You may be able tograduate from a sober living center after completing one year of sobriety andthen move on to continue building a happy and healthy life with your family andfriends. This does not imply that all of your friendships are in jeopardy orthat any of them will undergo a change as a result. Some will undoubtedlyremain, but even those friendships may not necessarily last for a very longtime.
Maintaining sobrietyis comparable to getting a fast pass at Disneyland, with the exception thattravel times are decreasing. Even if your friends aren't affected by the factthat you're not drinking, it's possible that if they're not participating intheir journey of self-discovery, there will be tension at some point as youdiscover more about who you are and continue to develop, and ultimately, thetwo of you will drift apart.
Ask anyone who is notunder the influence of alcohol whether they would prefer to stay home with apackage of La Croix, The Crown, and a bathrobe or go to a cocktail party. It'ssuch an absurd inquiry that I'm willing to bet that the vast majority of usdon't even bother to respond; instead, we just laugh at it.
It is possible thatsobriety will not make you into Liz Lemon per se, but it may provide you withthe insight necessary to realize that you have always been Liz Lemon. Therewill still be trying times and obstacles to conquer, but it is likely that theywill occur less frequently and with less intensity.
If you start tobelieve in yourself, you'll open the door to a world of new experiences andopportunities for self-improvement. Within a few months, my sleep qualityimproved, I experienced increased levels of energy, my blood sugar levelsdecreased, my mental health improved, and I had fewer episodes of anxiety.
He explained thatpeople who are sober but curious are typically what are known as "grayarea drinkers," which means that their drinking falls somewhere between"normal" and "problematic," and that these people are interestedin learning what it is like to abstain from alcohol.
When I go through mydays keeping these three things in mind, not only am I able to remain clean,but I am also able to advance further along the road to recovery and experienceblessings that are beyond my wildest dreams.
I've realized that Idon't know very much and that if I'm willing to listen to it, there aremessages in every meeting, every conversation, and every day that will help menot only remain sober but also improve both my journey and my life.
If I'm willing tolisten to these messages, they will help me not only remain sober but alsoimprove both my journey and my life. Not only did each of these programs offerthings, ideas, tools, and advice from those who had been in my shoes, but theyalso offered things, ideas, and tools and advice from those who had been in myshoes not only to stay sober but also to find peace of mind and happiness on myjourney through recovery.
Over time, I gainedweight as a result of all the additional calories, which were compounded bysnacks that I most certainly would not have consumed if I had been sober.According to a study that was recently published in the Journal of SubstanceAbuse Treatment, abstaining from substance use for one year appears to improveboth brain function and overall happiness.
For a long time, thiswas me—dating people who were under the influence of alcohol or drugs. It waslike a lifeline to a world that I no longer belonged to, and on some level, Ifelt like it gave me an advantage.
I wish I had alwayshad sober sex because nothing has helped me raise my standards, ask for what Iwant and need, or fall more in love with my imperfect body than being presentto have sex while completely sober. I wish I had always had sober sex becauseit has helped me raise my standards, ask for what I want and need, and fallmore in love with my imperfect body.
At first glance, itmay be a great deal simpler to maintain sobriety within the confines of arehabilitation facility rather than upon one's return to the "realworld." She went on to say that many sober and curious people don't hitrock bottom with addiction, but rather feel that alcohol is no longer servingthem and no longer adds value to their lives.
She said this isbecause many people feel that alcohol is no longer serving them. I didn'trealize how much it had changed me until the very last minute, and that wasonly after I had gone through the entire year without drinking or using drugs.My only goal in chronically oversharing my sober and curious journey is toserve as a guiding light for someone who is currently in a dark place.
In September of lastyear, I drank my very last glass of chilled vodka with lime. When I saidgoodbye to cocktails, there wasn't a lot of pomp and circumstance involved. Myprevious attempts to go for extended periods without eating without successmade me hesitant to announce my choice publicly.
In most cases, I wasable to make it for a few days, and occasionally even a few weeks. When I firststarted this round, I didn't have any idea how long my drinking break wouldlast. I estimated that it would be around a month.
That thirty-day periodended up being longer than a year. Even though I miss the instant relaxationthat comes when alcohol hits the bloodstream, I do not long for what cameafter: occasional hangovers, disrupted sleep, and waking up feeling strangelydepressed for no apparent reason.
I was aware that Iconsumed alcohol daily, and despite the fact that doing so did not negativelyimpact either my life or my health, I was curious about what would take placeif I stopped.
There's alcohol inevery corner.
When you make aneffort to steer clear of it, alcohol's ubiquitous presence becomes painfullyobvious. My social media accounts were flooded with pictures of cocktails andjokes about how the time between coffee and wine is the "scariest part ofthe day."
I could get wine atthe hair salon where I got my hair cut; booze made an appearance in every showI watched on Netflix, and I could get wine at the hair salon where I got myhair cut. Alcohol was provided gratis both at work events and at the birthdayparties of children. Even my gym had a bar.
To tell you the truth,I believe that I was finally able to give up drinking because I went on asabbatical with my husband, who has been abstaining from alcohol since highschool, and we moved to a small town in Colorado for a year.
Because there weremiles of mountains to explore and my friends were back in Chicago, it was muchsimpler for me to avoid drinking during events such as happy hour, brunch,networking, movie, and game night drinks. You are beginning to understand.
My cravings finallysubsided after about three months of trying, even though the first two days anda half were the most difficult. And I need another six before I can stop eventhinking about drinking. Alcohol served as my "off" switch andalerted me when it was time to relax and unwind.
This association isdeeply ingrained in my memory, much like a marked bike trail. It took sometime, but eventually, I was able to break the habit of reaching for a drinkautomatically whenever I felt stressed by training myself not to reward mybrain with a drink at those times.
Avoiding places thatcontained alcohol for the first few months was a huge help, even though itharmed my social life. The process of determining my other triggers was alsovery important. Reading, cooking, and housework were just some of theactivities that I combined with drinking.
I was aware that tobreak an old routine, I would need to replace it with a new one on my own.Because I tend to experience anxiety, I decided to start meditating every timeI felt my nerves tense up, even if it was just for a few minutes at a time,rather than reaching for a glass of something to calm me down.
When I started to feelthe urge for a cocktail, I also reached for some coffee or herbal tea.Surprisingly, the changes assisted in reducing the intensity of my yearnings.
For instance, thispast summer I went to a rave party in the middle of a forest with some of myclosest friends. We talked, laughed, and danced until six in the morning, andduring that time I realized that there are times when I prefer to party sober.
I've realized that ifI want to maintain my sobriety and continue to enjoy all of the wonderfulthings that I missed out on while I was drunk, I need to get serious about myrecovery. Those who were able to abstain from substance use for an entire yearreported significantly higher levels of overall life satisfaction compared tothose who had relapsed.
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