Sobriety: 13 Tips for How to Get Sober and Stay Sober

However, the word is often used in different ways in different contexts. Many 12-step programs suggest that sobriety means total abstinence—never using the substance ever again. Being happy with a sober life means replacing your unhealthy drug or alcohol addiction with meaningful, fulfilling activities. Even if you choose not to go to AA meetings, you can still live “one day at a time.” When you live one day at a time, sobriety does not appear as impossible. You can focus on short-term sobriety, staying sober for 24 hours at a time.

Staying sober duringtriggering events, like parties, weddings,holidays, vacations, and when out with friends who drink, can be tough. Drugs and alcohol might havelimitedyour options for fun and recreation. You might have only socialized in clubs, bars, or parties. Now, you can get into differentexperiencesthat will add fun, value, and friendships to your life. You will find that long-term sobriety is possible when you focus on the daily process instead of the long-term end goal.

How Can I Get Sober Without AA?

They likely will not pressure you to join along with them if you feel uncomfortable. One sober day will lead to a sober week, then months and years. You will increase your chances of success if you find others who are like-minded and share your goals. Continue to grow and nurture important relationships. Join a support group, and as you get more experience, look for ways to help others. You can become a mentor or a sponsor to those in early recovery. Staying sober for the long term is easier when you think of everything day by day. Another medication-based alternative is the Sinclair Method which utilizes naltrexone to curb cravings. Seeing a psychiatrist doesn’t hurt either, if you feel like you have underlying anxiety or depression you are managing with alcohol. •Yoga of 12 Step Recovery connects the dots between the practical tools of 12-step recovery, the ancient techniques of yoga, and modern research on trauma healing and neurobiology.

My dad was 52 when he had a stroke from his drinking. At nearly 40 years old, the proximity in age suddenly felt suffocating. Let me start there, because I do not condemn ANY path to recovery. We are all very different and need different ways to recover from addiction. But when I first contemplated quitting drinking, I believed that AA was the only choice I had. In some meetings, attendees are invited to share burning desires. Other times, speakers may share their journeys with a major focus on their previous drug or alcohol use.

Is Alcoholics Anonymous Religious, Spiritual, or Neither? Review Finds AA Effective, But Not In the Way You Think

Unlike AA, it doesn’t ask people to admit they’re powerless. There aren’t any higher powers involved, and addiction tends to be considered a habit rather than a disease. Even 15 years into his recovery, Marlon still attends AA meetings about five times per week. Marlon checked into a 30-day treatment facility, where he learned more about Alcoholics Anonymous . He bought into the program and the idea of a fellowship where people helped one another. In other words, it is AA participation itself that seems to benefit individuals, and not interacting with a referring clinician, per se. That said, a clinician can powerfully influence the likelihood of an AUD patient’s participation in AA, hence the demonstrated benefits of TSF clinical interventions. AA produces rates of alcohol abstinence and alcohol use comparable to first-line clinical interventions, and outperforms them over follow-up. Twenty-one of the 27 studies that met review inclusion criteria were randomized controlled trials or quasi-experiments. Twenty-six of these primary studies contributed to the estimate of the effect of AA/Twelve-Step Facilitation and 1 contributed purely to the report’s analyses of AA’s economic impact.

But that doesn’t mean it’s always going to work, or that other options aren’t viable. The truth is, it can be hard to measure the effectiveness of a recovery program. AA’s most recent membership survey of more than 6,000 members, done in 2014, said 22 percent of its members stayed sober for 20 or more years. “Gradually, my drinking started squeezing all three of those out of my life,” Marlon says. After graduation, he found himself with a job, wife, and child.

