A beginners guide to starting a sober curious lifestyle

Those feelings are within us already, we just have to give ourselves the chance to tap into them. If you often drink out of routine (like pouring a glass of wine after work), try swapping it for a different ritual, like making an alcohol-free cocktail or brewing a special tea. For work events, I tell my work bestie that I’ll be going and leaving early.

Relapse Prevention Plan

(Here are a bunch of other ways to exercise at home, if you need more ideas.) It’s also nice to see local gyms and studios of all kinds offering virtual classes for their community. Staying plugged in with familiar faces as you keep your workouts consistent can be comforting and a great way to support your local establishments during a tough time. Over the weekend I participated in a global virtual dance party with Daybreaker, where over 3,000 people did yoga and danced together on a Saturday morning in their PJs, onesies, and spirit-hoodies to a live DJ. Daybreaker is known for its epic early-morning sober raves and has taken their movement online during this time.

Identify Your Triggers

You may want to start an exercise routine — exercise releases brain chemicals called endorphins, which can make you feel good. Or you might rather spend time volunteering for a good cause, like an animal shelter or children’s hospital. Whatever it is, new activities can lead to new friends with interests like yours.

• Maybe you love the adrenaline rush of rock climbing, but your best friend can’t stand heights.
• At some point in your recovery, you’ll feel stressed out, whether it’s major stress (like losing a job) or minor stress (like running late for an appointment).
• Whether it’s a hike or a nice park, heading into nature is a good way to watch the natural world moving and slow down your thinking.
• The key is to plan ahead and invite people who respect your sobriety.

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• Create some goals for yourself to remind yourself of what you’re working towards.
• We provide medical detox and residential treatment for alcohol and drug addiction at the United Recovery Project.
• This is exercise is a little out there, but it has proven to be beneficial for staying sober.
• For me and many others, it can represent an escape from emotional overwhelm — a way to bypass stress or hard feelings.

After all, you can’t hang around your drug dealer or old drinking buddies and expect to remain sober for very long. “It was easier for me to say that I’m doing it for her because, at that time, I didn’t feel like I was sort of worth much,” he recalled of the early days of their relationship. “I didn’t care as much about hurting myself as I did about hurting her. So, initially it was easier for me to say, ‘I’m doing this for her.’ And now, I’m doing it for myself.” After an incident in Newport Beach where the Olympic swimmer tried to kick in his own hotel room door, Lochte made the decision to seek treatment in 2018. “Ryan has been battling from alcohol addiction for many years and unfortunately it has become a destructive pattern for him,” his rep told E!

Having a chaotic or disorganized lifestyle can also hinder your recovery. It’s important to develop a structured daily and weekly schedule and stick to it. The symptoms involved in PAWS can be a barrier to recovery if you’re not careful. In addition to being able to recognize them, it’s important to know when to seek help.

So now, while you https://northiowatoday.com/2025/01/27/sober-house-rules-what-you-should-know-before-moving-in/ battle the myriad of other withdrawal symptoms, you’re also having to wrestle with relapse. Where that metaphor breaks down is the fact that you can’t return to your dream. Once you awaken from a dream, you can’t go back – unless you’ve practiced some serious lucid dreaming. With drugs however, even though it feels like you’re coming out of a haze, you can return to the “dream” at any time. They may also benefit from seeking their own support in a family program like Al-Anon or Nar-Anon. If you don’t have supportive family, try to build a support system elsewhere.

For more severe addiction issues, healthcare professionals may suggest inpatient care, which requires you to live onsite at the hospital or facility for the duration of treatment. First and foremost, find a treatment program that has a positive track record in terms of patients completing treatment and maintaining sobriety. This is most likely to occur in programs that provide services and therapies based on research. Evidence-based addiction treatment uses the current and best research-based evidence to make informed decisions about your rehab care.

If left unchecked, anger can have a negative impact on your health and your lasting sobriety. 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). A therapist can help you learn new coping skills, develop new thinking patterns, and address any co-occurring mental health conditions that may make recovery more difficult. Some of the immediate changes you will need to make will be obvious—like not hanging around the people that you used with or obtained drugs from.

Establish consistent, healthy routines.

However, be honest with yourself when considering each option to find the proper way to live your sober life. Abstinence is your greatest chance of avoiding relapse. Additionally, there are holistic and secular recovery programs such as Secular Organizations for Sobriety (S.O.S.). There are medically assisted treatments (M.A.T.) for opioid use disorders.

Some alcoholic drinks are absorbed even faster than others. The best way to sober up is to get a good night’s sleep. Throughout the night, your liver will have time to metabolize (break down) all the alcohol in your system. There’s nothing you can do to make yourself sober up more quickly. However, there are steps you can take to make the next morning easier or to avoid getting drunk in the first place.

Determine Your Recovery Style

You get to decide what course you choose, but I highly recommend therapy for your mental health. This gives you a quick and easy explanation for why you aren’t drinking. It also gives you a sense of purpose that can help you stay focused. If you recently had surgery or an injury, your doctor will be careful with the pain medication they give you, because some of those drugs can make you more likely to relapse. Ask your doctor about nonmedical ways to manage your pain, like massage or acupuncture.

• For many of us, our routines, regular in-person sober meetings, and ways of staying connected in our community have been compromised.
• This attitude means Gen Z are reducing their alcohol intake as a way to manage their emotional wellbeing, and may look at alcohol as an impediment to a robust mental framework.
• People with mental illness experience great benefits from being charitable.
• If you were active in your addiction for a period of time, you may have developed financial problems.
• Having something in your hand helps you feel part of the vibe.
• “I thought I was getting married, I was engaged, do you know what I mean? After all I did to better myself, it still clearly wasn’t enough.”

These benefits not only ease the discomfort of the detox process, but also sober house help to prevent relapse during this stage of treatment. What type of treatment you need depends on several factors, including the severity of your addiction. For instance, if your substance use disorder is diagnosed as mild, an outpatient program might be recommended. Outpatient programs vary widely but typically provide a designated number of hours of treatment per week at a treatment center or facility.

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