How One Year Sober Changed My Body, & My Life Claudia Christian

Didn’t she just spend this entire post talking about alcohol? When I first got sober, I thought alcohol was the only problem. I thought once I removed alcohol, everything would fall into place.

I can’t think of anything in our society (other than perhaps certain mental disorders, like schizophrenia) that is stigmatized quite like addiction. After adopting a sober lifestyle, you changed the kind of friends you hang out with, and that makes a huge difference in your life. You’re now hanging with people who genuinely care about you and support your sober lifestyle. When there is a disagreement, you can take a deep breath, step back, and communicate how you’re feeling in a healthy way. At one year sober, you’ll be grateful for being able to attend family gatherings without everyone worrying about what state of mind you’ll be in.

Spend the Day With Loved Ones

In addition to mental health challenges, it can also be tough navigating social situations while sober for the first time, and filling your newfound free time that used to be spent drinking. This is where reaching out for additional support can make a huge difference. Working with a therapist in online alcohol therapy can help you manage negative thoughts, build healthier coping mechanisms, and navigate social situations without drinking. We publish material that is researched, cited, edited and reviewed by licensed medical professionals. The information we provide is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare providers.

If the person doesn’t want to make their sober anniversary a big deal with celebrations, you could do something simple. Just arrange to spend the day with family or friends. This can help them connect with their support system and remind them why they’ve worked so hard to stay sober. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that I need to stay honest, open-minded, and willing. When I have these three in my mind every day, I will be able to not only stay sober but continue on my recovery path and experience blessings beyond my wildest dreams.

Futures Recovery

By 90 days, you will also likely be in the process of developing new routines. You may pick up new hobbies, and find yourself building stronger connections with friends and family. On the other hand, new challenges may appear, such as being around alcohol at holidays eco sober house cost and major life events. If a new trigger arises or setback occurs, you can always reach out to your support network for extra encouragement and accountability. You’ll likely encounter many physical and mental changes during your first year of sobriety.

And while I’m proud of having one year, I know that I really only have today. I take life one day at a time (as much as possible) and put my sobriety before all else. I’ve learned that I don’t know much and if I’m open to hearing it there are messages at every meeting, https://sober-house.org/ in every conversation, and in each day that will help not only keep me sober but enhance my journey and life. The first year has been amazingly good and extraordinarily difficult all at once. I’ve developed friendships that are real for the first time in many years.

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Sobriety has allowed me to become the woman I have always wanted to be, but couldn’t because of alcohol and everything that it masked. You’re more productive at work, and you’ve reengaged with your family and friends. Addiction takes a heavy toll on your physical health.

My only hope in chronically over-sharing my sober curious journey is to be a beacon of light for someone who needs it. There might be just ONE person reading this who has been feeling over-whelmed or trapped by alcohol who might feel inspired to take a step in the right direction. Around 2 months in is when I started to notice my brain recalibrating a bit. I remember I was on a run at 8 am (which never would have happened while I was drinking) and I stopped to look around.

SOBER MOM LIFE CAFE

In a way, it felt like growing up—which may sound funny considering I was 53 at the time. But I felt a need to say goodbye to all the negative influences in my life during this time. And the more I reflected on my relationship to alcohol, the more I saw how deeply negative it was. I realized I didn’t want it hanging around anymore. I just began feeling that alcohol wasn’t bringing anything to my life. Increasingly, I became aware that while consuming alcohol, I was attracting the wrong energy—in love, relationships, work, and even friendships.

And because alcohol removes your inhibitions, the things I did and that were done to me under the influence throughout the 12 years I was drinking created an array of other traumas as well. Over the next couple of years from 2017 to 2019, my drinking habits gradually got worse. I would make deals with myself to try to limit my drinking. I tried only drinking hard liquor because wine was my drink of choice. If you’ve been working a good recovery program, at one year sober, you will feel more peaceful. Life is life, but now you are living life on life’s terms.

Uncomfortable Truths About Alcohol

Treatments must be intensive enough to meet the client’s needs without being overly restrictive or burdensome, so typically a person with frequently excessive drinking will need higher care. Alcohol addiction is marked by the obsessive desire to consume alcohol, regardless of the negative consequences. Dependence is a physical process, while addiction is a form of psychological dependence.

Some in recovery want to downplay their progress or don’t know how to accept praise. You can help them become more comfortable with success by affirming their journey. Support systems in addiction recovery are vital for life-long addiction recovery.

Alcohol Addiction Research by The Recovery Village

By working to understand your triggers, you can be better prepared to manage alcohol cravings, and also meaningfully address any underlying issues or co-occurring mental health conditions. A person with social anxiety, for example, may begin drinking alcohol as a negative coping skill to reduce symptoms. Alcohol does not “cure” anxiety; it only covers symptoms. The anxiety disorder would continue while the alcohol use disorder grows. Alternatively, sometimes a person with long-term alcohol use may disrupt normal neurotransmitter flow in the brain, which could trigger new or worsening symptoms of a mental health condition.

Saying one or more of the below validations puts an exclamation point on their year and encourages them to stay on their current path. A great way to congratulate your loved one is to continue to be or inquire how you can be a part of their trusted circle. The point is to let them know that because they are helping themselves by choosing sobriety, you are also willing to help in their journey. Support can be driving them to 12-step meetings, medical appointments, or job interviews. Maybe they need help filling out an application or creating a resume.

• Many of these effects are dependent on the amount of alcohol consumed.
• Plus, life feels a heck of a lot better without alcohol.
• Coming home at midnight from a party, doing my skincare routine, and waking up at 8 am feeling fresh while everyone else is in bed hungover until 11?
• Your involvement with peers as you grow up and the age at which you begin drinking also contribute.

In addition, Futures exposes clients to various types of support programs available in the ‘real’ world. When I had anxiety, I believed it calmed my nerves and took the edge off. Part of me wants to drink again, because DUH, I still love wine.

It would allow me to put aside my insecurities and be the confident, popular person I always wanted to be. I had completely forgotten about this memory until I was almost done with rehab. When the memory flashed back, it clicked into place perfectly in the narrative of my life.