In these moments, I have to remind myself that recovery isn’t just about not drinking; it’s about remembering that I am first and foremost responsible for advocating for my own well-being and boundaries. This is an opportunity to assert for your needs, and therefore assert your worth. This isn’t to say that all of your friends will be threatened, or that all of your friendships will change. Some will certainly remain, but even those aren’t necessarily long-game friendships.

• A friend and I danced in a near-empty bar and her natural exuberance overrode my self-consciousness and left me feeling high.
• After a night of drinking, one friend gleefully conversed with a woman across the bar about the virtues of soup—for an hour.
• Additionally, a study published in the journal Nature in March 2022 suggested that consuming one glass of alcohol per day may lead to brain shrinkage.

Personally, I always thought drunk people were fun, and I didn’t want my own poop relationship with alcohol to stand out. I wanted to blend in nicely with a crowd who understood that sometimes you just want to drink your face off, or one that didn’t think anything was weird about a glass of noon wine. The life I had before I quit drinking was a lot like Groundhog Day; I was always waiting for it to begin and always reliving the same stuff, day after day, year after year. When I finally walked away from booze at 34, my life opened up. I can honestly say sobriety is the best thing I have ever done for myself. It was my jumping-off point into a life I knew I had buried inside of me.

The Rise of the Sober Curious Movement

Or you may have a close friend that starts to reject party invites and asks that you don’t discuss drinking in front of them. Alcoholism tends to be fueled by underlying mental health conditions, from PTSD to low self-esteem. How https://ecosoberhouse.com/ to get and stay sober hinges on addressing these co-occurring disorders. Without the proper treatment, users are likely to start self-medicating again. The individual can take adequate precautions with the help of a therapist.

It also helps if you make friends with someone who also has—or is currently in the process of—overcoming substance abuse. These are the types of people that you’ll be able to talk with about the unique feelings and challenges you face, not just in developing a sober social life, but in being sober, in general. Addiction Resource is an educational platform for sharing and disseminating information about addiction and substance abuse recovery centers. being sober around drinkers Addiction Resource is not a healthcare provider, nor does it claim to offer sound medical advice to anyone. Addiction Resource does not favor or support any specific recovery center, nor do we claim to ensure the quality, validity, or effectiveness of any particular treatment center. No one should assume the information provided on Addiction Resource as authoritative and should always defer to the advice and care provided by a medical doctor.

Tips for Socializing Without Alcohol

I  don’t judge any of my family for drinking, I get what the appeal is. That being I am infinitely more happy, calm and grounded now that I am no longer necking wine like it’s going out of fashion. Common triggers for these cravings include the sight and smell of alcohol, being around people who drink alcohol, and spending time in places where alcohol is consumed. Alcohol has been marketed to you as a way to become confident, charismatic, and cool. Advertisements always show people looking happy, celebrating with a group of friends, or living a high-end lifestyle while drinking premium vodka. ” You want to learn how to have fun without drinking, and that’s how you ended up here.