Get One Step Closer to Embracing a Sober Lifestyle
Get One Step Closer to Embracing a Sober Lifestyle
When overcoming an alcohol addiction, there are several steps that you can take each day to improve your life. Discover how to embrace a sober lifestyle today.
30% of Americans have struggled with an alcohol abuse problem or disorder.
The good news?
More and more people are getting help and focusing on living a sober lifestyle.
In fact, about 18% of people who enter rehab treatment programs today are there to deal with alcohol abuse.
It doesn't matter if you're just coming out of a professional treatment facility, have started to attend Alcoholics Anonymous Meetings, or have recently taken a stumble in your recovery.
One thing is certain: committing to a sober lifestyle can be a challenge.
In this post, we're offering you some of the most effective tips to both make the change in the first place, and to stick with it.
Read on to find out how you can help yourself.
1. Celebrate Your Milestones
As we mentioned earlier, we know that living a sober lifestyle can be hard. You may miss the excitement of your old life, your old drinking buddies, or just the temporary relief from pain and stress alcohol offered.
Or, you might just be especially hard on yourself, full of regret and shame about past choices, and paranoid you'll fall back into old habits.
While these feelings are normal (and a great topic to bring up with your sponsor or counselor) they also highlight how crucial it is to celebrate your sober successes and milestones.
Maybe you've seen people giving out and receiving special commemorative coins, celebrating certain "anniversaries" of their sobriety.
These coins might seem like a small token, but they carry enormous personal weight.
They're a tangible sign of your success you can hold in your hand - and that you can pull out and look at when you're feeling tempted.
Whether you're buying a token for yourself, or are honoring the success of your friends and community members, these chips are a great way to recognize the self-control you now have.
Also, you can celebrate smaller milestones, like your first week clean, or the first corporate party you made it through without drinking. No success is too small.
2. Get Moving
It's true - your fitness and physical health are an incredibly important part of your recovery. First of all, taking care of your body during the recovery process is important because your physical health may have suffered
First of all, taking care of your body during the recovery process is important because your physical health may have suffered during your heavy drinking bouts.
But it's also a great way to clear your mind, especially if you feel like you're beginning to slip back into your old patterns of thought. We recommend trying something unconventional, like a dance class!
This way, your mind will be so focused on just remembering the steps, that you won't think about anything else.
It's also important to adjust your diet. This isn't just good for your body! Learning new recipes, trying new foods, and even hosting dinner parties at your place is a wonderful and healthy hobby - that's also a lot of fun!
You'd be surprised just how easy it is for preparing a meal to start to feel exactly like a meditation. Plus, you'll learn a new skill that you can share with the important people in your life.
Also, fitness and nutrition are both great ways to set and achieve goals for yourself - another wonderful way to work on your self-confidence. Plus, signing up for a race or joining a gym is a great way to build and be a part of a community.
To that end...
3. Surround Yourself With Positive Influences
One of the toughest things about recovery is losing what you once thought were stable and genuine friendships - maybe even romantic relationships.
The reality is, it can be hard to let go even when we know it's for the best.
When it comes to your "old friends," you eventually realize that, while you can still be there for them if they decide to seek help, they aren't the best influences on your new sober lifestyle.
Instead, it's time to focus on spending time with people who are good influences. These don't even have to be people who have a history of drinking problems - but we do suggest that you try to also form connections with people in your groups and programs.
These friends can be people you aspire to be like in some way.
Maybe they're incredibly hard workers and have connections in a field you'd like to work in. Maybe they're the type of people you know you can call at 3:00 in the morning. Maybe they're just hilarious and allow you to get your mind off your own problems
Whatever the case, keep in mind that it's now up to you to build and maintain your own support system. Focus on surrounding yourself with people who are going to keep you moving forward, not backward.
When it comes to family members or friends that you may have harmed or hurt when you were drinking, keep in mind that you can't control whether or not they choose to accept your apologies.
What you can do it show them that you're really committed to changing your behavior.
Being around positive influences will help you to do just that.
Embrace a Sober Lifestyle Thanks to These Tips
Big changes are on the horizon for you - and sometimes, that can feel pretty scary! Getting control of your life is one of the best decisions you can make, even if sometimes, it can also feel like one of the hardest.
Every day, take the time to think about how much progress you've made, and what you still plan on doing in the future. If you do this, every day will get just a little bit easier.
If you're looking for more advice about adjusting to sobriety, want to connect with others who understand your situation, or simply want to get a special gift for yourself or a person in your life who is in the recovery process, we invite you to spend some time on our site.
Should you have any questions, feel free to get in touch with us.