How to Stay Sober When Others Are Drinking
Sobriety is drug avoidance, abstinence from compulsive behaviors, and improved bio-psycho-social health. Sobriety includes all three of these things. You are only as sober as you do these three things, and the less you do them, the less heavy it is for you to stay clean. Sobriety is determined by the amount of work you have done today.
If you are recovering from alcohol addiction, you already know how much work it took to get there, and you need to do everything you can to avoid relapse. It may seem like a relapse is the last thing happens to you, but the truth is they are widespread for people new to recovery. Consequently, when everyone around a person drinks, it is challenging to being sober around drinkers and not be led by the desire to drink a glass of alcohol.
Staying sober is hard but necessary
It is estimated that up to 80% of those who have achieved long-term sobriety have had at least one relapse. Some had many relapses before finding their way to a sustainable recovery. To most people, being sober around drinkers is not a piece of cake. A big part of relapse prevention is understanding your external triggers (people, places, things, and situations trigger thoughts or desires associated with substance use) and your internal triggers (feelings, opinions, or emotions related to substance abuse).
Once you have identified your most significant risks, you make a plan to prepare for or avoid them. Initially, it is worth avoiding companies where people drink. It works as the primary trigger: «Everyone is doing it. Why can’t I?». However, it is worth remembering the long way a person has already passed and trying to refrain from drinking alcohol.
Take back control of your life and start on the road to recovery now.
Why is it good to stay sober in the drunken company?
Alcohol is unhealthy and interferes with being more productive in life. You won’t have a headache in the morning. It will be easier to meet people when you are clean against the background of drunken friends. You control drinking and is a wise man among a crowd of drunkards while being sober around drinkers. You get to know other people much better when you see them with sober eyes.
Hanging out sober in a drunken company, you get to know old friends much better, who, as it seemed, no longer surprise you with anything. In this state, they do not restrain themselves and stop trying to maintain the established role and image. And most importantly: it becomes clear who treats whom better and who is not so happy to see.
Basic tips
Sobriety is a long road and not always a straight road. It is worth remembering it is essential to maintain your wealth even in companies where people drink. Basic advice:
- Ask friends who tend to drink a lot to try not to drink next to you. If they refuse, you choose not to spend time with them while they consume — the less alcohol around you, the less the temptation to change your mind.
- Ask your friends to refrain from drinking alcohol in your company entirely. It is the easiest way to avoid temptation.
- Avoid events including alcohol. This list contains weddings, concerts, anniversary parties, and other noisy events. Even if you think you visit them and not be afraid you will succumb to temptation one day, if you are fighting for a sober lifestyle, do not complicate this struggle.
- Stay true to yourself. Don’t talk yourself out of your decision. It’s easy to have doubts when you stop drinking first. But don’t lose confidence! If you genuinely believe you stop drinking, then you can. Never doubt your ability to improve yourself.
- It’s important to remind yourself of your problems while drinking and how grateful your family will be for your sobriety and newfound health.
- If you feel weak, don’t keep it to yourself and don’t be alone. Spend time opening up to your friend.
If you choose being sober around drinkers and someone asks if you’d like a drink, politely decline. It would help if you did not label yourself to anyone. If you find yourself in a social setting where people drink, hold a soft drink in your hand. It will make people refrain from asking questions.
The main thing is willpower
The goal of psychological alcoholism treatment is so that you enjoy the holidays in a sober state in the future, but achieving this goal may take more than one year, and now the question is entirely different — ways of not breaking loose. Accordingly, the pre-holiday mood of alcohol addicts trying to stay sober and avoid drinking is usually far from festive: anxiety, tension, feelings of inferiority, irritation, sadness, etc.
Sober alcoholics always have difficulty spending their free time. Therefore, it is recommended to draw up a clear plan on how to spend the holiday period and all free time in advance.
If a feast cannot be avoided, stay on it as little time as possible. Ask someone close, friends, or acquaintances to support you morally during the feast and help you leave early.
This can be a difficult journey, but you don’t have to go it alone. Let us be your guide and provide you the environment needed to regain control of your life and begin the path to recovery.
How to stay sober and save your mind
If you are a member of the mutual aid movement or have comrades who is being sober around drinkers, be sure to schedule meetings with them. It is also highly recommended to attend as many self-help group meetings during this period as possible.
It is necessary to monitor negative states and, if possible, interrupt them, forcibly drive away thoughts like: «How terrible it is to spend the holidays sober!». Moreover, intense euphoria is just as dangerous as negative emotions. Naturally, it is also necessary to avoid situations that can lead to such conditions (conflicts, overexertion, excessive fun, etc.).
To learn how to control yourself and stop drinking, it is essential to start with a visit to ecosoberhouse.com, where every person suffering from alcoholism can get help from professionals. Call the center and find out the details; friendly managers will always be happy to help.
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