What is The Best Way To Get Sober?

Identifying the most effective approach to sobriety

Not going to sugarcoat it.

Getting sober isn't the simplest task. Many times I have tried to get sober and failed, always finding an excuse to drink again, whether it be work, stress, life, or simply the need for a break from a harsh world.

After one year of sobriety, I've had some insights into the process of becoming sober, and they all stem from the language used to describe it. Admitting that you have a problem and labelling yourself as an addict or alcoholic is an important step, right? I assumed it was, but let's be honest: the term isn't popular anywhere except in the subculture of people dealing with substance abuse. Then why are we even bothering? Let me show you the best way to get sober, the path to sobriety, and it all begins with saying it aloud: I am going to demonstrate to you how I got sober.

Saying "I'm an alcoholic" cuts through the chit chat and gets you the help you need to get your life back to normal faster than anything else. The ability to flip a label from negative to positive is extremely potent. Embracing a label that you may have spent years fighting or trying to change is a liberating experience. Recognizing oneself as an alcohol problem can be a significant turning point on the road to recovery. However, it's not the only option.

There is a diversity of alcoholics, each with their own unique set of destructive traits.

An HBA is a rare and extraordinary phenomenon. They indulged in heavy alcohol consumption, but luckily avoided complete financial ruin. From the outside, it would appear that they have everything under control. Not in any way, shape, or form. There are consequences for drinking excessively. The discomfort of waking up includes but is not limited to the onset of headaches, stomachaches, fatigue, and mental fogginess. Worry abounds, and life is a relentless game of catch-up with the world at large. Behind the perfect veneer of sobriety, many alcoholics have complicated backstories involving things like anger, relationship breakdown, violence, prison time, early morning drinking, and so on. In other words, the HBA is a way of describing the continuum along which drinking issues can be found. "HBAs typically abstain (in some fashion) until they become physiologically dependent on alcohol and lose it all. This, as I've already mentioned, is the most effective method of abstaining from alcohol because it provides a quantitative scale against which progress can be measured.

Sobriety is more than just a word.

Sober people you meet on your journey to recovery will tell you that "alcoholic is just a word," and that it doesn't make much difference what you name yourself so long as you don't drink and figure out how to get sober.

Then it struck home. The word "alcoholic" is now considered archaic. Alcohol Use Disorder is the correct, up-to-date term used by doctors today (AUD). I know. Mind-boggling.

This right here is where the nut really cracks. The acronym AUD is shorthand for "alcohol use disorder," which describes this destructive and perplexing pattern of individual behaviour. The old "Hi, I'm John, and I'm an alcoholic" line has been replaced with the more modern "Hi, I'm John, and I suffer from an auditory processing disorder." The distinction is clear, right? It's normal to feel overwhelmed when you've already heard the term alcoholic, grappled with it, and accepted it (see the introductory paragraphs above), only to be tried to tell about AUD. My inquiry is as follows. How many people relapse into alcohol use because there is no foolproof method of quitting or positive way to label oneself a "alcoholic"? Plenty. Who knows? Maybe you did as well. Words from friends can either strengthen you or take the wind out of sobriety sails; this is particularly important given the stealthy nature of addiction and our reliance on what they say to cope. That's why it's so important to pick the right words. Could you grasp the illness without slapping a label on it, misunderstanding-ridden as that label may be? As for the answer, who can say? But speculation and what-ifs get us nowhere.

Put an end to your gaslighting.

A person is gaslighted when they are manipulated psychologically into questioning their own sanity or the validity of their argument. The negative effects of your drinking can be proven without having to rely on your recollection or on physical evidence. If you want to improve your situation, you have to stop trying to gaslight yourself. Believe me, it will get more challenging. At first, I had a lot of people in my life who didn't understand the link between my drinking and the difficulties I was having. Unfortunately, I did. And ultimately, that is what is important. If you don't, you may start to convince yourself that it's not really that serious of an issue. To say so is incorrect. Ignore the mocking looks and shrugs of those around you. Discover what helps you best. Also, you can stop drinking before it becomes a problem for you. You don't have to keep smoking if you don't want to sabotage the one body that you have on this planet. It's also possible that you're looking for financial support for that brand-new pastime of yours. Or pet. It doesn't really matter. A drinking problem exists only when it becomes a problem for the person having it. Repeat that aloud.

Get sober now; help is at hand.

The good news is...

Despite the prevalence of Covid-19 and the new reality that the global epidemic has ushered in, now is as good a time as any to start living a sober lifestyle. This was made clear to me as I observed the extraordinary lengths people went to in order to occupy themselves during the most tense periods of the lockdown. Without alcohol, I was able to replace the booze train that used to run through my life with other, equally rewarding pursuits like hobbies, handicraft, sports, training, time in nature, and so much more. There's a lot to brag about when you discover the best way to get sober; life is complex and vast, and the process is incredibly formative and enriching. You also strengthen the bonds you already share with your loved ones and friends. Once upon a time, the idea of getting up at 7 a.m. on a Saturday to go hiking was laughed at as ridiculous.

Locate your people.

One of the most important aspects of maintaining sobriety, in my opinion, is being part of a supportive group of people. Get to it. Get good at living in the here and now. Embrace and love the person you've become, and have fun on your journey. Never underestimate your own worth because of a faulty assessment of your capabilities. Before I leave, I have a little test for you. Here are some ways to test if you need to take a break from alcohol. If you find yourself either failing this experiment or concluding that you have ended in failure, then you have found out the truth. Keep in mind that no one else but you can determine the best path to sobriety.

These are the examinations that will be administered:

Try your hardest to avoid relapse during the next 30 days:

Just dump your booze down the toilet and call it a day. Go see a doctor, have a conversation at a rehab centre, and start pushing yourself. You probably already know the answer if you've ever considered quitting, failed a sobriety test after 30 days, or felt the intense craving for alcohol. Anyone who needs assistance can find it in this vast network of people.

Do not wait to get help if you are ready to begin treatment for alcohol abuse and want to receive support in obtaining it and entering rehabilitation to begin a new life. When the time is right, you may want to learn more about our addiction treatment options; many people have found that getting a head start at Relapse Prevention is the most motivating and successful way to just get sober and stay sober.