Can Staying Sober Shorten Your Life?

This article discusses what sobriety means and describes strategies that can support your long-term recovery. It also covers tips on how to deal with the challenges you’ll face on your journey to sobriety. Verywell Mind articles are reviewed by board-certified physicians and mental healthcare professionals. Medical Reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. One issue in this study, is that because of restrictions in the sample, lifelong abstainers were not included, only previous drinkers who had quit. Though past studies have found that even when compared to those who never touch alcohol, moderate drinkers live longer, this study cannot speak to this comparison.

Working out, learning new skills, and managing stress in a healthy way are just a few ideas from which you can choose. Having a clear vision of what you would like to achieve in the coming weeks and months will make the process much easier.

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Whether or not the person takes a medication to help achieve this shouldn’t matter to anyone. If a medication helps stop the damaging addictive behavior, then that is successful treatment and not switching one addiction for another.

When you suffer from addiction, you become so obsessed with obtaining more alcohol or drugs that you stop investing in your relationships with other people. In fact, the selfish behaviors that often come with addiction often break the relationships that you have with others.

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Choosing a sober living home is the smart choice for someone who is serious about succeeding in their recovery. This is an opportunity for a bit more freedom while still maintaining some structure in your life. In other words, it allows you to take baby steps back into life. If you or your loved one is struggling with substance abuse, contact Elevate Addiction Services.

One of the major fears when considering a life of sobriety is that we won’t be able to cope with our daily life. Another is that we won’t have anything to look forward to on a daily basis, or that we will lose the drive to be social. We may even fear that not drinking will take away our excuse for not making more progress in life. Whatever you find your fears to be, be bold, and call them out.

When I go to parties with friends or out to dinner with my husband, my sobriety is a non-issue. When my mom decided to stop drinking alcohol, I was only 8. However, I don’t think it is all about my personal memories of her drinking. I have heard stories of her drinking when she was younger. And I see she is a different person now that she doesn’t. If you have noticed, many of these symptoms may be similar to that of being dry drunk. In the next section, we will discuss co-occurring disorders and why they are important to understand.

You can explore different types ofsupport groupsthat might help you in your long-term sobriety. Finding a sober community is essential to feel a sense of belonging and camaraderie in your shared struggles to overcome addiction. Join a support group, and as you get more experience, look for ways to help others. You can become a mentor or a sponsor to those in early recovery. Committing to long-term sobriety also involves continually looking for ways to improve your life. You might get bored when you no longer work towards the next step. Be honest with yourself about what you need to stay sober.

These are the moments you will look back on some day and recognize as turning points in your recovery. Call our confidential hotline to speak with an addiction specialist now. We at the Discovery Institute want to help you be properly equipped to help your loved one. That is why we have compiled an intervention guide for you to use. Please reach out and examine that if you have any questions. When two disorders occur at the same time they can intertwine to create a bigger, more intense disorder.

A Life

Maybe you’re in a relationship that’s going nowhere because you can’t see how you could get anything better. Drinking or getting high puts you in a haze in your life, and you may find that you’re missing out on some amazing opportunities. Maybe you’re stuck in a dead-end job because you can’t manage to go above and beyond in your performance.

• You drank or used drugs in efforts to feel something, but most often it just pushed you farther away from those that were closest.
• A lifestyle change as drastic as becoming sober can mean that our social needs change.
• Whether they make a resolution to lose weight, read more, or be a better friend, self-improvement is a hot topic this time of year.
• Do not assume that you will hate it before you have even tried it.

Otherwise, the pain, fear, and emptiness that prompted the abuse of drugs and alcohol returns, and the individual ends up suffering through abstinence or returning to their addiction. When you detox, you deal with ridding your body of dependency on drugs or alcohol. Whether you are starting your sober life, take things one day at a time. If you are just learning how to live sober, it is ever important to know that you are not alone. There are people in similar shoes as you, who also desire to make a positive change. They may be sitting next to you in your 12-step program or living in your sober dorm.

They were curious because nothing in my life seemed amiss. I was fortunate that my drinking never had legal, financial, or marital consequences, but that’s only because I stopped before my luck ran out. In those early months of sobriety, close friends asked me why I stopped drinking. My world can be filled with peers making bad choices around me.

