First of all, let me preface this by saying that getting and staying sober has been, by far, the best decision that I’ve ever made. There is no doubt in my mind about that. But I’m also going to say something else that might not be what other people in recovery want to put out there, but what I have found in my experience to be completely true. When you’re feeling down, seek out support from friends and family to help keep you sane and from slipping into old behaviors. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and let people know that you’re having a hard time. They’ll be much happier that you reached out now, before you picked up, then afterwards, when a relapse has already happened.
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The point is to make the most of the ride. You have already accomplished so much by choosing to stop using drugs and committing to sobriety. Staying sober every day is an incredible feat. Every minute that you avoid relapse, you are proving to yourself that you have the power and capability to make your life what you want it to be. When you feel better, your mood is elevated, you’re more likely to ignore the little annoyances, and you’re less likely to feel like a relapse is your only way out of any uncomfortable situations that may arise. Instead of isolating and giving into feeling bad, reach out and connect with others who might be going through the same thing.
I love being sober
Instead, buck up and remember what’s in your control. Find a new, better and more rewarding job. Regardless of the situation, being a victim marijuana addiction never kept someone in recovery.
Remember how family and friends wouldn’t return calls or didn’t trust to leave you alone. And you’ll remember what you’ve got to fight for. You can also reach out to those in the 12 step community. When things feel out of control or you feel that you’re at risk for relapse, go to a meeting. Stand up and say, I’m having a rough time, and any extra support is appreciated. Here’s how to stay sober, and sane, when life sucks.
Share Sobriety Sucks
Before you know it, a lousy day in sobriety can quickly turn into your last day in sobriety if you turn to drugs and alcohol to ease your emotional discomfort. So maybe a lot of people don’t say it and maybe I’m the only one who feels it, but sometimes sobriety sucks. And another thing about sobriety…who would want to know what his spouse thinks of him?
Ask for extra hours at work if you’re having a hard time with roommates. Head out of town with some sober friends for a few hours to get a change of scenery. There are millions of other people in recovery, all at different stages, and many are having a bad day just like you are. There is a lot of stuff to process as you build your life in recovery every day, and that isn’t always going to be easy. And when I couldn’t seem to get ready in time, or when my purse was a tangle of wadded keys and gum wrappers I felt so bereft.
You can choose to sit where you are for a moment, assess, and figure out a way forward. Join Recovery Connection in celebrating your recovery with our sobriety calculator. I share my experience because I do not want others to be blindsided like I was. Sobriety is not all roses and reggae, after all, and those who are in a position to help, will always stress the indisputable fact that being clear-headed is better than being a drunk.
Sometimes, Sobriety Sucks
They talk about the health benefits of moderate drinking like poise, attraction, decision making and better-smelling breath. The saying goes that your worst day in sobriety is better than your best day in addiction. When things seem to be going down hill, you must remember that bad things happen to people all the time. It’s life, and you can’t take it personal. That includes not becoming a victim to life’s circumstances. No one has to go through sobriety alone.
Quality sober folk
Spend time focused on someone other than yourself and your own situation won’t seem so bad. Who needs to have a clear, coherent, chronological catalog of the events of all of his waking hours? Sometimes it feels as though I might forever know what I’ve said and what I’ve done leaving no embarrassment, shameful investigation, cautious reading of my wife’s mood, or hiding from people for weeks at a time. Questions remain for the exploring, delightful conversations give me a little tinge of joy for days, and polite interactions leave me without doubt or fear of pending catastrophe. It’s as though, in permanent sobriety, I am doomed to walk the earth with the kind of intact memory of someone fully engaged in the human experience. Alcohol certainly freed me from all of this connecting and remembering bullshit.
And absolutely, sobriety is a lot of work. marijuana addiction But the result of that work is miraculous. I have amazing relationships, I have a life with meaning, I have an active spiritual life. The juice is completely worth the squeeze. When I hang out with my “normie” friends, and they have a couple of beers, loosen up a bit and then head home without doing anything crazy, out of control or self-destructive.
- Sometimes it feels as though I might forever know what I’ve said and what I’ve done leaving no embarrassment, shameful investigation, cautious reading of my wife’s mood, or hiding from people for weeks at a time.
- The other people next to you at group therapy sessions and support group meetings all have experiences that can help you.
- These unanticipated obstacles to wellbeing have the capacity to derail an otherwise smooth sailing recovery.
- We wouldn’t be alive without the help of our favorite twelve step programs, but that doesn’t mean recovery doesn’t fully suck too.
I ignored her frustration with me, and rather, focussed on all the things that made me frustrated about her. Now, I consider her physical and emotional wellbeing before suggesting physical contact. What a waste of my perfectly good perpetual horniness. Now that I don’t drink, I’ve been stripped of my alcohol-induced intelligence and infallibility. That’s why I talked so loud and repeated myself so often. I had a lot to say, and I was proud to bestow on everyone within earshot my slobbery wit and careless observations.
Life’s a Painkiller ft. Zach Siegel
- Anything you can do to improve your overall health and wellness will serve double duty and improve your ability to stay sober.
- No one has to go through sobriety alone.
- I have since learned I am not alone in experiencing this phenomenon.
- The saying goes that your worst day in sobriety is better than your best day in addiction.
And at nearly 5 years sober, sometimes I still do. When it seems like all you want to do is forget, to go get high or drunk and be gone, if only for a few moments, remember what addiction’s cost you. Remember what life was like when every moment was chaos and unmanageable.