Consider non-alcoholic beers, mocktails, or beverages like soda, sparkling water, or juice. Many venues also offer specialty non-alcoholic drinks, or you can ask the bartender to make something delicious that doesn’t include alcohol. Navigating social pressure while maintaining a decision not to drink alcohol can sometimes feel challenging. But with the right approach, you can handle these situations comfortably and keep your commitment to sobriety intact. Socializing without alcohol can help build stronger, more authentic friendships.

Practice Healthy Living

All three major life changes could have triggered him to start drinking again. Because of how alcohol affects the body, on average most non-drinkers are healthier than those who drink. While moderation may work for some navigating their health goals, the health benefits that accompany sobriety are the best option for optimal health.

• That mindset shift really started to change my relationship with exercise.
• If the cons discussed above are giving you second thoughts, don’t fret.
• Online support groups have become increasingly popular.
• While those who are sober-curious begin to learn how to manage their drinking, they often find they are not properly equipped with the resources that will best serve them to achieve their goals.
• While programs like AA can help people recover from alcohol use disorder, they aren’t always the best fit for everyone.

Sobriety in AA: Since getting sober, I have hope

To stay successful and alcohol-free, ensure to communicate your plan to friends, family, and others in your community. Making those who are closest to you aware of your goals helps keep you on track and accountable on your sober journey. Allowing them to support your successes and/or help get you back on track if you slip up will make sobriety much more achievable. Secular Organizations for Sobriety (SOS) is an additional AA alternative that focuses on a secular approach to recovery. Unlike the AA alternatives that came before, SOS is not a specific organization but instead a collection of individual organizations or programs to utilize. While they do have meetings, SOS is limited in accessibility.

Stable Moods/Improved Mental Health

While the recovery period may be tips to stay sober challenging, it’s also filled with milestones that can transform your life into one that’s better than you could have previously imagined. Combining therapy with support groups can greatly improve your odds of success. Clinical evidence suggests that the most common causes of relapse during this stage are neglecting self-care or not attending self-help groups. During the repair stage, taking care of yourself is paramount. The mental challenge of this stage is not to let anything make you feel defeated. Even if you’ve hit a low point, you can get back up again.

• You might feel more comfortable (and have more time) addressing these issues in an individual or smaller group setting, Patterson notes.
• One-on-one psychotherapy with a trained therapist is another way to address your drinking.
• When I began my sobriety journey, people always told me I had to go to AA meetings.

Having excessive amounts of free time can be a major trigger for those struggling with alcoholism. When can plan for and predict the basic outline of each day, you’re less likely to slip back into your old habits. The stability and structure it creates are comforting and promote a sense of overall well-being. From a licensed therapist or addiction specialist to a life counselor, find a local resource you can trust and feel comfortable opening up to. They’ll listen without judgment, seeking to understand the factors that lead you to drink.