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If you’ve been in the throes of addictive behaviors for some time, you may be used to chaos and high-stress situations. Getting sober will remove some chaos and stress, but staying sober will require finding a balance between self-care and external responsibilities. Developing a structured routine can help you stick to your sobriety goals, make healthy decisions, and reduce the likelihood of triggers and relapse. Create a structured daily routine, but plan for days you may experience sickness or chronic illness flare-ups that could require adjusting your routine.
Obviouosly, you don’t want to put yourself in financial danger, but if your job was a factor in your drinking, then you need to put your needs first. 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.
How To Get Sober and Stay Sober Longer
Do you want to get sober but feel unsure of where to start or how to stay sober physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually? Sobriety Solutions is an alcohol rehab treatment center with locations in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Our intensive outpatient programs are proven to work and we are here to help 24/7. Sober living homes help you remain accountable to your sobriety.
When it comes to addiction recovery, the only thing harder than getting sober is staying sober. Without treatment, an addict who quits on his or her own has a 50 to 80% chance of relapsing. Even with treatment, the chances are between 20 and sober house 50%. The bottom line is that it’s hard to quit, and even harder to maintain. It helps you become still and track your rapid thoughts. When you’re struggling to stay sober, meditation can help you refocus and bring a healthy stillness to you.
Adopt a pet if you don’t already have one.
A person can still commit the offense of driving under the influence (DUI) if they are under the BAC limit. Therefore, it is advisable to make alternative plans to get home if driving. These facts mean a person is still intoxicated when they have a BAC of 0.08 or more.
It sedates certain areas of the brain that control judgment, self-control, and inhibitions. As such, this can lead to excitable behavior as a person loses their inhibitions. The effects of alcohol can begin to impair a person’s judgment and coordination earlier than they realize. It is illegal to drive with a BAC of 0.08 or higher, and this limit may be lower for commercial vehicle drivers and those younger than 21.
Manage Physical Pain
Schedule an exact time each day to internally check in. There will be days that are hard and on those days, you’re going to be thankful you scheduled time to check in and not feel overwhelmed. Regardless of a good or bad day, check in with your mind and body, how hard the day was, what some triggers you noticed were, and how you avoided them or lessened them. This is an integral part of the recovery process so that you constantly prepare yourself for more challenging days. Most people in recovery undergo at least one relapse, but you learn from each experience.
Also, ask friends and family if they are sober curious, and form a sobriety circle to hold each other accountable. If you have a setback, remember that sobriety is a journey, not a destination. When you are in recovery, you can overcome the symptoms of addiction and instead have a healthy lifestyle. You can replace substance misuse with exercise and physical activity. The sober life can also give you the opportunity to think about nutrition as well.