Content
When you’re sober, you’ll feel sharper and more alert, and you’ll remember things better. It’s hard to overstate the importance of good sleep. When you’re sleep-deprived, https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/sobriety-sucks-you-will-definitely-feel-better/ you feel cranky, foggy, and unhealthy. When you’re sober, you’re able to stick to a healthy sleep schedule and wake up feeling refreshed every day.
Even if you’re not an addict, living a sober lifestyle can seem like a difficult feat. When you use and abuse any substances, it takes time for your body and mind to heal. If anyone tells you that it is an easy process – it is not.
Get the Reddit app
What’s great is my joy is shareable with others. 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. All I had to show for it was an empty bank account. I didn’t really know what else to do outside of drugs and alcohol. Also, I hated the social circle of “straight edge” people.
- When you’re in active addiction, what counts as “fun” is a cheap imitation of what your life really could be—rich, joy-filled, and free.
- In early sobriety I would tell myself “I hate being sober!
- Online groups are an amazing resource, with groups to suit everyone’s personality.
I’m often reminded of how being “just sober” sucks. I have half a decade without drugs and alcohol, but sometimes I’m more miserable than I ever was when I was getting high. The difference between then and now is that I have tools to get back to true freedom–where all the nonsense I am putting myself through mentally has no validity. It is not the mere fact that I am away from mind-altering substances, but it is because of the spiritual actions that can free my mind from itself. Often-times in recovery, being sober seems to be the aim. Little did I know I was living in a box within my addiction.
Give yourself time
It is absolutely achieaveble as you have already proven to yourself – but remember that the thoughts of relapse do and will happen. It is how you deal with these thoughts that make the difference to your life. As you are faced with these challenges, you become stronger each time you overcome these thoughts.
You might catch up with old friends or make some new ones. In fact, being sober can make your life more fun and rewarding than it’s ever been before. Nobody likes to think that they might end up with liver disease or other substance-related health problems. But people are diagnosed with these diseases every day, and if you abuse alcohol or drugs regularly, chances are high that you’ll eventually be one of them. When you’re sober, you don’t have to worry about developing life-threatening complications from your habits.
Sucks Being Sober
Similarly, a reader who commented on my post, “What Recovering Alcoholics Can Teach Us About Happiness,” discussed her negative experience in AA. She described some longtime members as “seething cauldrons of anger.” Another commenter observed that many AA members are caught in a cycle of negativity. This is certainly a common view for many who spend time in AA.
As with most problems, the solution is as difficult or as simple as we make it. Sometimes, consider how your behavior has affected others. 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.
The basic disease model of addiction says that plenty of people use drugs or alcohol to medicate their problems away. If this sounds like you, you might be surprised to find out how much more effectively you can deal with things sober. It might feel like drinking or using drugs makes your problems go away, but as anyone who’s struggled with addiction knows, this is just an illusion. When you commit to sobriety, you can actually solve your problems instead of ignoring them. However, once you give up drinking or drugs, your life will change for the better in a multitude of ways. Whether you’re an addict or you are simply looking to improve your health, here are 14 reasons sobriety makes your life healthier, more fulfilling, and more fun.
It’s much easier to eat well when you’re sober. You have fewer cravings, and you’re not surrounded by temptations like bar food. From being outside sweaty, running around and playing with bugs in the mud, to laughing at farts (I still do that) and wrestling with your friends.
When you are living the drug and alcohol lifestyle, you may feel free. It is true that, if you get sober, you might have to get a job, pay bills, and take care of your kids. However, true freedom is a product of responsibility. For one thing, you’ll be financially independent, which means you’ll be free from constantly worrying about making rent or buying food. Also, since you earned that money, no one will be able to tell you what to do with it. Beyond that, your time will be freed up; instead of always using or trying to obtain drugs, you’ll be able to find things that you truly enjoy and that have meaning.
