• Alcohol addiction is a continuous and treatable medical condition that involves your brain, genetics, and environment.
• Whether choosing complete abstinence or attempting moderation, being mindful of potential pitfalls and triggers is crucial to maintaining sobriety.
• There’s no single cause of sobriety fatigue – rather, a constellation of factors can contribute to the feeling of being worn down and exhausted.
• Relapsing is when the individual returns to drinking or using drugs after a period of sobriety.
• Support can also look like joining in-person and online support groups.

Manage Your Time and Energy

This unwavering commitment to sobriety can lead to a more fulfilling life than when they were drinking alcohol, even after quitting drinking. Abstinence is a powerful recovery strategy because it eliminates the risk of relapse, allowing individuals to stay focused on their recovery journey. It also helps break the illusion of control that many alcoholics have, making it easier to quit drinking alcohol for good. Financial challenges and difficulty finding and maintaining employment are key triggers for relapse.

How common is relapse?

In November, I’ll be 30 years old, followed by my eighth sober birthday in January. I got clean and sober when I was quite young and it was an unexpected turn of events for me at the time. Looking back on my life, however, is like rewatching a TV show or movie again — you see all the clues so clearly, so much so that you think about how blind you must’ve been the first time through.

Then accept that you will never be able to take it back or change it. Every day I remember something I said or did that makes me want to slap myself and when I first stopped drinking, these “Greatest Hits” haunted me 80% of my day. I’ve learned to drop a lot of bitterness I’d been holding on to and it has been one of the most liberating mindset shifts I’ve experienced in sobriety. It’s also opened me up to new, closer relationships that are built on much sturdier foundations.

The Experience Blog

If you can’t remember, again, ask someone you love to remind you how horrible life was when you were NOT sober. You’ve worked so hard to get sober—staying that way is a very respectful thing to do! It is much easier to demand the respect of others if you are not using drugs or alcohol. If there’s someone in your life that you lost to addiction or that doesn’t do the right things because he or she is an addict, maybe you should stay sober just so that you are not like that person. While we don’t want to encourage pointing fingers, it is okay for you to have a goal of NOT being like someone.

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. Just keep in mind that your improvements won’t happen overnight. A structured routine will help you achieve other goals in your life, whether they are short-term (like being on time for work) or long-term (like going back to school and changing careers).