Scared of Being Sober: Why Is Sobriety So Hard?

Since then I’ve picked up rapping, shooting at gun ranges, bowling, being a entrepreneur, being in digital marketing as a career, getting a degree etc. I can share my music with a stranger, I can sell my products to customers, I can make businesses successful online. Before all I had to be happy about was a chemical alteration to my brain chemistry.

Before you know it, a lousy day in sobriety can quickly turn into your last day in sobriety if you turn to drugs and alcohol to ease your emotional discomfort. All of this negativity, the mere thought of getting the help you need and then relapsing shortly after, may seem like a doom and gloom cycle, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Recovery takes hard work, dedication and commitment—but sobriety is possible. A sober living facility can help you stay on the path of recovery and will minimize your risks of early relapse following the time that you spend in a residential treatment setting. If you are a long-time drinker or drug user, you may be in that twilight stage of indecision between getting clean and continuing on the path you’re on.

You go through all that quitting and getting sober. And it ain’t all that??!!

Challenges in the process can include intense cravings, relapse, or a return to using the mind-altering substance. Staying sober may require several strategies and supports, including seeking professional and peer support. Even after being in recovery for a while, you may not be delighted with the changes you have made.4 In fact you may realize you don’t like being sober.

For with changes comes adjustments, which can be challenging. So it may take some time before you truly feel content in your new life. But the following insights may ease your journey and improve your outlook. So understanding and addressing these fears is paramount.

Build a Support Network

Detox can occur in a hospital setting or as the initiation into the inpatient or outpatient rehabilitation process. That said, while “recovery” and “sobriety” are different terms, they’re also used interchangeably in some instances. Plus, being in recovery typically involves maintaining sobriety, so the two are somewhat intertwined. This subreddit is a place to motivate each other to control or stop drinking. We welcome anyone who wishes to join in by asking for support, sharing our experiences and stories, or just encouraging someone who is trying to quit.

If you’re relying on a friend, family member, or someone else to hold you accountable and keep you from relapsing, you’re missing out on the growth and development that comes with recovery. The following tips are all ways you can help yourself reach your goals. Family and friends supportive https://ecosoberhouse.com/ of recovery can help by reinforcing new behaviors and providing positive incentives to continue with treatment. You don’t have to be alone in your sobriety journey. Even if you don’t have a strong support network right away, this is something you can seek out to help support your goals.

The 3 Stages Of Alcoholism

There are options for groups, meetings and virtual support if you prefer. Online groups are an amazing resource, with groups to suit everyone’s personality. And these thoughts can quickly become something that we start to believe – and we act on these thoughts and decide that ‘yes being sober sucks’, and we end up getting hold of booze.

• Getting support doesn’t have to mean going to rehab, although that is an option.
• Quit lit books might have got you through times before, so pick one up and take time out to read a little bit.
• You may think that you have good relationships with your drinking buddies, but the truth is that such relationships tend to be very shallow.
• Focus on the positive things that being sober brings with it.
• There is a lot of stuff to process as you build your life in recovery every day, and that isn’t always going to be easy.

Sure, I could choose to use drugs or alcohol but negative consequences would pile up. There are a lot of people who are forced into sobriety. Some of them have hit rock bottom, some are on probation, some are forced to by their caretaker. Regardless of your reasoning behind being sober, you don’t have to be miserable. There are ways to become reasonably happy without drugs or alcohol. As time goes on, residents who continue to stay sober, take part in group support and maintain the rules of the sober house will gradually see that their limitations are reduced.

Being Sober Doesn’t Suck Because You Actually Have More Fun

You are not a slave to your emotions or your addiction. You can choose to sit where you are for a moment, assess, and figure out a way forward. By Michelle Pugle

Michelle Pugle, MA, MHFA is a freelance health writer as seen in Healthline, Health, Everyday Health, Psych Central, and Verywell.

There are millions of other people in recovery, all at different stages, and many are having a bad day just like you are. There is a lot of stuff to process as you build your life in recovery every day, and that isn’t always going to be easy. Give us a call and we can help find the right treatment program for you or your loved one – even if it’s not ours! Old habits and toxic relationships no longer serve the sober version of yourself you are working hard to create. Old habits may include other addictive behaviors or self-destructive actions.

Or maybe those crotchety old-timers like to complain about life. Or the newcomer has unrealistic expectations and judges others unfairly. Acceptance of one another and each individual's right to walk her own path is the solution. Why do people, who have been sober for years, behave inappropriately with alarming regularity? Recently, I was asked this question in group therapy (the exact words have been edited as they were not fit to print). The person who posed the question felt she had been misled.