Addiction in any form is harmful to yourself and those around you. While many argue that they are on the fine line between sobriety and addiction, it is simply an illusion. Such peoples understand that they are addicted & need to quit but use the excuse as a defense. When they have sunk deep into the addiction, they find it hard to convince themselves they need help. Sometimes, professional intervention can pull the person up from the quicksand of addiction. Other times, learn the benefits of sober living can motivate them to join a detox or rehab program.
So, we have listed out the different ways sobriety or being sober improves your and others’ lives.
The positive effects of Sobriety in your Life:
We can divide the effects of sobriety into four major categories:
- Physical Improvements
- Emotional Betterments
- Financial independence
- Better Time Management
Let’s understand each advantage in detail:
Physical Improvements
Drugs and alcohol dilute the bloodstream to alter the response time of your body. Prolonged usage causes the body to be dependent or increases tolerance levels. In that case, the body is no longer satisfied with the regular quantity and starts to crave more. This puts extra pressure on your organs. Your heart needs to pump more blood, or the liver needs to process the alcohol faster.
Sometimes, people can read the signals their body sends and take preventive steps. Yet, most people tend to either ignore it. Then they begin to experience inflammations on different parts of the body. Most people complain about feeling cloudy, i.e., difficulty in cognition, slurred speech, reduced response time, etc.
Addiction is not developed over a single drink. So the recovery from addiction is also not an overnight achievement. It may take months or even years of consultation, meetings, and therapy. Yet, there is a bright light at the end of this arduous journey, i.e., a healthy life. Some of the physical improvements you can observe while remaining sober are:
Your Health improves
Smoking and vaping take a toll on your lungs. Alcohol causes your liver to become swollen in the longer run. Drugs do a number on your taste and appetite. Depending on the severity of the damages, cutting off can help you reverse the damage to an extent. As more and more toxins from your body are flushed off, you observe positive changes to your health. A week after the last cigarette, the lungs start working on cleaning themselves. As a result, the lung capacity increases. The person observes less coughing and shortness of breath. While alcohol withdrawal symptoms aren’t a pretty picture, once sober, you feel less shaky, have calmer nerves, and less to no anxiety.
You look better
In substance abuse, people experience a wide range of dermatology and dental-related issues. Some of the common issues observed are:
- Hair thinning
- Teeth discoloration
- Breakouts on skin
- Puffy skin
Shortly after cutting back, the person may observe gradual changes to their overall appearance. People have managed to shave off years in appearance from being sober.
Diet improves
Smoking kills your taste buds, and this causes people to eat less. Whereas alcohol makes you crave spicy or greasy food. Hence, your diet goes for a toss, and the diet-related issues surface. When you are sober, you start making educated choices about what to eat instead of giving in to your impulse. As a result, you have better control over temptations and are about to fight them off. Once you can improve your diet, you see controlled weight gain or loss.
No side effects of substance abuse
Withdrawal from substance abuse causes the person to have a wide range of symptoms such as:
- Nausea
- Anxiety pangs
- Shaky hands
- Insomnia
- Excessive sweating
These symptoms are signs of your body being dependent on the substance. Gradually, as your body adjusts to the new low, you start to see a decline in the withdrawal symptoms as well.
Memory Improvements
Your brain, under the influence, starts to go woozy. Substance abuse severely impacts the brain’s ability to form new neurological connections between different brain cells. Heavy drinkers have shrunken brains due to gray and white matter loss compared to healthy individuals. Moreover, alcohol or any drugs tends to block the neuro transmitting signals. This delayed response impedes our routine functioning. Prolonged drinking can cause the brain to adapt to this response delay. So, the person starts to find it challenging to remember menial information such as names, numbers, or recent memories.
Unless too late, sobriety can help you regain the lost gray matter gradually. Recovery can be as quick as two-fold growth within the first week and first month. Besides, you can quicken the recovery process. Eating healthy and following a strict exercise regime can work wonders.
More energy
Another positive effect of complete sobriety is finding yourself to be more energetic. You sleep at the right time, have a full sleep cycle, and wake up refreshed. You don’t spend your mornings around finding pills for the hangover. You’ll be more focused on self-improvement. You should redirect the newfound energy into productive tasks and long-term goals.
