How to Stay Sober 9+ Tips to Build a Sober Community Leave a comment

Having your route home planned stops you having to rely on anyone else and can help take the pressure off thinking you have to stay all night. The last thing you want is to be waiting around for a friend who has decided they want to stay out all night. An exit strategy allows you to socialise on your own terms.

• Chances are that without alcohol you will be a better dancer, karaoke singer, and conversationalist anyway!
• And because of this I don’t think I’ll ever be invited to another get together with my coworkers again.
• Some people are fine with telling others that they never drink.
• The right friends will completely understand that you’re a recovering alcoholic and won’t force you to drink.
• To unpack some of the underlying reasons you feel bored right now, it helps to understand what alcohol does to your brain.

Surround Yourself With Supportive People

Here’s a funny little clip from the BBC that I’m sure you’ll appreciate. But if you’re not seeing your pals because they’d how to stay sober when everyone else is drinking rather get shit-faced than hang with you, that’s on them. Either way, you don’t need to concern yourself with this stuff today. One or two might call you up to grab coffee and chat and it will be like nothing’s changed at all.

The 12 Best Sober Activities in NYC

• Alcoholics Anonymous is just one program available to those exploring their continued addiction recovery journey.
• In the beginning of your recovery, you have to be mindful of what you interact with.
• And one day, it will occur to you that you’re actually happy and enjoying your life.
• I didn’t have a bad time necessarily, but I think I was the only person there who didn’t drink, and I honestly just felt like an idiot being the only sober person there.
• Strictly speaking, sobriety is the state of being sober—not being under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
• However, the DRUNK version of your friends can be a little fuzzy with the boundaries.

This doesn’t have to be face to face – online communities are also incredibly motivating. My stop drinking course is a group coaching programme for this very reason. When you’re working on a goal at exactly the same time as everyone else, you feel accountable to the group. And if you’re struggling, being able to reach out to other people who get it – but are ploughing on regardless – is very inspiring.

Attend with friends you feel safe and comfortable around

Obviously, it won’t apply if you’re trying to be 100% abstinent. For example, if a friend offers to buy you a drink on your birthday, and you know turning them down would lead to a tedious argument, you may accept this one time. You won’t get totally wasted, but you’ll avoid the unwanted nagging that would come from insisting on not having a single drop. Of course, if they insist you have seven more birthday drinks with them, then it’s time to go back to saying no.

• Playing a board game, charades, or Pictionary are some ways to have fun if you’re celebrating Thanksgiving sober.
• 56% of participants reported having had only one drink in the previous month.
• I went with them to the bar just so I can hang out with them and spend time with them and try to be sociable.
• Don’t “wait and see” how you feel when you get there, or tell yourself that you’re going to “try” to be good.

Sobriety Is Not The Ultimate Goal. A Good Life Is.

When I quit drinking, I was lucky to have a spouse that supported my decision. Alcohol merely blurred my perception of social situations. It’s hard to fill that time, especially when dealing with alcohol cravings and triggers. The good news is that your brain can adjust and restore balance to your internal world. The longer you stay away from alcohol and give your brain some much-needed TLC, the less you’ll feel like life is dull and uninteresting.

You’re there for LIFE, not the hardship and accelerated death that active addiction brings with it. We didn’t get sober to be boring as hell—we want to enjoy life to the fullest. There are ways you can hit a bar on a Saturday night and still share laughs and have fun with everyone while staying completely sober. Still feeling a bit skeptical about telling your friends that you’ll join them?

• I love The Class so much, and have found it to be surprisingly helpful in my sober journey.
• Joining a support group is an excellent way to find sober friends.
• It’s important to accept that there is no normal that is better or worse.
• He didn’t seem creepy or anything; he was just protecting his story,” Champion said.

Alcohol didn’t make life fun. It just made you not care.

The Luckiest Club (TLC) was founded by Laura McKowen, author of “We Are the Luckiest.” TLC is an online virtual community of sober folks trying to get and stay sober. They host about 35+ virtual meetings per week with a trained sobriety leader guiding people in recovery. Each meeting starts with a short meditation and then a reading selected by the leader. After that, alcoholism symptoms there is ample time to share stories or something on your mind. Finally, each meeting closes with TLC’s “9 Things” reminder. Big, vague goals rarely work and a ‘forever’ commitment can be terrifying.