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Getting a mentor to walk you through the issues you face will improve your odds of reaching your goals sooner than you once thought possible. Combining living a sober life each of these factors and always looking to the future will work wonders for leaving addiction in the past and getting the most from your life.

Turnbridge operates leading mental health and substance abuse treatment programs throughout Connecticut. This blog is a resource for people seeking addiction and mental health recovery information and inspiration, and the latest Turnbridge news and events. Whenever you suffer from addiction, you’re willing to spend every last penny that you have on alcohol or drugs.

When you abuse large amounts of alcohol or drugs, your memory becomes foggy. So, you should become sober if you want your memory to improve. As you consume more and more alcohol or drugs, you’ll likely stop eating a balanced diet altogether. Before you know it, you’ll choose not to physically take care of yourself at all. The only way to get you out of this rut of not taking care of yourself is sobriety. Do you have questions about mental illness, mental health treatments or resources to get help in your community? Simply click the button below to contact a Resource Specialist.

When you’re sober, you have more time and mental energy to spend on the people who matter most to you. Without the distraction of wondering when you can go get drunk or high, you’ll be able to stay physically and emotionally present with others. You’ll probably find that the important relationships in your life mean more to you than drugs or alcohol ever did. Nobody likes to think that they might end up with liver disease or other substance-related health problems.

Your Relationships Improve

With clean, comfortable homes, gym memberships, recreational activities, therapists, and social workers we support our residents in ways others do not. Doctors also warn that these studies should not be used as an excuse to indulge in more than two drinks a day. Anecdotally, doctors say that less-documented associations with alcohol, such as ties to stress reduction and social prowess, may play a role in the effect as well. Others suggest that moderate drinkers tend to be more social and hence have a stronger social support system — something studies have connected to increased longevity, especially in old age. The things we have done in the past do not need to define who we become in the future. Feeling guilt or remorse is often part of the process of achieving sobriety, but what you do with those realizations about past behaviors will define who you become as you work to change yourself. Plan ahead to have healthy ingredients ready, and then eat three meals each day, incorporating healthy snacks such as prepared fruits or vegetables.

Addictions cost money, and they can also lead to arrests, convictions, and expensive legal fees. If you’ve lost your driving license because of your addiction, this can also have an impact on your financial footing. Pick up some new hobbies to fill that extra space in your life. For some people, this means working out, and for others, it’s volunteering. For one thing, you’ll have more resources to contribute to things like volunteering or donating to charities if you wish.

• We are here to answer your questions and alleviate any concerns.
• By structuring your goals this way, each day, you will be constantly find success.
• One of the big tricks is to take things one step at a time.
• Focus on developing new healthy relationships with people, including those you bonded with during recovery.

Some people enjoy nonalcoholic drinks because they resemble the alcoholic ones. This resemblance allows sober people to participate in various social settings and look like other people.

Helping Loved Ones

I am happy to hear that you are starting to feel like your old self. Recovery can be a long and hard fight but always remember it is worth it all. Like you said you will begin to appreciate your sobriety but most importantly you will begin to appreciate your journey.

That’s why it’s so important to get the proper amount of sleep each night. Because of how vital sleep is, one of the key benefits of sobriety is that you get to sleep again. Continuous substance abuse can even do things like cause your blood pressure to spike or decrease to https://ecosoberhouse.com/ an unhealthy range. When your blood pressure becomes too high or too low, it can cause your body to go into shock. Therefore, it is sometimes imperative for your blood pressure and overall health to become sober. I’m 71 years old and quit drinking about three months ago.

Unlike New Year’s resolutions, personal goals are not typically dropped off or left behind. By quitting drugs and alcohol, you will look/feel healthier and better about yourself. When you suffer from addiction, you become selfish, toxic, and difficult to maintain a relationship with. As a result, you’ve likely broken and lost relationships that you’ve had in the past with family members and friends while suffering from addiction. First and foremost, I wanted to say congratulations on your sobriety and thank you for sharing as this can bring hope and light to those reading this post.

I will accompany you door-to-door, to or from your treatment center . We’ll drive or fly together, and arrive safely at your destination. I can be with you in the moments and places that pose the greatest threat.