How to Keep Sober in Recovery from Alcoholism: 6 Steps

But if you’re not seeing your pals because they’d rather get shit-faced than hang with you, that’s on them. Either way, you don’t need to concern yourself with this stuff today. However, the DRUNK version of your friends can be a little fuzzy with https://ecosoberhouse.com/ the boundaries. The SOBER version of your friends may be cool with this.

What Does Alcoholism Look Like? You Might Be Surprised.

It can be a pain when all you want to do is veg out on the couch, but you’ll sleep soundly and wake up feeling refreshed. Play trivia with your friends or family—or just listen to a podcast like Triviality for casual and less competitive trivia. Explore a new area of town and meet folks through Meetup’s sober activities in your city. Call your parent or grandparent, cousin, aunt, nephew—you get it. Get in touch with your family (chosen family works too!), and ask them how they’re feeling right now. Take archery lessons and head to an archery range to practice what you’ve learned.

Check In With Your Emotions

• It’s continual treatment to help you get better, continue checking in and isolate why you turned to alcohol in the first place and how to avoid triggers going forward.
• Additionally, there are holistic and secular recovery programs such as Secular Organizations for Sobriety (S.O.S.).
• Knowing your personal limits and being ready to communicate them to others can help maintain sobriety.
• Because he is a member of a support group that stresses the importance of anonymity at the public level, he does not use his photograph or his real name on this website.
• You can use simple and firm responses like, “No, thank you,” or “I’m not drinking tonight.” Remember, you don’t owe anyone an explanation for your choices.
• Or it can be more elaborate if you thrive on structure, with time blocked off for self-care or activities to ensure boredom doesn’t sneak in and cause you to have cravings.

Maybe lace up and go roller skating instead. Go to the library and browse for something new. If your local branches don’t stay open into the evenings, snag a book you’ve been meaning to read and head to a café or park with ample seating.

What role does self-care play in maintaining sobriety?

Addiction devours your time which is a factor in many people’s relapse. They get bored and wander back to what they “think” they’d rather be doing. Something simple like working at your local (walking distance) deli. Choose your hours and fill up that idle time.

• Go to a playground and rediscover your favorite youthful pastimes like swinging and hanging on the monkey bars (just don’t steal the slide from the kiddos, okay?).
• There are a few different methods of expressing what you’re grateful for in your life.
• Your activities and goals need to be achievable because if they’re not, if they’re too much for you and you don’t succeed in doing them, they can become very demotivating.
• Times are hard out there – anything you can do to make it easier on yourself is good.

Call or text your sponsor, double up on meetings, and read your literature. Be honest about any feelings that arose from being around the drinking and using scene. Breaking free from alcohol isn’t just about saying no—it’s about saying yes to healthier habits. Some tools can help you mentally rehearse new, healthier ways to relax and manage stress. To start building a better tips to stay sober relationship with ourselves, we can try to be more intentional about how and when we drink—or don’t.