Sobriety Strategies: 13 Tips for Staying Sober

A lot has happened in these nine and a half years. At three years of sobriety, I buried my best friend in the world. It broke my heart and healed me in innumerable ways at the same time. I sought spirituality and a connection with my higher power with a desperation that I never had before.

Remember earlier in the post when I said my first sip of alcohol made me feel confident, made me forget my massive insecurities, and allowed me to avoid feeling my feelings? And because alcohol removes your inhibitions, the things I did and that were done to me under the influence throughout the 12 years I was drinking created an array of other traumas as well. Around 2 months in is when I started to notice my brain recalibrating a bit.

How Do You Become Sober?

Today, Chris is coming up on 5 years sober! He has come to the conclusion that the solution can not come from the same brain that created the problem; but rather through the support of others. A Tampa Florida native, started chasing prescription pills by 18 years old. Years later, his disease landed him in prison for drug charges.

Herren Wellness gave me so much love and support, and they challenged me. I had always been handled with kid gloves, but they challenged me to find out what makes me tick. By https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/6-successfull-and-motivational-sobriety-stories/ the grace of God my wife called Kevin Mikolazyk from the Herren Project – she’s a teacher and Chris had spoken at her school – who helped me get into treatment in Florida.

Recovery Success Stories to Inspire You

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I would make deals with myself to try to limit my drinking. I tried only drinking hard liquor because wine was my drink of choice. I tried only drinking on Fridays and on weekends. Some of the best times of my life have been partying. They are some of my happiest, funniest memories that I do look back on with fondness.But also, some of the worst times of my life happened as a result of using drugs and alcohol. I hope to be that person for someone else.

Success Stories of Our Sober Living Alumni

Today, Jeff is content and comfortable with who he is, taking on life’s challenges while keeping an active recovery program at the forefront of his journey. Terryle was a “functioning alcoholic” who struggled with binge drinking for nearly 30 years and finally accepted that he could no longer safely use if he wanted to succeed. Tampa Bay native, born into an addicted household. Started drinking and smoking weed at 13 years old, by 18 he discovered opiates, at 30 years old things started to take turn for the worst. Today, he’s two years sober, happily diving out of planes, and an active member in our recovery community. When David B came in for his initial interview, his story was not uncommon.

• In sobriety I’ve been around all this stuff and I think that’s one of the things people cast a stigma on.
• I no longer regret being an alcoholic since it is through my alcoholism that I have been able to grow and integrate a wonderful set of principles into my life.
• I experienced an enormous amount of grief in the first few months of sobriety.
• Here I was in an expensive treatment center insurance wouldn’t cover, and I was not earning an income, but rather accumulating expenses as a partner in our corporation.
• All of my peers were still at college partying while I was embarking on a spiritual journey.

Kate had no interest in becoming sober until she lost everything. Hitting the proverbial rock bottom, Kate ended up living on the streets after losing her friends, her family and going to jail due to a crack cocaine addiction. Bill was able to lay to rest all the guilt, shame, resentment, and abuse that haunted him by addressing his childhood traumas. The therapeutic journey of confronting the adverse childhood experiences that permeated his daily life helped him to reduce their significance in his mind.

Heather Lowe hit her alcohol ”rock bottom” on Memorial Day 2018 and knew she had to get sober by any means necessary.

Within each story, we also see common themes – including the central role family, advocates, and recovery treatment ultimately play in saving lives. Now that you are sober, you may have discovered that some of your past relationships were not only unhealthy but downright toxic. It’s not just your drinking buddies and drug dealers who can get you into trouble—sometimes those who are closest to you can contribute to a relapse. It may help to pick a quit date, or a day when you choose to discontinue use of alcohol or drugs.

By Buddy T

Buddy T is an anonymous writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism. Although these new activities are healthy and productive, they can be a stumbling block to lasting recovery if they become a transfer addiction to fill the void left by the original addiction. Financial troubles and problems finding and keeping employment are major triggers for relapse, but it is possible to take baby steps and get your finances in order.

That’s the thing about heavy drinkers – They surround themselves with other heavy drinkers so as to avoid looking in the mirror. Nothing makes a problematic drinker more uncomfortable than a sober person. If you believe you or a loved one is suffering from drug or alcohol abuse, we can help.

There were many times after getting together with another couple that I drove home in a blackout. I am the third of four sons, each about two years apart. We grew up in a small town in Eastern Massachusetts where, on our mile-long street, we only had a few neighbors. I always wanted to hang out with my two older brothers, as there were few kids my own age in the area. I remember at one of these forts, at the age of ten, finally feeling like I belonged because someone gave me a cigarette to smoke, or more accurately, choke on.

Sobriety involves a grieving process.

Becki went through several treatment programs to overcome her addiction, but each time she became worse. For Kate, 12-step programs are vital to her recovery. She says she finds huge therapeutic value in sharing stories with other people in the same situation. A common thread woven throughout many success stories of addiction recovery is the role of other people in inspiring sobriety. These stories of overcoming addiction detail the lives of everyday Americans with very unique journeys of recovery.

The mantra of these early days was “survive, not thrive”; the only goal was to just get through them without drinking. I relied a lot on hour-long hot baths before bed to calm down, but still my sleep was horrendous. From the movie Apocalypse Now to the iconic television classic “West Wing” to numerous Broadway shows, Sheen has been a staple of entertainment for 50 years. Through the years, he’s talked about how alcoholism so affected his health that he suffered a heart attack in his mid-30s.