Sober Curious: What It Means, Benefits, and Tips for Living Sober - Daddy Tv

If you ever sit down to do that math, you will shock yourself with how much time went towards drinking. The good news is that your brain can adjust and restore balance to your internal world. The longer you stay away from alcohol and give your brain some much-needed TLC, the less you’ll feel like life is dull and uninteresting. When serotonin and dopamine levels are low, we become less motivated and less interested in our surroundings. Our brains don’t like imbalance and will work very hard to correct it.

• If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed in social situations where alcohol is present, it may be beneficial to seek immediate assistance from healthcare providers specializing in addiction recovery.
• Plus, being honest with yourself about your struggles and progress can help you stay motivated and accountable.
• Developing strategies to handle friendships with those who drink can improve the odds of continuing to live successfully with your sobriety.
• “It’s difficult to say we’re not going to have any alcohol sold in the building because as a result community groups wouldn’t have access to the facilities,” he said.

Get enough rest, eat nourishing food, and engage in activities that promote relaxation and well-being. Caring for yourself will help you feel more present and connected in social settings. We do not receive any commission or fee that is dependent upon which treatment provider a caller chooses. While margaritas may hit different in Mexico, you know what else does? Over the course of the week, I learned that for every thing alcohol provided for me on past vacations, sobriety provided something even better.

Embracing Honesty in Your Sobriety Journey

Nevertheless, it was clear that I enjoyed environments where I got mental stimulation or felt connected with other people—and preferably, some combination of the two. Soon, drinking became the only way I knew how to connect with people. It wasn’t just a crutch anymore; it had completely wiped out my ability to socialize and connect with people.

These help boost mood and focus your attention away from urges to drink. Exercise increases endorphins, which are the “feel-good” chemicals in the brain. being sober around drinkers It can be a good replacement for the release of endorphins caused by drinking alcohol. There are numerous reasons why you may want to avoid alcohol.

Join a Support Group

I kept a notebook and pen beside my bed in case I woke up in the middle of the night with a brilliant song lyric or poem. And while these things might sound serious and scary, it’s important to note that it’s one piece of a larger puzzle. It’s not as simple as “getting out there” and “trying something new.” It’s hard to do that when you suffer from extreme depression and anhedonia. The very things you should be doing to feel better require a level of motivation you might not be able to fathom.

• In addition to this helpline, numerous online platforms offer addiction recovery services.
• And remember it’s OK to leave social events—you don’t have to stay, be the last one to leave, or the life of the party.
• If you are invited to a bar or restaurant for a social gathering and want to take this approach to being sober curious, try to only attend events at places where alcohol isn’t the main focus.
• Look for mocktails, alcohol-free beers or wines, herbal teas, flavored sparkling water, or creative concoctions made with juices and sodas.

And one day, it will occur to you that you’re actually happy and enjoying your life. One of the best things you can do for yourself when you’re feeling bored in sobriety is to find a way to serve others. It also opens up space to approach your internal world differently. One of the biggest impediments to my sobriety during my relapse days was my inability to avoid getting consumed by emotions.

I don’t know how to be around drinking people sober

Triggers can be anything from certain people or places to specific situations that make you want to drink. By knowing what they are, you can prepare yourself to handle them without giving in to temptation. Some drunks somehow manage to find the only sober person in the room, engage them in conversation, and reveal all their kinks, which actually aren’t kinky at all. In the meantime, the Soberish community is here to support you and help you get there. This is the part where you figure out how to enjoy life without a little something extra to help loosen you up.

Not on its own, but maybe it starts a conversation and a friend comes over just to sit with you and make sure you’re good. Remember, it’s not that sobriety is terrible, but that your brain is trying to grapple with the sudden loss of dopamine. But it’s comforting to know that you don’t have figure it out on your own. Getting drunk did not magically change the dynamics of that situation. We were all just sitting around and getting drunk, perfectly content to not really do anything together.

Drunk people are all secretly Beyoncé’s backup dancers.

Exercise can come in many forms — from an aerobics class to yoga to a walk around the block. If you’d like to incorporate more exercise into your life, you can look up classes in your neighborhood or at a nearby gym, or simply call a friend and go for a stroll in a local park. For example, if you value being an effective and helpful employee at work, how does alcohol get in the way of that? You might notice that alcohol negatively affects your sleep and leads to fatigue the next day, which impacts your performance at work. Many aspects of some cultures revolve around alcohol — networking events, date nights, celebratory champagne toasts — so it isn’t always easy to avoid alcohol entirely. Alcoholics Anonymous members call their sponsors, so opening up to a trusted sober confidant may help.