The Finns are famously private, so I had to go early in the morning, before any patients arrived, to meet Jukka Keski-Pukkila, the CEO. He poured coffee and showed me around the clinic, in downtown Helsinki. The most common course of treatment involves six months of cognitive behavioral therapy, a goal-oriented form of therapy, with a clinical psychologist. Treatment typically also includes a physical exam, blood work, and a prescription for naltrexone or nalmefene, a newer opioid antagonist approved in more than two dozen countries. When I asked how much all of this cost, Keski-Pukkila looked uneasy. “Well,” he told me, “it’s 2,000 euros.” That’s about $2,500—a fraction of the cost of inpatient rehab in the United States, which routinely runs in the tens of thousands of dollars for a 28-day stay. Hospitals, outpatient clinics, and rehab centers use the 12 steps as the basis for treatment.

• It emphasizes Biblical teachings to overcome addiction.
• While peer support is vital to addiction recovery, you might find other ways to stay sober.
• At that point, they’re unable to control their alcohol use which can permanently ruin their health.

I don’t have a drinking problem, and he said he couldn’t offer medication for an “experiment.” So that left the Internet, which was easy enough. I ordered some naltrexone online and received a foil-wrapped package of 10 pills about a week later. Part of the problem is our one-size-fits-all approach. Alcoholics Anonymous was originally intended for chronic, severe drinkers—those who may, indeed, be powerless over alcohol—but its program has since been applied much recovery without aa more broadly. Today, for instance, judges routinely require people to attend meetings after a DUI arrest; fully 12 percent of AA members are there by court order. People with alcohol problems also suffer from higher-than-normal rates of mental-health issues, and research has shown that treating depression and anxiety with medication can reduce drinking. The first days of sobriety can be very lonely and scary and I didn’t need to do it alone, with or without AA.

Do not attend social gatherings that involve alcohol

If you’re a sober mom in need of help and extra support, this may just be the place for you. The Sober Mom Squad began during COVID-19 times as a way to offer support to women who are sober and now find themselves overloaded with taking care of the kids while also working and quarantining and…. The Instagram account, run by Erin Shaw Street who is a seasoned media professional, criticizes other websites and media who are promoting alcohol in an unhealthy way. But beyond that, Tell Better Stories is forming a community of women who understand that lifestyle media and female-centric marketing promoting alcohol is highly problematic. The free iOS/Android app can connect you to other sober people all across the world. It’s a great way to get to know others in your neighborhood—or anywhere else!

Newcomers are welcomed into a community of people who understand them – something they’ve always had trouble finding. Through that contact, they make new relationships which give them some hope as they face the reality of their situation. Another benefit of 90 in 90 is that many newcomers are unconvinced that Alcoholics Anonymous and abstinence from drugs and alcohol is the right path for them. Everything inside the newcomer is telling them to run away, that the alcohol that worked to keep them comfortable for so long is still the answer. Often known as “90 in 90”, the practice of attending a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous every day for 90 days in a row is a common suggestion for a newcomer to AA.

I remember what AA taught me.

A structured routine will help you achieve other goals in your life, whether they are short-term or long-term . Hosted by Editor-in-Chief and therapist Amy Morin, LCSW, this episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast shares how to avoid repeating mistakes and build better habits. You can focus each day on doing something that will make you feel happy and fulfilled. You can find support groups that are not 12-Step focused to get sober without AA. You might not feel ready to go back home right after treatment and need a place to transition.

What might happen is the first time someone tries a drug they might like it. Then they might use it frequently over time until they become dependent. It’s impossible to become dependent after a single use of any drug. This is evidenced by the fact nearly half of Australians have tried an illicit drug, but only a minority of those are dependent.

If you have a drug or alcohol problem but don’t want to go to AA, keep reading. There are still plenty of ways to get the treatment you need and start the healthy lifestyle you deserve. At TruHealing Centers across the country, we work with you on an individual basis to find an addiction treatment plan tailored Sober House to your needs. If you need help, many of us at Amatus have been where you are, struggling with our own Substance Use Disorders. Visit amatusrecoverycenters.com to learn more about how we can support you. To my mind, therein lies the dilemma of trying to compare the success rates of one approach versus another.