Young and Sober in A A.: From Drinking to Recovery Alcoholics Anonymous

I’ve seen what it does to their bodies, families, and livelihoods. I experienced it myself over years of painful accidents, depression, and near-death alcohol withdrawal. You will always need others to help you, friends (see above), or professionals. No matter how many years sober you have, life will throw you a curveball, and it will be more than you can handle.

Your Social Settings Are More Stable

Seeking knowledge on use disorders also helps dispel misconceptions, fostering empathy and understanding towards those struggling with addiction. Plan your day with activities that promote your overall well-being, such as exercise, meditation, spending time with loved ones, pursuing your passions, and setting realistic goals. In addition to friends and family, consider joining support groups outside of AA. People who believe in you and your journey can boost your confidence and provide emotional backing during difficult times. Surrounding yourself with a solid and understanding support system is crucial for successful sobriety. I hung around NA for a week or two, never really embracing their demanding path to recovery.

Developing Healthy Coping Mechanisms

• It also promotes confidence and structure, which are important to recovery.
• There are common setbacks to getting and staying sober like withdrawal, craving, and pressure to use.
• Ria Health has already supported thousands of people to lasting recovery—without having to attend AA meetings.

We better understand what makes us tick, what sets us off, what tempts us, and what our limitations are. How often do we wish we could tell our younger selves a nugget of wisdom we’ve mined in our later years? The knowledge we have gained can help us set the boundaries we need to stay sober. Jim’s extra years may offer more wisdom than John’s shorter life experience. With the advent of the “sober curious” movement, more companies, restaurants, and bars have been offering various non-alcoholic drinks and mocktails that are tasty and appealing alternatives to alcohol.

Change your social scene

Recovery is a journey filled with progress, not perfection. Celebrate every milestone and achievement, no matter how small they may seem. Rewarding yourself for staying sober positively reinforces your behavior and encourages you to continue on the path to sobriety. Typically, alcohol withdrawal symptoms happen for heavier drinkers. Alcohol withdrawal can begin within hours of ending a drinking session. Alcohol detox isn’t easy and not everyone can do it on their own.

I frequented syringe service programs, not just for sterile needles, but to congregate with harm reductionists and other peers who were ex-drug users. Educate yourself about the long-term physical and psychological effects of substance use disorder. By becoming well-informed about the risks involved, you reinforce your commitment to quit using, gain the power to resist temptations and stay on course. Understanding the risks of drugs/alcohol can be a powerful motivator to stay sober. As I said earlier, I set up my friends with my connections, so I didn’t have to be around drugs as often.

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 you’re having the getting sober without aa thought that you want to get sober and want to know how to get clean, there’s probably already an underlying motivation. Drinking alcohol can create problems in every area of life, including your physical health, mental health, social life, work-life, and overall wellbeing. Make a list of the ways drinking has negatively impacted your life.

You’re Wiser

There isn’t much money in studying long-term abstinent addicts and alcoholics … most of the research is focused (appropriately, I might add) on helping people achieve and maintain sobriety. A primary reason 12-step works for so many people (in my opinion) is it sets you up with a new social scene, full of folks just like yourself. If you choose to quit drinking without AA, it’s important to consider your current social scene and whether or not you’d like to change that.

Paying for Alcohol and Drug Rehab for Seniors

To find out what your insurance plan covers, call your provider and ask for specific coverage information. Through A.A., these young people got sober and found recovery. If you want to stop drinking, Alcoholics Anonymous can help you, too. Maybe you’ve tried to quit before, or maybe this is the first time that you feel like enough is enough—either way, you want to give sobriety your best shot.

• Generally, at the very least, a relapse likely means that you need additional support while in recovery, also known as aftercare.
• If you’ve got 1%, plant it and grow towards the 100% you’re aspiring to.
• If Jim has relied on drinking as a way to deal with stressors through every stage of his life up to this point, it might be more difficult to develop new habits.
• A big part of long-term recovery is building a sober life you are happy with.

There are also non-group-based options, such as medication-assisted treatment, traditional rehab centers, and online alcohol programs. You can even try quitting on your own if you expect only minor withdrawal symptoms. Fortunately, if AA doesn’t work for you, there are other choices. Different support groups exist to help you quit drinking without AA, some with a more secular approach. If you’ve been curious about how to stop drinking alcohol and get sober, you might be wondering where to start.

Tips to Stay Sober

Generally, at the very least, a relapse likely means that you need additional support while in recovery, also known as aftercare. Aftercare can consist of sober living houses, 12-step programs and ongoing therapy. These help keep you focused on your recovery, reducing your risk of relapse. There are endless options to try for support and guidance if you’d struggling with alcohol. Finally, if you find all of these options too time consuming, expensive, or fussy, you can always go it alone.