The process of getting sober is different for everyone. If you’ve identified yourself as an addict, you’ve already taken an important step. The realization that life would be better without your chosen crutch is hard-won and often difficult to come to terms with.
It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been an addict, or how bad things have become because of your affliction. Making a change is a choice available to everyone who has the will to pursue it.
If you’re wondering if it’s time to get sober, the fact you’re asking yourself that question should be your answer. Read on to find out more!
It’s Time to Get Sober
Life isn’t as easy as we’d like. When things get tough, and reality seems bent on our destruction, it only makes sense to want to escape. Escape is fleeting, however, and only serves to pause the inevitable return to where we left off.
Drinking doesn’t solve our problems, although the thought of not caring about them for a while is seductive. Instead of spending energy to tackle problems, it’s much easier to run from them. The decision to get sober comes from the undeniable realization that things aren’t going to get better from running away.
The grim reality is that substance abuse only serves to make things worse. The fear, anxiety, and paranoia felt at the prospect of returning to sobriety is par for the course. Facing our dragons takes courage, but in doing so the progress made is proof that greener pastures do exist.
Addiction Recovery
Recovery is possible for anyone who wants it. The desire to shake the monkey off your back comes from within, and nobody can make you feel the desire to become sober before you’re ready. It’s a personal choice made when you understand it’s time to rejoin the world and all it has to offer.
Recovering from addiction isn’t easy, the introspection involved and required in the process can be painful. The self-aware addict understands that they’ll be happier after freeing themselves of their addiction. It’s simple, we all want to be happy, and the pursuit of contentment in the knowledge that substance abuse is making us miserable is a powerful realization to this end.
The road of continued abuse is dark and leads nowhere but disaster and hopelessness. On the other hand, besting addiction leads to a life of fulfillment and unknown potential. We only have one life and wasting it chasing the bottom of a bottle is hardly the only option.
Nurturing a Change of Perspective
It’s all too easy to dwell on the past and mire in negative thoughts. Getting yourself stuck in a rut feels hopeless, but it’s all in your mind. Understanding that through your actions you can bump the wheel out of the rut and onto a new direction will serve you well.
For the most part, people become listless and uninspired because they’ve lost sight of a goal. Without something to aim for, life becomes miserable and pointless. Without an aim in mind, however small, you’ll stand still and become stuck.
Feeling stuck in place is the same as stagnating. The feeling of stagnation is one no sane person can stomach for long. It makes perfect sense to escape this feeling by any means necessary, including through the use of drugs and alcohol.
If you’re feeling mired in place and are starting to ask yourself if it’s time for a change, you’re ready for addiction recovery.
Rehab Treatment Programs
There is absolutely nothing to feel embarrassed about when it comes to asking for help. We are all human, and to be human means occasionally experiencing pain and suffering. It might not be immediately clear to you, but there’s more to life than negative emotion and you’re capable of lifting yourself out of any hole you’ve dug.
Getting ready for rehab and seeking help isn’t a sign of weakness. Quite the contrary, it takes courage to ask our fellow man for assistance. Overcoming addiction is a complicated task that’s much easier to achieve with the help of others.
Don’t let your pride deny you the help you need. While people can be cruel and uncaring, they can also be astonishingly kind and understanding. Sometimes all it takes to tip the scales in the right direction is for someone to listen to your story.
Rehab programs are full of people just like you, each with a unique tale to tell. Listening to the plight of others, and being listened to in turn, is a salve to treat even the most broken of hearts. If you’re curious about the type of help available in rehab, check out https://sunrisenativerecovery.com/ for a fantastic example of addiction treatment done right.
The Human Approach
Too often we overlook the power of a kind word. It seems like modern times have mostly forgotten the power of kindness, or think of it as uncool or somehow not worth bothering with. The truth is, while times have changed, the depths of our emotions and need for connection haven’t.
It’s no surprise people turn to substances for consolation when there’s none available from the people around us. Ask yourself if you can remember the last time someone listened to what you had to say without waiting for their turn to talk. Addiction treatment programs understand this basic fact very well and often use it as a foundational method to aid recovery.
Listening to other people talk about their problems and experiences will help you to understand your own. Every person who opens up enough for you to listen will help you triangulate your position in the world. As you listen you’ll feel less lost as you begin to understand you’re not alone and are a part of something greater than your addiction.
Opening Up
Your story is just as valuable to others as theirs will be to you. The act of opening up and explaining yourself might surprise you with what comes out unbidden. While it’s important to listen to others, speaking your piece allows you to hear yourself, which is also part of the healing process.
A genuine attempt at explaining yourself to others sometimes allows you to hear something vital to your future development. It’s funny how words spoken like this hold a different weight than the words you speak in the privacy of your mind. You might hear a helpful truth you didn’t expect!
Practicing honesty with others will help you to be honest with yourself. Self-delusion is one of the strongest hooks of addiction and without abolishing it completely, getting sober will be next to impossible. If all of this sounds a little daunting, don’t worry, you can ease yourself into the process without having to jump into the deep end immediately.
Holding Yourself Accountable
Taking responsibility for your actions is another key to getting sober. If you’ve found that you’ve begun to worry over your actions recently rather than simply drowning them, it’s a good sign you’re ready to get sober. Addicts deep in the throes of addiction don’t care about their actions or their repercussions.
Once you’ve begun analyzing your patterns and how they’re affecting your life and the lives of those around you, you can begin to take steps to improve. If there are specific parts of your behavior you find particularly painful, it’s time to begin gradually erasing them from your life. You have complete control over your actions, and every step in the right direction is a step toward a future you can be proud of.
Take notes of your thoughts as you continue to free yourself of your affliction, and talk to others about your progress. You might find that others are going through the exact situation you’re in, or have been through it already and have a helpful word or two to spur you on. A common tactic to help addicts is to assign an accountability buddy who they can contact when temptation arises.
Rehab clinics will often pair people together like this for the benefit of both parties. Before you know it, you might be helping someone else in their time of need, and find personal accountability all the easier for the experience.
Be Kind to Yourself
If you’ve decided to get sober, you’re already on the right track. Remember to be gentle with yourself as you progress. Turning your life around and making the changes required won’t be easy, but nothing could be more rewarding.
One day you’ll look back on your affliction and wonder at the person you used to be. You’ll have grown from your adversity and be a better person for it.
If this article has helped at all, check out the rest of the blog! There’s much more where this came from.
James Martin is a passionate writer and the founder of OnTimeMagazines & EastLifePro. He loves to write principally about technology trends. He loves to share his opinion on what’s happening in tech around the world.
