In 2017, James had the opportunity to combine his business experience and passion for recovery to start The Freedom Center. In the latter, a person chooses to live a sober lifestyle because of alcohol use disorder or alcoholism, while the former essentially boils down the making active choices. Sober-curious people have the option to exercise their choice, and they tend to question and change their drinking habits because of other reasons. Sober curiosity has enabled people to recognize their unhealthy drinking habits and make meaningful changes in their lifestyles.

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. Whether you take the recommendations of others or not, or whether you choose the road of complete abstinence, you must make peace with your own definition of sobriety. You take the information that you are given and you make the best decisions you can for yourself, knowing the risks and accepting responsibility for the potential consequences.

Stress and Alcohol Drinking

The heavy emphasis on abstinence in today’s modern meaning of the word can lead to a shallow idea of what it means to be recovered. While being able to successfully quit the compulsive use of drugs or drinking alcohol is an important https://www.healthworkscollective.com/how-choose-sober-house-tips-to-focus-on/ aspect of recovery, that’s only one aspect of it. It is no coincidence that many of the principles that Bill Wilson based A.A. On are nearly identical to the modern definition of sobriety as it has come to be known.

You’re at a stage when you are only realizing that your alcohol use is becoming a problem. Perhaps you’ve found yourself drunk more often than you’d like, or you’re noticing that your drinking is negatively impacting your life in some way. First, you need to decide which definition of sober is most relevant to you.

What Does It Mean to Be ‘California Sober’ and Is It Right for You?

That’s because so much more goes into sobriety than just staining from a particular substance. Sober living homes also motivate individuals to be completely sober by performing random and targeted urine drug screening. Any resident with a positive test result could be evicted from the home, and for some people, this is the only place they have to live for now. You can decide your road to recovery by first determining your reasons for migrating to a sober lifestyle. You can seek the help of your friends or a professional therapist to understand yourself better, and you will eventually be able to narrow down your reasons for practicing sobriety.

• Give us a call today to verify your insurance coverage or to learn more about paying for addiction treatment.
• For many years, health experts have published studies exposing the negative effects of excessive alcohol consumption.
• A vital component of a successful sobriety lifestyle is developing healthy relationships with people in your life.
• However, other work in this neuroimmune arena showed that disruption of CCL2 or its receptor Ccr2 reduced preference for alcohol in female mice (Blednov et al., 2005).
• Being accountable to yourself and staying true to yourself will give you the most powerful motivation to stay sober.

Many 12-step programs suggest that sobriety means total abstinence—never using the substance ever again. If you’re in recovery from a substance use disorder, you already know how much work it took to achieve sobriety, and you’ll want to do everything possible to avoid having a relapse. It may seem that relapse is the last thing that could happen to you, but the truth is they are very common for people new to recovery.

Getting the Support You Need

Research has shown that genetic factors play a significant role in an individual’s likelihood of developing addiction. In fact, according to one study, genetics account for 40-60% of a person’s vulnerability to substance abuse and addiction. A heavy drinker may be able to occasionally have a drink without relapsing. If one finds they cannot control and enjoy their drinking at the same time, they are likely an alcoholic and they should remain abstinent and 100% alcohol free.

In addition, she has enjoyed decorating and preparing a safe, comfortable environment for clients and staff. With her passion and drive to bring success to our residential program, Erin is excited for the opportunity to lead our team in Buckeystown as the Program Director. Erin is grateful to be a part of the dedicated, caring and sober house compassionate Freedom Center Team. Begin by recognizing that your state of mind, your sobriety, and your inner peace are all vulnerable, threatened at any time and from any angle. You can, though, take some sensible steps to protect yourself and your sobriety. Newly sober, you now grasp that this is no longer out of your control.

Remember that you are not alone in your struggle and there is always help available. When an alcoholic drinks alcohol, it often creates an overwhelming obsession to drink more and if one can’t control that obsession, the decision to drink could be fatal; it’s the first drink that kills the true alcoholic. It is important for those that believe they may be an alcoholic to carefully assess their own individual situation and talk to a medical professional or addiction counselor before deciding whether or not they can handle occasional drinking. Ultimately, it is always safer for problem drinkers to completely abstain from alcohol in order to avoid the risk of relapse. People in recovery are in remission, which means that while they still struggle with addiction. An individual can learn to cope with emotional issues and the mental obsession with alcohol or drugs through therapies and medical approaches.

People have used the word sober and abstinent interchangeably until the implication is that sober means the same thing. But the word sober literally means not drunk at that moment, whereas abstinence is the word that describes the more lasting commitment to not consuming alcohol. Surely non-alcoholic wines taste just like the real thing because they start out just like the real thing. The alcohol is just removed at the end, keeping you buzz-free and well on your way to a healthier lifestyle.

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When you can develop healthy relationships with, and get support from, your friends, family, and lovers, you will be able to keep yourself from engaging in self-destructive behavior. For example, if you know that you are more likely to succumb to drinking when you are stressed, you can plan ahead to avoid these situations. You can also find healthy alternatives to drinking for stress relief, such as going for a run or enjoying a warm cup of tea. The best path to recovery depends largely on your reasons for seeking sobriety, Finch agrees, since managing a substance use disorder isn’t the same as quitting alcohol to lose weight or save money. Drinking too much alcohol over time can lead to a variety of chronic health issues, including certain cancers, heart disease, high blood pressure, liver disease, and stroke.

• For those on Moderation Management plans, that means no more than 4 drinks in one sitting for men and 3 drinks in one sitting for women.
• The dictionary definition of sobriety is the state of being sober or not affected by alcohol.
• Your intentions may be good, but it takes more than willpower to avoid having a relapse.
• In addition to being able to recognize them, it’s important to know when to seek help.
• It involves making more conscious decisions about the consumption of alcohol.
• It may help to pick a quit date, or a day when you choose to discontinue use of alcohol or drugs.

It’s likely that you’ll experience some withdrawal symptoms, especially if you’ve developed a dependency on alcohol. If you’re sober curious and treating yourself yourself to a Dry January or Sober October, you may see some immediate benefits once you stop drinking. Your sleep will improve, and you certainly won’t be waking up to any hangovers. Movements like Sober September serve as a reset or cleanse after periods of heavy drinking. It may be a way to kick off long-term sobriety or test out what staying sober might feel like. At the most basic level, when you’re sober, you’re the opposite of drunk.

Sober Definition: Are You Really Sober From Alcohol & Drugs?

It means making conscious choices to prioritize your physical and mental well-being over substance use. The Lighthouse Treatment Center strives to enhance the well-being of individuals dealing with mental health disorders or substance use through accurate information about health conditions, treatment options, and their effects. Answering these questions honestly can help you determine if you need to cut back on your drinking or give up alcohol altogether. With many people struggling with alcohol use disorder, they are often the last to realize that they have a problem. If you’re concerned that your drinking might be out of control, it’s important to reach out for help.

• “I have mixed feelings about the pursuits of temporary sobriety,” Langabeer says.
• You can seek the help of your friends or a professional therapist to understand yourself better, and you will eventually be able to narrow down your reasons for practicing sobriety.
• The more strategies you learn to identify triggers, cope with stress, and manage your new sober life, the easier it is to prevent relapse.