Some are structured in programs, such as the 12-step approach used by Alcoholics Anonymous and similar addiction recovery programs. Recognizing and avoiding triggers and temptations is key to maintaining sobriety. Identify situations, environments, or people that might prompt you to drink and establish healthy boundaries. Above all else, being completely honest with yourself is vital to staying sober, with or without AA.
Are there any controversial treatments for addiction?
The article discusses the importance of self-help approaches in achieving sobriety without AA. Regular exercise, including aerobic exercises, mind-body exercises, and strength training can help reduce stress and cravings for alcohol. Journaling is also an effective tool to maintain focus during emotionally challenging periods by recording daily reflections, coping strategies, and purposeful gratitude lists. I’ve been sober since may of 2018, stone sober no drugs or alcohol.
How to Stay Sober
Getting sober without AA is possible with the right tools and support, including sober living programs, detoxification, and mental health awareness. It’s about embracing holistic approaches that consider all factors influencing one’s relationship with alcohol rather than focusing solely on abstaining from its consumption. Lastly but importantly for staying sober without AA are self-help approaches like regular workouts and journaling that could assist maintain focus amidst emotionally challenging periods of rehab stages. Developing a structured routine can help a person stick to their sobriety goals, make healthy decisions, and reduce the likelihood of triggers and relapse. Establishing a routine with regular sleep and support group attendance can reduce stress and help you stay sober. Getting sober may seem difficult, but there are strategies you can use to get and maintain sobriety.
Can personal experiences with addiction recovery be helpful?
Most people who make their way into recovery have left a lot of pain and suffering in their wake. Feeling guilty or ashamed of past behavior or actions during active addiction is natural and healthy. Once you do return to work, it’s important to create a budget and take steps to safeguard yourself as work stress can be a relapse trigger. This article discusses what sobriety means and describes strategies that can support your long-term recovery. It also covers tips on how to deal with the challenges you’ll face on your journey to sobriety.
What Is Sobriety?
One of the challenges of getting sober with AA is about willpower. 12 step philosophy emphasizes surrendering control to higher power. Nevertheless, many people in the rooms end up “white-knucking” their way through sobriety, especially in the early stages. Strong cravings can make it feel like a battle of wills between you and alcohol. Sobriety isn’t achieved overnight; it requires commitment and dedication over time.
How to Get Sober from Alcohol
- For people with severe alcohol use disorder, or who expect intense withdrawal symptoms, some form of medical detox may be necessary.
- Your recovery journey is yours for a reason – no one else can do it for you, and no one else can tell you where or when you should be on that recovery path.
- It’s impossible to know how you’ll react and how your life will change when getting and staying sober.
- As the name suggests, the organization doesn’t dictate either abstinence or moderation, it simply encourages people to be safe and responsible in their attitudes to alcohol.
- If you’re involved in a 12-step program, you likely already know the importance of milestones.
- This addiction recovery support group is for women with any type of substance use disorder, including AUD.
It is also common for people to project the one thing that eventually worked for them onto others as the only way to be sober. I know these things are true because I have sat in rooms around the world and listened, for hundreds of hours, to the experiences others have had with alcohol. I’ve seen what it does to their bodies, can you get sober without aa families, and livelihoods. I experienced it myself over years of painful accidents, depression, and near-death alcohol withdrawal. This can include toxic relationships in which you feel unheard, misunderstood, unsupported, demeaned, unsafe, and/or attacked. To begin, it can take several hours to sober up from alcohol.
Using the Internet to Stay Sober Without AA
A 2002 study with 279 people compared AA or similar 12-step programs with other forms of psychosocial treatment. Researchers found that 24% of AA or 12-step participants remained fully abstinent from alcohol after 12 https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/how-long-do-amphetamines-stay-in-your-system/ months (2). Maybe peer support groups are not your thing, and you desire an alternative to support groups not because of the spiritual aspect, but because you want to focus on recovery in a more individual manner.
- It can help to have a trusted confidant or two with whom you can share your struggles, successes, and revelations.
- Just be sure that your rewards don’t involve drugs or alcohol.
- You can look for alternative groups with perspectives closer to your own.
- This concept of spirituality in healing may not work for everyone.
There are advantages to the 12 step method, and many people experience success with it. However, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) doesn’t mesh with everyone’s perspective. Some elements of the program, including the belief in a higher power, aren’t the right fit for everyone.