Don’t let yourself be derailed by a friend who only knows half the story. If you’re ready to start on your path toward sobriety, American Addiction Centers (AAC) can help. Alcohol.org is a subsidiary of AAC, a nationwide provider of addiction treatment centers offering a combination of proven therapies and services to meet your individual needs. Sometimes people think alcohol use is “heavy” or excessive only when the person consuming alcohol is passing out or becoming aggressive with others.
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- Others call themselves “Cali sober” for ditching alcohol but using Marijuana.
- Without substances in the body, you could feel physically ill or mentally unwell.
- Take a person who’s pleasing to the eye, intelligent, put together, and when sober, brazenly competent, and confident—but after a few whisky sours, that person turns into a paranoid mess of self-doubt.
- If you believe your friend will feel comfortable discussing their recovery, ask.
- Some people won’t respect your recovery and may attempt to bring you back to drinking with them.
But it’s safe to say that if your friend is in early recovery, drinking in front of them may test their sobriety. However, in the early days of living your life sober, it can be easier and safer to avoid those alcohol-saturated social situations until you’ve built up some confidence with your new habits. You want to make life as easy on yourself as you can so avoid putting yourself under too much stress.
Identify Your Personal Triggers
You’ll get to meet new people and be a part of something positive. When you begin to view your negative thoughts and feelings as problems to be solved being sober around drinkers rather than the embodiment of who you actually are, you liberate yourself. Plus, you might meet some cool people, and that’s always a double win.
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Let’s address another reason life without alcohol feels boring. If you’ve created an entire social life around drinking, it is natural to be afraid of life without it. Getting sober is like learning to walk again after a terrible accident. You should be able to go about living your life without drinking alcohol, but you feel utterly useless and have no idea what to do with yourself. It is a depressant that can exacerbate anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues.
- This article intends to offer useful tactics and ideas that can help you handle social occasions where alcohol is served, without compromising your dedication to sobriety.
- However, in the early days of living your life sober, it can be easier and safer to avoid those alcohol-saturated social situations until you’ve built up some confidence with your new habits.
- They often desperately want to do the right thing but are unsure which tack to take.
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Have an exit strategy if needed, such as checking the nearest bus stop, pre-booking transport, or calling upon a sober friend. Shufelt said in the podcast that alcohol was impacting his productivity and he didn’t want to get to the point where he had children and was “blowing himself up on Friday.” Giving up alcohol for a month can have significant benefits for your physical health. Alcohol is a toxin that can damage your liver, heart, and brain.
Alcohol is everywhere
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- Addiction is the state of being obsessively focused on getting and using drugs, despite the likely harms.
- Attending these events allows you to meet new people who share your commitment to sobriety and expand your social circle beyond those who prioritize drinking.
- If you’re involved in a 12-step program, you likely already know the importance of milestones.
- Early sobriety may come with feelings of fatigue and the stress of dealing with challenges (people, places, and things that stimulate the urge to use).
- This is why it’s often recommended to avoid drinking on an empty stomach.
- It may help to pick a quit date, or a day when you choose to discontinue use of alcohol or drugs.