The important thing to remember is that sobriety is a process and not a one-time event. Our step-by-step guide will cover what getting sober means and how to become sober. By Buddy TBuddy T is a writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism. Because he is a member of a support group that stresses the importance of anonymity at the public level, he does not use his photograph or his real name on this website.

Receiving encouragement from peers can keep you motivated to make a change. Help is readily available with multiple websites, phone numbers and texting systems of support. Getting sober is a long term commitment to lifestyle change. It requires structure, support and evidence based care. The best way forward for your recovery from alcohol or substance use is to incorporate a wide variety of strategies that will help foster success.

Practice Healthy Living

Preparation is when you start to make a plan about how to change.
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.
Instead, focus on things, experiences, and activities that will support your new, healthy lifestyle.
Consider reaching out to a vocational rehabilitation counselor or career coach to help you update your resume, practice job interview skills, and locate jobs that match your skills and experience.

Long term sobriety requires a well thought out aftercare plan created by you and your treatment providers. Each aftercare plan evolves with the level of treatment. It is accomplished through planning, modifying and setting new goals along the way.

I drank 6 or 7 days a week—not always to the point of blacking out, but there were stacks of those fuzzy nights in my career. Alcohol was a part of my DNA, family, friends, business, and identity for as long as I could remember. Alongside physical symptoms, you’re likely to experience changes in your mental state during the first week of sobriety. These psychological effects can be challenging but understanding and preparing for them can help you navigate this period more effectively. This guide outlines what to expect and how to navigate the initial seven days of sobriety.

How Long Does Sobriety Fatigue Last?

For over 20 years Dr. Umhau was a senior clinical investigator at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Outpatient rehab allows you to live at home while attending therapy sessions. It’s ideal for mild addictions or as a step-down after inpatient care. Several smartphone apps offer ways to connect with others who are going through the same things you are. In addition to guidance and support, some of the apps also can help you get immediate help from your network or find a ride to a support group meeting. Expect to become uncompromising in your resolve to stay on the path that you’ve fought for.

Are Your Parents to Blame for Your Addiction?

These can vary in intensity and duration, depending on factors like how long and how much you’ve been drinking. This is in contrast to the term “getting clean,” which is an outdated way to say free from drug use. “Sober” is now more often interpreted to mean total abstinence from all illicit or legal substances that cause life to become out of control.

Detox involves the removal of harmful substances from your body through the body’s natural process of eliminating toxins. Shame is having negative beliefs about yourself and your self-worth. Guilt is having negative feelings about your past behavior.

Sober-Friendly Activities to Fill Free Time

However, the word is often used in different ways in different contexts.
A therapist can help you learn new coping skills, develop new thinking patterns, and address any co-occurring mental health conditions that may make recovery more difficult.
While the timeline differs, many people report significant improvements in energy levels after about 90 days of sobriety.
This could be anything causing a person to seek out more of the substance in spite of experiencing negative consequences.

Genuine change, profound personal transformation, can only be achieved through hard work and a well-crafted plan that includes accountability. If you discover a shortcut, please be the first to share it. Most of us are here because we experience emotional discomfort, fear, or apprehension around changing our relationship with alcohol.

Relapse prevention plans evolve with treatment levels and are essential to long term lifestyle change. At some point in your recovery, you’ll feel stressed out, whether it’s major stress (like losing a job) or minor stress (like running late for an appointment). When things like this happen, find a sober friend or loved one you can talk to for support. And keep your schedule loose enough that you have time for group meetings and other things that can help you through rough stretches.

Or you might rather spend time volunteering for a good cause, like an animal shelter or children’s hospital. Whatever it is, new activities can lead to new friends with interests like yours. No one will come to change your metaphorical diaper, no matter how sorry you feel for yourself. You must sit in it, intimately acquainting yourself with the emotions you’ve repressed for so long. The feelings you’ve numbed will emerge from hibernation like a protective mother bear. Everyone heals in a different way; it’s a personal thing like praying and politics.

Just keep in mind that your improvements won’t happen overnight. Having a chaotic or disorganized lifestyle can also hinder your recovery. It’s important to develop a structured daily and weekly schedule and stick to it. Depending on the type of dependency, PAWS can last from six months to two years after you stop using drugs or alcohol. Lean on your tribe early and often, but remember that you alone must bear the weight of this journey.

How common is relapse?

Detox only lasts a few days, but recovery is a lifelong journey. In all phases of treatment, creating a prevention plan is essential to addressing old behaviors and building new ones. Identifying historical traumas and unresolved grief that lead to using substances to cope with intense emotions will help you find better ways to express your thoughts and feelings.

Mary Jo Fleming, Ph.D. has been committed to the field of substance use recovery for over 20 years. She currently works as a consultant helping new treatment facilities open. She focuses her how to get sober and what to expect interests on expanding education on substance use and the delivery of services to underserved populations.

It ensures your safety and increases your chances of successful long-term sobriety. While many people can manage withdrawal symptoms at home, it’s crucial to know when professional medical help is necessary. Severe alcohol withdrawal can be dangerous and even life-threatening in some cases. A large body of research exists examining—and proving—the efficacy of AA for sobriety. A 2011 study by Krentzman, Robinson, et al. sought to answer the question of why some people chose to continue going to meetings even after they achieved short-term sobriety.

The thought of getting sober and changing the one thread that ran through every aspect of my life seemed so daunting. Hope is the greatest motivator for becoming sober, because the vicious cycle of addiction offers no hope of survival. People succeed every day in ending the cycle of addiction and living abundant and successful lives.