The Facts on Getting Sober
Sobriety is a long and hard struggle for an alcoholic. It is a lifelong commitment to change your habits and life style. Many alcoholics relapse and get back on the wagon and the road to recovery many times before they get it right. According to Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) studies and reports by their members, success rates on sobriety vary. Around 31 percent of the members were sober for less than a year, 12 percent were sober for between five and ten years, and finally, 33 percent were sober for 10 years or more. Their study doesn’t have a failure rate but indicates how its members do succeed in long-term sobriety, which average sobriety is about 8 years. AA gauges its success by their motto of “keep coming back.”
Staying sober from drug or alcohol is tough, and it is a sad fact that most addicts starting the life-changing event of staying sober will fail. However, with the help from family, friends, and therapy, your chances of staying sober increase day to day as long as you have the will to keep trying. Helping others stay sober is a way to reinforce your goals of sobriety, and this behavior is expressed in AA/NA 12-step program. By becoming a sponsor to another person addicted to alcohol or drugs, you can participate in the sobriety of others.
The understanding that if you feel you are relapsing you have the lifeline of another addict, that has gone through those emotions of wanting to quit and how he/she dealt with it and pushed through it. Being able to speak to others on individuals without judgment helps with the guilt of being looked down upon by non addicts that do not understand the addicted mind and continues to help with sobriety.
Tips to Staying Sober
- ● Stay away from people and places that remind you of your days of addiction, as they will tempt yo to drink or do drugs again.
- ● Start associating with people that are positive, healthy, and those that understand you are trying to change. These people will help you stay the course.
- ● Reconnect with other friends and family members that you knew before your life of drugs and alcohol.
- ● If you find that something is working better for you than what is not, stick with what works, and don’t be stuck doing something that someone says is the only way.
- ● Staying busy, as the first few months on your road to sobriety is hard enough without the drugs and alcohol.
- ● Get involved in recovery programs and supports networks whether online or in person.
Remember, staying sober from drugs or alcohol does have some benefits. You will enjoy waking up in the morning clear-headed, and you will converse with others rather than babble and look foolish. By feeling energetic and happy, your confidence will grow again. The crutch that has been helping you to cope will disappear and great things will start to happen for you!