This may involve planning phone calls and FaceTimes, going to extra meetings, or scheduling additional therapy sessions. There are many routes you can take in starting up the sobriety conversation with those closest to you. Below are a few tips for getting started from our mental health experts. If you’re eager to open up about your sobriety but aren’t sure where to start, read on to find some helpful tips from mental health professionals. Plus, learn why it can be so beneficial for your own recovery journey to share your story.

Can Enjoy a Healthy Lifestyle

• By setting achievable goals and pursuing personal development, you’re not just staying sober—you’re thriving in sobriety.
• Ask any sober person whether they want to go to a cocktail party or stay in with a pack of La Croix, The Crown, and a bathrobe.
• It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider.
• I thought getting pregnant would be impossible after years and years of abusing my body, yet right before I hit one year of sobriety, my son was born.
• The study, which appears in Nature Nanotechnology, suggests the capsule essentially processes alcohol the way the liver does.
• “The benefit of disclosing to loved ones is determined by the sober person and informed by their specific circumstances,” says Jackson.

Tai chi is both a mindfulness practice and a gentle form of exercise. It involves slow movements and helps you think more clearly and calmly, which can help you make good choices during recovery. When you think about stopping your substance use, physical and mental exercise probably aren’t the first things to come to mind.

Alcohol vs. True Relaxation: Finding the Real Calm

Relapse (using substances again after stopping) can and does happen, with 85% of people experiencing relapse at least once and half of them doing so within the first two weeks of sobriety. One study found that 68% of people treated in a detox unit experienced moderate alcohol withdrawal symptoms. You can expect certain alcohol withdrawal symptoms such as sleep disruption to occur, though some people can experience seizures and other severe symptoms. This may mean that you don’t spend time with someone you used to use drugs with or go somewhere you used to drink.

Engage in Creative Activities

‘Sober Curious’ refers to people who are choosing to either take a break from alcohol for a short period of time or even permanently. It’s a term that describes people who are curious about different levels of living a sober lifestyle. A benefit of sobriety that’s often cited is better quality sleep, but an added joy for me has been getting way more sleep. I don’t stay out later than I planned and I’m almost always in bed before midnight. Social situations, parties, and family gatherings can all be potential landmines for people in recovery, which is why it’s so important to lean on your support network as much as possible.

Explore new social circles

Ultimately, picking an ideal time and comfortable physical environment can help you feel relaxed enough to share. Beyond relief, you may also feel some mental clarity, emotional peace, and even a sense of pride for outwardly embracing your recovery, Stone adds. SELF does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Any information published on this website or by this brand is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional.

I enjoy exercise.

I thought getting pregnant would be impossible after years and years of abusing my body, yet right before I hit one year of sobriety, my son was born. As someone who never took care of herself, reasons to stay sober the fact that my body was able to produce life felt like a miracle. From that moment forward, I committed to treating my body with respect—not just by not drinking—but by moving it and nourishing it as best as I could.

• If you don’t know the person well, simply saying you have to get up early the next morning or you quit for health reasons should be enough.
• So, it’s extra helpful to have a support network available to you when you need it.
• Your sleep patterns may be altered and you may not think about eating healthy when you’re under the influence.
• A person who is getting sober may be getting sober from one substance or all substances.
• Other people won’t be able to tell the difference just by looking at your glass.

Learn to celebrate daily decisions that promote sobriety.

So now I’m sober, and I have zero choice but to be me in all situations. We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer) as we strive to provide site experiences for browsers that support new web standards and security practices. Consider joining groups that don’t revolve around alcohol. This could be anything from sports teams to book clubs, where the primary focus is on a shared interest.

Have an Escape Plan

Knowing relapse signs can help you recognize your risk of relapse, and they may include a return to addictive thinking patterns and compulsive behaviors. A meta-analysis of two genome-wide association studies to identify novel loci for maximum number of alcoholic drinks. Another interesting finding that came from this research was that females with the inactive ALDH2 genotype were more likely to suffer from major depression, eating disorder, panic disorder, and borderline personality disorder. Once again, males demonstrated no significant differences. This is a treatment that first prevents someone from using their substance of choice and then provides information about the harm of using. Most deeply, enjoy relating to the world and to your life not gripped at the throat by desire.