Staying Sober Long-Term: 8 Research-Proven Strategies for 2025

This can include reaching out to a healthcare provider or support group for assistance. Not everyone comes from an encouraging and supportive home environment. If your family and or friends aren’t motivating you to seek help for your substance misuse, make an appointment with a medical or addiction treatment professional. These individuals can direct you toward the resources you need for recovery, including the needed services and diagnosis of substance use and any co-occurring mental health disorders. When reaching out to family and friends for support, it’s important to choose wisely.

Once you’ve admitted that you have a problem with substance misuse, getting help is the next step. This gives you a quick and easy explanation for why you aren’t drinking. It also gives you a sense of purpose that can help you stay focused. This may mean that you don’t spend time with someone you used to use drugs with or go somewhere you used to drink. You might take a new way home from work, for example, to keep from going past your favorite old hangout. Others may have increased marital or relationship problems that are heading toward divorce or breakups.

A sobriety date typically reflects a person’s first full day of sobriety. However, keep in mind that saying no to a field sobriety test can have consequences. You might face penalties like losing your driver’s license or other legal issues, depending on local laws and regulations.

Engage in Creative Activities

If you find yourself in a triggering situation, have a plan to help you cope. If you would like more information about addiction treatment options available in your area, contact American Addiction Center’s helpful admissions navigators at for a free, private consultation today. You can also quickly and easily check your insurance coverage for free by filling out the form below. Whatever your reason for quitting, you must commit to being substance-free. Motivation to recover is strongly correlated with ongoing sobriety, so it is critical to your long-term success that you think about what is motivating you to want to make this life change.

how to be sober

Drug and Alcohol Testing

If you often drink out of routine (like pouring a glass of wine after work), try swapping it for a different ritual, like making an alcohol-free cocktail or brewing a special tea. More than a date finder, this app also features daily tips, talks with recovery experts, and a buzzing social network. Hopping from bar to bar, trying new drinks, and remembering the night? That’s the magic of a mocktail trail, clusters of bars now found across the U.S., including Chicago and Healdsburg in Sonoma County, California. If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, you can reach out today for more information about how we can help. You should also avoid doing things like operating heavy machinery after drinking since it can be equally as dangerous to yourself and others.

Studies suggest digital health options can improve access to care for some of the 15 million people experiencing alcohol use disorder each year. There are common setbacks to getting and staying sober like withdrawal, craving, and pressure to use. Relapse rates for substance use addictions are around 40% to 60%.

Track your drinking

Individual reasons for becoming sober range from everything from wanting more energy, to having contraindicated medications – such as Adderall and alcohol. Sobriety fatigue can vary from person to person but typically lasts around a month before newfound energy levels, routines, and therapeutic practices are in place. Avoiding alcohol has been shown to lead to an increase in overall happiness despite the challenges of sobriety.

Step 6: Build Support for Recovery

  • This can include reaching out to a healthcare provider or support group for assistance.
  • Providing specific examples of things an individual is proud of, such as a specific goal like starting a job, a grade on a test, or starting a new hobby, can make these moments more personal and meaningful.
  • In general, we have a hard time discerning hunger from thirst and, in the case of cravings, it can feel just as necessary as food, water or sleep.
  • If you’ve been curious about how to stop drinking alcohol and get sober, you might be wondering where to start.
  • You’re not punishing yourself for not drinking, you’re rewarding yourself, so go out and get a massage to work out some of that tension and feel proud while you’re pampered.

It can also be equally challenging to stay committed to your sobriety when we live in a society that normalizes drinking, especially in social spheres. It is important to work with a doctor or addiction specialist to help manage withdrawal symptoms. The best thing you can do is to stop drinking and allow your body time to process the alcohol. Where that metaphor breaks down is the fact that you can’t return to your dream. Once you awaken from a dream, you can’t go back – unless you’ve practiced some serious lucid dreaming. With drugs however, even though it feels like you’re coming out of a haze, you can return to the “dream” at any time.

Support can also look like joining in-person and online support groups. One 2020 study found potential benefits of combining in-person and online support methods. Knowing relapse signs can help you recognize your risk of relapse, and they may include a return to addictive thinking patterns and compulsive behaviors.

Self-care is any activity you do deliberately to take care of your physical, mental, and emotional health. It’s crucial in recovery as it helps maintain balance and prevent burnout. They provide a safe space to share experiences, learn from others, and gain emotional support.

Step 2: Reach Out

While you may experience withdrawal symptoms, you can also start to notice positive changes in your mind and body. https://www.inkl.com/news/sober-house-rules-a-comprehensive-overview Expecting long-term recovery to be easy can cause you to set unrealistic expectations or be ill-prepared to cope with the continued effects of substance use disorder in daily life. Not only does this mean that you will avoid the use of drugs or alcohol, but it can also mean an avoidance of the lifestyles that enable substance abuse.

Drinking non-alcoholic beer can not only break sobriety, but it can also open an individual up to other dangers such as peer pressure and cravings. There are a lot of changes that occur during the first six months. Social groups change, habits are rewritten, and your brain and body are rewiring old coping mechanisms. Setting goals is an important skill in overcoming drug or alcohol dependence. It’s important to find benefits that motivate you personally and match your individual goals. Healthcare professionals have found that choosing sobriety can lengthen your life, improve your relationships, and increase your energy.

It’s crucial to communicate with employers and coworkers about your sobriety and any accommodations that may be necessary. To rebuild relationships, it’s crucial to communicate openly and honestly. Expressing remorse for past actions and showing a commitment to sobriety can go a long way in rebuilding trust.

So, it’s extra helpful to have a support network available to you when you need it. Attending scheduled meetings at a sober living house is essential for reinforcing positive habits and achieving sustainable progress. Becoming a part of the community is necessary to take decisive steps toward a healthy life and practice accountability. During this time is when withdrawal symptoms are the most severe.

It can seem intimidating to look at the end goal and know the many steps it will take to get sober. No one can wave a magic wand and make you or someone you love sober. Sobriety is a lifelong journey filled with challenges and obstacles but also incredible rewards. Have some sober friends you can invite as your plus-one to a social event like a party or wedding. And stay in touch with your sponsor and call them if you’re feeling anxious or uncomfortable.

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