Staying Sober Through Good Times

The nights of drunken debauchery are over, we received alcohol treatment, and we are finally free from our alcohol addiction. What do we do now? Fun can be had in sobriety; there is a common fear for most people getting sober that living sober can’t be fun. This is nonsense! Having fun in sobriety is definitely possible. There are many options from fellowshipping after a meeting to having a sober get together for a game night to going to events hosted by sober companies. You just have to find good people who are interested in the same things you are.

 

Do What You Truly Enjoy

Now that you’re sober, trying new things can help you figure out what the real you actually likes to do. Want a good mellow night? Go to a local coffee house and play a game of cards with some friends.  There are several sober companies that host events that you can go too. Also, there are young people’s committees that take the time to plan and host events for you and your friends to go to. Getting involved in the addiction recovery process can also be a great way to meet like-minded people that are sober as well. We didn’t get sober to simply exist. We got sober to live life which includes cutting loose, having fun and make great memories. Make a list of things you’ve always wanted to try and cross some things off your bucket list. Enjoy every moment. Sobriety isn’t meant to be an end to having fun it’s supposed to be the beginning of living life to the fullest.

How Our Recovery Can Affect Others & How to Work on Yourself

While many of us are very aware of the effect that our using had on ourselves, sometimes we can be unaware of how our actions may affect others in sobriety even though we are no longer in the middle of our drug addiction. It is normal to be concerned with what is going on with us now that we have gone through the addiction recovery process, AA, or custom addiction care and have just gotten sober. With that being said just because we are on the right track and doing better doesn’t mean that our actions no longer affect others. Sometimes we can become overly self-involved that we fail to think about how our actions might impact others. Just like when we were using it can be painful to watch someone going through a hard time or not taking care of themselves.

Work on Yourself - For You

Sobriety doesn’t mean that our actions stop affecting people. It is imperative that we continue working on ourselves so that we can continue to better ourselves. It is also imperative that we are aware of how our actions not only effect ourselves but others as well. If we continue to think of others as well as keep our sides of the street clean then we have a chance at building better quality relationships. If we are willing to look at our behaviors and promptly admit when we are wrong then we will be able to go through life with our head held high, we will be able to look people in the eye once again, and we will be able to go to sleep at night with a clear conscience knowing that we did the best we can.

Learning to Let Go of Being in Control

Many of us even after going to alcohol and drug rehab still want to run the show. There is a part of us that have a hard time with surrender and giving up control; but if we hold on to the problem so tight and don’t let our higher power in then we are shutting ourselves off from other possibilities. We need to be able to see that we may not always know what is best for us and that there are an infinite number of solutions to every problem. If we have not come up with a solution to the problem then it is usually because there were not enough people involved. Through going to Above It All, AA, or other 12 step programs we can begin to let go of our black and white thinking and see that if we have faith and rely on a power greater than ourselves then things will work out fine even if we don’t know how. It only takes one thing changing to have an entirely different experience. Whatever the situation may be we can be sure that we can get through it sober. Many of us drank to escape. We don’t have to do that anymore. Instead, we can create a life we don’t want to escape from. We can build a life beyond our wildest dreams. We can sit through the discomfort that comes from uncertainty and we can learn to accept things as they come.

Would You Rather Be Right or Would You Rather Be Happy?

Even after we go to Above It All Treatment Center, AA, or alcohol centers  we can still be stubborn as alcoholics. Many of us have a hard time letting go of the need to prove we are right or that we were treated unfairly. But what we fail to realize in the meantime is that we are sacrificing our happiness in order to be “right”. Most of us are hell bent on having people see “our side” of things that we forget that what we truly want is to just be happy. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the details that we miss out on the beauty of life. We have to ask ourselves what good it does us to have the final say, the last word, or the knowledge that we have “won” an argument when we are still left discontent. Through sobriety and receiving rehabilitation we learn that everyone has the right to be wrong. We can begin to see that everyone is doing the best they can in that given moment and just because our truths or realities resonate with us does not mean that they are other people’s truths or realities too. If we continue to keep our side of the street clean, allow others to be themselves, and cease from fighting people, places, and things, then we can be free and have a sense of peace and serenity that we never had before we got sober.

Learning How to Treat Ourselves and Others

Prior to receiving alcohol detox many of us did not know how to treat ourselves or others well.  This was mainly due to the fact that we had little or no connection to ourselves or a power greater than ourselves. How could we make healthy loving connections with others when we couldn’t have one with ourselves? How could we treat others well when we treated ourselves so poorly? Most of us prior to going to AboveItAllTreatment, AA, or a recovery center were used to just trying to get our fix regardless of the cost or consequences. Many of us were not too concerned with building meaningful bonds because we were wrapped up in the bondage of self that stemmed from this seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. We were enslaved to this disease and many of us were just trying to survive. We did what we felt we had to do in order to stop the craving and need for drugs and/or alcohol. When we get sober we get to start repairing those relationships that were broken. Starting with the relationship we have with ourselves. We get to right our wrongs and clean up the wreckage of our past without creating more damage in the present. We get to approach situations trying to see what we can bring to the table instead of what we can take. We get to start showing up for life, ourselves, and others. We get to become the type of man/woman that people can depend on and as a result we get to experience what it’s like to truly be happy, joyous, and free!