The idea of sobriety can be terrifying. One big reason people feel so afraid of sobriety is because of what they see in the media, pop culture and even from people, they know on social media. There’s the sense that if you’re not using drugs or alcohol, somehow life is boring or uninteresting. There’s the misconception that if you’re sober, you aren’t fun, you won’t be able to enjoy your life to the fullest and you’ll have trouble forming relationships. But there are countless reasons to love your sobriety.
Falling back in love with yourself can be the hardest thing to do. You might reflect on the history of your life and find that you have done some things you are not proud of. All those things can feel heavy after a while. It can really impact how you see yourself. It is easy to forget you are still a human being, you make mistakes, and you have lots of life to live in recovery. More often than not, it is easy to focus on how to love others well, or find love, but focus less on how to love ourselves. If you love yourself first, you are more likely to love others better. From a cup that is full, you can fill others up.
Having Joy for the Past and Present
Mindfulness is a huge contributing factor when it comes to recovery and mental health in general. When a person engages in mindfulness, they are focused on the present moment and appreciating it for all that it is, rather than rummaging about the past or the future. Normally when individuals engage in substance use, they have a “skating through life” feeling.
These individuals feel like they are seldomly living in the moment. One of the most substantial benefits of love your sobriety utilizing a drug and alcohol-free lifestyle is remaining present while remembering everything coherently. It’s encouraged to take in every moment and not feel like life is passing by in a twister of foggy memories.
Real and Authentic Relationships
When you’re misusing drugs or alcohol, your relationships may be built on substance use. You’re more likely to surround yourself with other people who also misuse substances, and that can mean you never really get to know people without the influence of these substances. Romantic relationships may also be built on the use of drugs or alcohol, and frequently become toxic.
Without the influence of substances, you have the opportunity to enjoy sober relationships while ending toxic relationships. You can form authentic relationships built on mutual respect, interests, and understanding rather than just who is willing or available to drink or use drugs with you.
more free time When Your Love Your Sobriety
Drinking and drugging take up a lot of time and energy. You have to spend time acquiring your substance of choice, using it, and then recovering from its effects. Sobriety gives all that time back to you. You can use it to work on your hobbies, learn new skills, spend time with your loved ones, work out, or anything else you please.
Love Your Sobriety and Get A Healthier Life
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 love your sobriety, you don’t have to worry about developing life-threatening complications from your habits. Substance misuse doesn’t just affect your mental health. It affects your physical health in almost every conceivable way. You may not exercise because you’d rather drink or you’re spending time nursing hangover symptoms. Your sleep patterns may be altered and you may not think about eating healthy when you’re under the influence. Substance misuse can also affect your immune system and your digestive system.
When you are in recovery, you can overcome the symptoms of addiction and instead have a healthy lifestyle. You can replace substance misuse with exercise and physical activity. The sober life can also give you the opportunity to think about nutrition as well. You’ll enjoy general health and wellness that you can’t necessarily achieve if you’re drinking or using drugs.
You’ll Gain More Energy
Taking substances can decrease your energy levels. This is especially the case if you’re taking depressants or downers. Abusing substances can also lower your energy due to the fact that substances often rewire the parts of the brain that control your mood. Since your mood affects your energy, the rewiring of your brain can cause you to lose energy as well.
Another reason why your energy is often lower while abusing substances than it is while sober is because addiction causes you to not get good sleep. Because you aren’t receiving good sleep when suffering from addiction, your body is not getting the proper time and rest that it needs to refuel itself. As a result, you lack energy. This also means that living a sober life will help you gain your energy back. That’s a great reason to love your sobriety!
Love Your Sobriety – Celebrate Your Sobriety
Some people are scared to get sober because they think they won’t have any fun. In reality, though, sober people can have even more fun! Instead of spending Saturday morning hungover in bed, you can get out and hike at a new park, bike a local trail, or go out for lunch with friends. Instead of planning your life around your next drink or hit of drugs, the opportunities for having fun expand exponentially once your mind is clear, your body is able, and your spirit is willing. Here are some great ways to celebrate your sobriety!
Give back to your community
Volunteering on the anniversary of your last drink or use of drugs is a common way to honor how far you’ve come with the support of your community. Donate your time to an organization that supports sobriety and recovery like a sober living home. Pick a cause that is meaningful to you like an animal shelter, food bank or homeless shelter.
Become a sponsor for someone else in recovery
You will have had to complete the 12 steps yourself in order to become a sponsor for someone else in recovery so that you are equipped to mentor someone else, but once you have, becoming a sponsor is a great way to celebrate your own sobriety. You can share learnings with your sponsee as well as help provide coping skills for relapses and even just the hard days. You may be surprised at how much you have learned about yourself and sobriety during your recovery.
Acknowledge and affirm your file
You are healthy, and most importantly, you are alive. Do things that make you feel alive. Either alone, with loved ones or with members of your 12-step group. Spend some time doing things you love – hiking, camping, running, swimming, making music, crafting or even walking around your neighborhood.
Tend to Your Sobriety
Remaining committed to your sobriety looks a bit like continuing to take prescribed medication for a chronic condition even if you feel better. People who have diabetes take their prescribed dose of insulin every day, even if their blood sugar is stable and not just when they are having a high or a low. Your sobriety works in the same way. If you only go to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings after you have relapsed, you’re not really getting to the root cause of the relapse to prevent the next one. Stick to your treatment plan, whether that includes regularly attending group therapy or a 12-step program or just having a plan for when you experience triggers. Celebrate your sobriety by respecting, honoring, and committing to it.
Love Your Sobriety with Our Help
At Harmony Ridge Recovery, we provide a variety of inpatient and outpatient addiction treatment programs and therapy services to help you get back to living a sober life. Our addiction treatment programs cater to people addicted to alcohol, prescription drugs, and multiple illegal drugs. We even provide detox and dual diagnosis treatment for those that need it. To learn more about Harmony Ridge Recovery and the different services that we offer, contact us today.
