I worry far less—but not entirely zero—about what other people think because focusing on self-discovery has led me down a wild path of mystery, growth, and excitement. I’ve found it easier to write these reflection posts year after year. At first, I worried quite a bit about what people would think about me being open about my addiction and recovery and the potential impact on my job and work prospects. However, this format of sharing my sobriety has become exciting to revisit every year. It has become part of the necessary routine-building I discussed in my 4-year sobriety milestone post and part of how I give back. Giving up alcohol taught me two key lessons I can apply to other undesirable habits.
Addiction Treatment Centers
Because of the poisonous level of liquor and medications in sobriety milestones, when you constantly misuse them, your safe framework brings down. Thus, you become debilitated all the more without any problem. At the point when your invulnerable framework improves, your general wellbeing improves.
Your life will be so freaking beautiful.
Do not brush over and bypass your pain. You are alive and you get to experience the wholeness of human life. You are meant to feel both joy and pain. Let yourself grieve over and over again.
Don’t Worry, Be Happy
Dr. Cusner demonstrates a results-driven culture by delivering a high-quality level of care and employee engagement. He has published and presented research articles in the field of organizational psychology at national healthcare conferences. Dr. Cusner is completing a book on organizational psychology in the healthcare field, which is expected to be published late early summer 2022. Some part of me thought that if I stayed sober long enough, I could be at complete peace, free from any addictive tendencies. But I am a whole lot more at peace than I was when I was in active addiction.
Years: Another Lifestyle
So I didn’t; I used substances instead. Being five years sober, very little seems unmanageable—even if it’s really hard. That’s why I’m able to acknowledge where I have more work to do. Sign up for my newsletter to receive monthly guidance on navigating life with trust and confidence. You’ll also get a set of daily reminders to build emotional resilience and support your healing journey. I have also done a huge amount of clearing of old programming and beliefs that stunted and blocked my authentic spirit from shining out into the world.
In those 5 years, a lot has happened and a lot has changed. I have changed friends, apartments, jobs and directions. I have set goals for myself and achieved things I never knew possible.
I didn’t think I could relax and wash off the day without help from alcohol. I didn’t love myself enough to take care of myself when I was sad or angry or afraid or frustrated. I didn’t know how to support myself, so I tried to escape. But, living without alcohol gave me the opportunity to identify and utilize new self-care tools.
- It is also true that no newcomer wants to sit around and wait for the blessings of long-term sobriety.
- It’s up to you to decide what sobriety means for you.
- There have been times over the past year when I knew for sure I was immersed in a prime moment that would be the shiny peak of next year’s sobriety reflection post.
- When my focus shifted from abstinence to spiritual growth, what I was getting was no longer just more sober days but deep self-love.
When I’m on an all-day drinking session with mates, I’ll make sure I indulge in lots of great food, sport or interesting non-alcoholic drinks. There’s no need to sit drinking tap water in the corner. Maybe I just forgot somewhere along the way. Maybe stopping drinking didn’t allow me to feel this but allowed me to know it is OK to feel this. It’s OK to be in floods of tears and moved deeply by something, even if some or lots of other people aren’t moved by the same thing.
And, as I learned to nurture vs. punish myself when unwanted feelings showed up, I found a love I never knew existed. Despite how I used to abuse myself, that love is so darn deep. Over the past https://www.inkl.com/news/sober-house-rules-a-comprehensive-overview 5 years of my sobriety, a lot of my relationships have changed. Some have gotten stronger and some have fallen by the wayside.
You are allowed to feel.
The incredible aspect of the human spirit is its boundless potential. When you make reaching that potential your main goal, you start to align your life in a way that supports and nurtures that glorious vision. Suddenly, instead of seeking reasons to drink, I was seeking reasons to pursue something better. This is not to say that you have to surround yourself with only people that fully understand your joy or that knowing your joy is a prerequisite to loving you or being in your life.
At our recovery centers across the country, we offer high-quality treatment for substance use and mental health disorders. With the way I started off this article, you’ll be forgiven for thinking that sober life has been a challenge. But the odd diluted friendship aside, it really isn’t. Like anyone, I still have my problems, and the temptation to dull emotional pain still exists. But all in all, life is many times better.
- I want to celebrate how I kept going even though it was so, so hard.
- This means looking both backward and forward.
- I don’t quite know where the decision came from, to have a drink after 5 years of avoiding it completely, but I felt it had perhaps been brewing in the back of my mind for several months.
- As much as we all like to pretend that we are the director of this grand play called life, in reality, we have little control of people, places, things and circumstances.
- And, if you take away the shame or guilt that you place on your own shoulders, no one has the power to put them back there.
After 5 Years Sober Here’s Why I Chose to Drink Again
First, you need to decide which definition of sober is most relevant to you. The most obvious question is to answer whether you have been struggling with addiction in the past. If you have, then it’s likely that you will want to adopt the second definition of sober and abstain from all mind-altering substances. Now that we’ve explored different interpretations of what it means to be sober, let’s discuss how you can determine if you’re really sober from alcohol and other substances. In this first definition of sober, the person is only sober for the moment. It all depends on whether they continue to drink alcohol or not.
You will return to your childlike instincts. You will connect with your truest self and that will be all you need. No more self abandonment by pouring alcohol on it.