10 Tips For Staying Sober

Alternatively, experiment with new ways of spending your free time. Imagination is your only limitation and you’ll soon be productively filling your time. Choosing recovery close to home means your support system is just a few miles away. We also work with out of network insurance and are ready to answer your questions about coverage.

Getting sober is a sprint, staying sober is like running a marathon without a finish line. On the plus side, you have people cheering you on and giving you support at various checkpoints. On the negative side, you will have long stretches of isolation, sweating bullets, seeing spots, and feeling like your legs are going to give out as you hit the runner’s wall. This is when sobriety requires effort, discipline and endurance or you will suffer a relapse. Unprocessed trauma and substance abuse have a close, interconnected relationship for nearly half of those who struggle with addiction. Learn how EMDR therapy helps flip the switch on trauma to support a healthy recovery.

Make New Friends

Create an hour-by-hour schedule for each day and stick to it. If you find yourself off schedule with free time, take a moment to contact family members, attend a meeting or do something productive. Maybe you are worried about your own drug use, or maybe you’re worried about the drug use of someone else. Either way, most addiction recovery agencies, treatment centers, and domestic violence resources increase efforts during the holidays. You aren’t alone, and you don’t have to feel unsafe. Call a local treatment center like Into Action Recovery Centers or a local crisis line.

Even if local sober support groups don’t schedule any “sober parties,” it is important to attend a meeting to bolster your commitment to sobriety — and support others in theirs. The holiday might be a good excuse to attend a different 12-step meeting than the usual one, to meet new people and expand your support network. You can also setup a meet up with your sponsor to work on step work or simple share the time together.

Holistic Treatment

Designate time for yourself to do something special as a reward for staying sober. This could be anything from reading a book to going out with friends or taking a day trip. Look for new ways to fill the time that used to be spent drinking or using drugs. There are plenty of sober activities like going to the movies, attending a comedy show, playing sports, and more.

Familiarizing yourself with the warning signs of a relapse can improve your chances of avoiding a slip-up. Yours truly recovered from an Ecstasy addiction over 10 years ago, and yours truly hasn’t touched the stuff since. The journey was long, but it was NOT fought alone, and it was NOT fought on old familiar ground. New clubs were joined, new friends were made, and now the opportunity for yours truly to possibly help others has risen. Like we said, develop new hobbies, but also find new people to spend time with.

Spend Time With Real Friends & Family

Even though relapses are a part of recovery, numerous tips can help you maintain sobriety. The common misconception is that treating addiction is a one-size-fits-all program. However, different individuals struggle with different addictions for a diverse set of reasons, and the choice to become sober is also unique to different people. Some decide to become sober to take care of their health, save their relationships, or better their lifestyle choices. In order to learn how to stay sober changes will have to be made in everyday life.

Plan to provide support, and receive the support, of peers in recovery with a sober celebration. Support each other in sobriety by planning a non-drinking get together at home, making sure not to invite anyone who may be drinking, tips to stay sober which would be uncomfortable and counter-productive. Many 12-step groups now schedule “sober parties” on drinking holidays or consider hosting a sober party of your own. Decide what you’ll say if someone asks why you’re sober.

Eat well, exercise and take time to reflect on thankfulness for your sobriety, whether it’s a day or a decade. If you’ve developed problematic patterns of drug or alcohol use, you’re not alone — and we can help. Here’s why choosing to seek treatment is often the first meaningful step toward recovery and long-term sobriety.