How to Stay Sober - Sober Thinking

So you’re sober. Now how do you stay sober? I’ve got loads of practical advice and tips to add to your sobriety toolbox which, will help you deal with the craziness of life, without reaching for the bottle.

It’s too easy to lose focus on what’s important. You have to remember to prioritise your own wellbeing to achieve a happy sober you and here’s how.

Treat yourself.

Getting sober is one thing but staying sober is a journey or a change in mindset which requires compassion and self-love. Many people come to sobriety with low self worth, anxiety and/or depression and believe staying sober is all about will power but it’s not.

It is actually vital that you treat yourself compassionately and reward yourself for this difficult thing you are doing.

Whether that’s a daily, weekly or monthly treat or a special treat for hitting a major (or minor) milestone. Just think how much money you are saving by not drinking. Here’s some ideas for a sober treat.

Cake (my favourite)
Buying a sober keepsake
Clean sheets
Fresh flowers
Nice mocktail ingredients
Meeting friends for coffee
Buying a new scarf or stationery
Haircut

Make Some ‘You’ Time.

It’s important to take some ‘you’ time. And before you start, I don’t believe for a minute you don’t have time for this. How many hours did you waste getting drunk or dealing with a hangover? Make sure you find a small amount of time, for just you. It will help you stay sober and everyone; friends and family, will benefit from a less stressed version of you.

Take a relaxing bath
Reading a good book
Go for a walk
Have an early night
Book a spa
Play video games
Join a yoga class
Delegate some chores
Listen to some sober podcasts

To Stay Sober Avoid Overwhelm

Remember, your goal is to be sober. Don’t try to do too much in early sobriety. Prioritise your sobriety above everything else. This is not the time to start a diet and lose weight or commit to a new exercise regime or join the school PTA. You can always add more things in time but for now, keep things as simple as possible.

If you think things are getting on top of you, I recommend doing less for a while.

Go outside, fresh air helps
Don’t cook, get a take away
Take a nap
Leave the house work
Say ‘no’ to new commitments
Ask for help from a friend or love one
Don’t think too far ahead. Just deal with today
Cancel that party. There will be others

Reach Out to Stay Sober

If you can, lean on loved ones and your friends. Tell them how you are feeling, even if it seems trivial. Getting out of your own head is vital to staying sober. Talking to someone really helps reduce the noise in your head. Especially the noise that tells you to drink.

In the beginning I had no sober friends. Over my drinking career I had managed to surround myself with drinking friends only. However, there is still a whole load of support out there. There are people who get it, you just have to reach out.

Go for coffee with a sympathetic friend
Join an online sober group or post to an alcohol-free Facebook page. Anonymously, if needs be.
Read some sober blogs on WordPress or Blogger. Reach out and contact someone you can relate to
Go to an AA meeting, SMART Recovery Meeting or join a sober meet up group
Talk to your doctor
Write your own anonymous sober blog

If you are struggling or start to think drinking might be a good idea, try adding more support to your toolbox. Have a read of my Fading Affect Bias article. It explains why we forget how bad our drinking was and how we cannot trust our memories when we only see our drinking days through rose tinted glasses.

If your brain is saying joining an online sober group is dumb and won’t work for you. Tell yourself you are going to join anyway, then make your mind up after 3 months.

Remember, it’s not just one thing that will help, it’s a culmination of lots of things, big and small. There is no right or wrong tool here . If you are not sure which ones are working, keep doing them all for now. x

Mrs Mac

Photo Credit: Photo by Maxim Selyuk on Unsplash