How To Stay Sober at Home: Alcohol-Free Home Ideas and Sober Living Tips

People in recovery from a substance use disorder frequently have problems meeting work-related responsibilities, maintaining employment, and managing money. If you were active in your addiction for a period of time, you may have developed financial problems. Research shows that if you maintain these types of toxic relationships, your chances of relapsing are greater.

As a competitive person, I never wanted to be left behind, so binge drinking once or twice per week was the norm. In July of 2024, he checked into a wellness facility after also seeking treatment to address issues related to PTSD and borderline personality disorder in 2023. Davidson, who started the long-term journey of removing his tattoos in 2020, added that his decision to get sober fueled his desire to change his appearance. IBX has many in-person and virtual resources available for members who want to reduce the amount of alcohol they drink or think they have a problem with alcohol and need help.

Early sobriety may come with feelings of fatigue and the stress of dealing with challenges (people, places, and things that stimulate the urge to use). It’s impossible to know how you’ll react and how your life will change when getting and staying sober. Some people may find that wearable devices and smartphone apps can support their recovery from alcohol use disorder. Biosensors monitor physical changes, detect alcohol use, and identify relapse risk. Studies suggest digital health options can improve access to care for some of the 15 million people experiencing alcohol use disorder each year.

Learn to Manage Stress

However, the sober house word is often used in different ways in different contexts. Many 12-step programs suggest that sobriety means total abstinence, which means never using the substance again. Other definitions, however, focus on the process of recovery and coping habits that support health and wellness over the long term.

Assess Support System, Resources, and Time Commitment

With that in mind, assess for yourself how much help you need to get sober. If you wager you’ve had severe drinking habits over the last 10 years, then consider medical help or a rehab center to assuage some of the more painful symptoms of withdrawal. Plus, as some side effects can be life-threatening, you don’t want to risk death when you could’ve received help. Otherwise, for those who have a more moderate addiction and just want to white knuckle their way through sobriety, you need to survive the initial withdrawal stages. You realize there’s a problem, that the problem is negatively affecting your life, but the minute you’ve plugged the idea of quitting in your head, your brain is wired to fight you every step of the way.

You may even start hallucinating, which can make it difficult to determine what’s real and what’s not. In short, without these tools, fully overcoming drug and alcohol addiction is very difficult because there is no structured treatment to address all the different aspects of addiction. Secondly, and perhaps more obviously, not drinking alcohol can help with avoiding its harmful effects. But during my break from alcohol, I’ve navigated festivals, nightclubs, work drinks and rooms full of new people with just a lime and soda in hand, and it’s been strangely empowering.

#2: Know Your Triggers

A 12-step program also helped Ty Reed stop drinking, but only after he had hit bottom. Once a successful mortgage salesman, Reed had been living “a double life.” After work, he’d go out drinking late into the night. Zenoff learned the coping skills and resiliency she needed to break the behaviors that were controlling her life. She has been in recovery for almost 15 years, which she says is a continuing process. Now she’s a recovery strategist who helps others learn how to thrive after leaving rehab. These medical practices include Workit Health (MI), PLLC, Workit Health (CA), P.C., Workit Health (NJ), LLC, Workit Health (OH), LLC, and any other Workit Health professional entity that is established in the future.

At Dove Recovery, we can help support you with extra assistance to ensure your successful path to recovery. When working through recovery, it is important to recognize any triggers that could lead to relapse. The National Institutes Of Health breaks down triggers as external or internal triggers. https://yourhealthmagazine.net/article/addiction/sober-houses-rules-that-you-should-follow/ When becoming sober, you want to ensure that you have the proper support system in place so you do not have to do it alone. Make sure you always have someone to lean on through the recovery highs and lows.

Short-Term Health Effects

Substance use can strain relationships with friends, family, and loved ones. When you’re sober, you’re more present, reliable, and emotionally available, which can lead to stronger, more meaningful connections. Sobriety can also help rebuild trust in relationships that may have been damaged by past behavior while under the influence.

• Always consult your health care provider before beginning any new treatment, or if you have any questions regarding your health condition.
• It’s not easy, but survive withdrawal to get sober and then, the benefits of being sober will help you to stay sober long afterwards.
• In these instances, completing rehab at home may be ideal and online drug rehab is an excellent option.
• And what if in-person mutual support meetings (Refuge Recovery, LifeRing, SMART AA, NA) are not accessible to you?
• Do you have family members or friends who are supportive of your decision to get sober?

Don’t be afraid to tell your family and friends, it may be the difference between relapse and recovery. Whether you’ve struggled with drug addiction, excessive alcohol use, binge drinking, or any substance use disorder, addiction recovery is a long game. Relapse prevention is a key part of the entire sobriety journey. No matter how you define it, sober life has many benefits, including a higher overall quality of life and one includes a healthier lifestyle.

Find the right treatment program.

• Along with drinking water, eat something sugary like a soda or some candy since the fructose can lower your blood-alcohol level.
• But during my break from alcohol, I’ve navigated festivals, nightclubs, work drinks and rooms full of new people with just a lime and soda in hand, and it’s been strangely empowering.
• People tend to like the idea of drinking, feeling numb, loose, and have the false bravado needed to push through any uncomfortable situation.
• It’s better to practice for a few minutes daily than to have long, infrequent sessions.

A lot of the time on Instagram and social media, you only see alcohol glorified. You never see someone with their head down the toilet or suffering in bed with a hangover,” Alisha adds. Many rehab centers will provide programs that are 30 to 90 days or longer, depending on individual factors, to provide well-rounded help and support.

The first step to getting sober is recognizing and admitting that you have a problem with drug or alcohol misuse. It’s difficult to admit that you have lost control over your substance use. This guide includes the steps required to fully support the path and the journey to addiction recovery. Our mission is to provide effective, professional, and affordable alternatives for individuals who are ready to build fulfilling, productive lives free of drugs and alcohol in the privacy and comfort of their home. Additionally, the psychological symptoms of withdrawal can be difficult to overcome without support. You may feel anxious, deeply depressed, irritable, and paranoid.

The scope and intensity of alcohol withdrawal symptoms will differ depending on the severity of your alcohol use disorder. By the end of the first week of sobriety, detox should be complete, and withdrawal symptoms gone or almost gone. This is the personalized collection of treatments and therapies selected to give you the best chance of getting sober and staying sober. Medical detox can help to minimize discomfort from withdrawal symptoms.

“I don’t trust anybody,” she said, and she wanted to ensure that any litigation was in the best interests of the people impacted. The scheme harmed thousands of Indigenous people who have either been killed, drugged, physically hurt, gone missing or were left on the street and abandoned in the city after falling victim to the scam. For that reason, I haven’t drunk since, and while I wouldn’t rule out a few glasses at a wedding or major event here and there, I don’t see alcohol becoming a regular fixture in my life for the foreseeable future. If you can stick within those, the harms of alcohol are relatively minor.