If you’re on the starting side of recovery, becoming sober and staying that way might seem to have more drawbacks than benefits. For people who are used to using drugs or alcohol to alter or elevate their moods, being sober for even a short time can feel painful, boring, and even depressing. Much of the socializing that adults do involves alcohol. In some settings, it may can even include various relaxing or stimulating substances.
When abstaining, you won’t feel like the life of the party, and you’ll have to muster your social confidence all on your own. The more that you consider the potential drawbacks of being sober; the easier it becomes to talk yourself back from detoxing, and from moving towards personal freedom. In reality, however, all of the cons of staying sober are actually pros. As your brain and body rediscover how to function without the benefit of artificial stimulation, you’ll learn to build your confidence in a much more natural and lasting way.
You’ll also be able to engage with others meaningfully, and can stand out at parties without embarrassing yourself, making bad decisions due to lowered inhibitions, and taking actions that result in legal or financial hardship. Your health will improve, and your energy levels will increase. In fact, the longer that you remain sober, the more pronounced these and many other benefits of sobriety will invariably become.
There Are Absolutely No Drawbacks in Getting Clean
If you took the time to survey your friends and family members on whether they prefer your company while sober or while intoxicated, you’ll likely find that everyone enjoys you most when you’re simply yourself. Regular alcohol and drug use can make people:
- Aggressive
- Easily frustrated
- Overly or uncomfortably affectionate
- Distant
- Unreliable
- Emotionally unavailable
Drug and alcohol use make people unpredictable. This is especially harmful to relationships with spouses and minor children. With connections such as these, being reliable, predictable, and trustworthy is absolutely essential. More often than not, the people who love addicts the most are made to feel unimportant. When a person is addicted to any substance, finding and using that substance is always their top priority. Some of the biggest misconceptions about being sober are the result of changes that have already occurred in the brain as the result of substance use.
For instance, if being sober makes your feel depressed, unmotivated, or uninteresting, it’s likely because heavy drinking or repeated drug use have worn your brain’s natural “feel good” chemicals out. Also known as neurotransmitters, these chemicals are a key part of your brain’s reward system. By detoxing and abstaining for an extended period of time, you’ll be giving your brain the chance to balance out its chemistry, and resume its former manner of functioning. Your brain will begin producing “feel good” chemicals just like it’s supposed to, and your moods will balance themselves. The depression and malaise that recovering addicts typically feel during the formative stages of recovery is often short-term and capable of resolving itself.
Learn Strategies In Addiction Treatment for Ensuring A High Quality of Life
Getting sober is a challenge. Detoxing quickly reveals the very significant changes that substance abuse has wrought in the brain and its functioning. It takes time for the body and mind to adjust to functioning without substances. However, with enough time, you’ll be able to experience your full range of emotions without having to get intoxicated or high. In fact, you’ll actually find yourself feeling more in-tune with the people and things around you.
Life will become infinitely more interesting. Best of all, it will do so without any artificial stimulation. Moreover, all of the struggles that you once experienced in detox will begin to seem more than worthwhile. During addiction treatment, you’ll have the opportunity to discover why you started using substances. Most people start addiction treatment blaming themselves for their behaviors. They feel weak, worthless, and lacking in willpower. You’ll learn that addiction is actually a disease, and one with many possible underlying causes. This is an important step towards freeing yourself from any guilt, shame, and other negative emotions that you’ve been carrying around.
With time in individual and group therapy, you’ll find new ways of confronting and dealing with stress, discomfort, and other unpleasant experiences, without having to turn to alcohol or drugs to alter your mood. This remains true whether you’ve been:
- Using drugs or alcohol to self-treat the symptoms of an underlying mental health disorder
- Relying on substances as a coping mechanism
- Engaging in self-destructive behaviors due to low self-esteem
- Using drugs as a means for fitting in
Receiving treatment for alcohol or drug addiction is incredibly empowering. Maintaining your sobriety during and after treatment will allow you to retain the power that you’ve earned. You’ll have the power to choose how you want to structure your life, how you want to nurture your relationships, and ultimately, who you want to be.
If you’re ready to experience the freedom, self-control, and tremendous sense of accomplishment that comes with sobriety, we can help. Call us today at 866-963-7200.