Emotional Improvements
In addition to improvements to your physical self, sobriety also uplifts your mentally and emotionally. When under the influence, you are not in complete control of your emotions or behavior. As a result, you may end up burning many bridges with people around you. This is why one of the steps in the 12 steps recovery process, implemented in most sober living homes(e.g. Recovery House in Tennessee). Asking forgiveness from people you may have hurt helps you mend the relationship.
Here are some more emotional benefits of being sober
Better Control over life
When sober, you are not in limbo between the different stages of substance abuse. You have better control over your emotional capabilities. You are in check of your emotions and behavior. Almost all employment establishments need you to be sober to be hired. By being sober, you are more focused on your work. You can make informed judgments about different aspects of living your life. Improved memory and improved appearance make you look presentable in social gatherings. The extra emotional confidence can work wonders.
Relationships with others improve.
Those affected by your substance abuse haven’t abandoned you completely. All they need is to see you take the first step. By being sober, you build confidence in them about your commitment to remaining sober. As a result, you begin to remain physically and emotionally invested in the lives of those around you.
Better Self image
The improvement in appearance and better memory capabilities makes you gain a newfound respect for yourself. Your recovery journey comes with challenges. Yet, they make you become a better version of your past self. Remain sober. You see yourself evolving from someone with no self-control to someone who has their life in their own hands.
Better stress management
Those battling addictions tend to make negative mental associations. They associate certain emotions with alcohol or any substance as an escape plan. So, anytime they face a stressful situation, they automatically are drawn towards their addiction. Being sober and remaining sober, you have better emotional stability. You allow yourself to handle stressful situations better. So, you become committed to solving the problem instead of drowning it with alcohol or drugs.
Time Saved
An evening of boozing or bar hopping usually results in spending the next day hungover. Yet, when sober, you are not preoccupied with waiting for your next fix. You can invest the available time to:
- Pursue new hobbies
- Learn new skills
- Work on physical fitness
- Create memories with your loved ones.
Financial Independence
Alcohol and most exotic drugs are costly. To continue consuming them, you need to spend serious money. Besides, as your body builds tolerance, you’ll need to increase the quantity to get the same high. This can severely put a dent in your finances. Also, in case of an overdose, a visit to the ER can put extra medical debt. By being sober, you’ll observe you can clear your past debts and work towards building your savings. The extra money can be the difference between a trip to the Bahamas or the nearest waterpark.
How To Remain Sober
Sobriety is difficult. Only the strong-willed can remain committed to the journey while enduring the withdrawal symptoms. Yet, with time and perseverance, you will complete the journey one day and start living everyday life. The following four processes can help you take the first step:
- Create a substance-free environment
To battle any addiction, the first step would be to steer away from it. It is creating an environment that is distraction-free and doesn’t promote substance use. A substance-free environment also means staying away from peers and friends. They may pull you back in due to peer pressure.
This is why people committed to their recovery prefer sober living houses such as Threshold Recovery. Staying in such homes, you are encouraged to live an everyday life while remaining under the scrutiny of regular meetings and drug tests. Also, you need to contribute to daily chores and pay monthly rent. So, you take positive steps towards self-sufficiency.
- Adopt Healthy Habits
Preoccupy yourself with hobbies or physical activities; you remain clear of any distractions. Joining sports or a gym allows you to develop discipline. This discipline helps you become self-resilient towards addictive substances.
- Join a support group
It helps when you know that you are not alone. By joining a support group, you need to take part in the meetings and share your experience. The group support acts as positive reinforcement. Constant positive response encourages the members to stick to their recovery process.
- Confide in Someone
It is emotionally strengthening when you have someone covering your back. Most people tend to give in to their withdrawal symptoms because they have no one to confide in. A familiar face becoming your confidant is like a support group. You become committed to completing the 12 step recovery when you have someone backing you up.
Wrapping Up
As we said earlier, the road to sobriety may be difficult, but sobriety itself isn’t boring or resentful. Choosing to be sober is the first step towards battling addiction. Steer clear of the distractions and stick to the recovery process. Your future self will thank you for returning sober to normal society. If you are looking for halfway houses in Tennessee for addiction recovery, contact Threshold Recovery.