Things you need to know about Sobriety

Article 2 for July: Things you need to know about Sobriety
Sobriety can be referred to as the ‘new freedom’. It’s pure self-love and a promise to yourself to creating a meaningful life for yourself. The path to sobriety is not easy though. It takes a lot of effort and persistence to reach there and maintain sobriety.

What is sobriety?
Sobriety is the act of giving up an addiction for good.

Why should we choose sobriety?
Sobriety helps an addict to re-establish life by being able to get rid of the undesired effects of addiction including general health problems (liver disease, heart disease, kidney problems, cancer etc.) risk taking behaviour, toxicity, sexual exposure and the contagious diseases caused by unsafe sex, social isolation, aggression, psychosis, depression, loneliness and problems with law among others.

Early days of sobriety
Early days of sobriety are the toughest to handle because the cravings start getting on to the nerves. Insomnia sets in. You may start throwing up. Life feels boring without substance/alcohol. You miss your dearest friends (partners in abuse). Hallucinations continue due to chemical changes in the brain. You may stay unfocused and depressed all day.

Cravings are the most common side effect during sobriety. The more severe the addiction, the longer it takes for the cravings to cease. But they lessen in severity over time. And the duration also depends on the body type of the addict. The good news is that they are manageable and are sure to go away.

Sweating is the major botherer syndrome while trying sobriety. You tend to sweat a lot because of the changes in chemical balance of the body. Sweating becomes so heavy during the initial days that one shower a day wouldn’t be sufficient and you start stinking around with constant sweat on your body. But not to worry. This is a temporary condition and may last between 5 and 7 days. i.e till your body gets accustomed to the novel norm.

Confusion also is a common occurrence during the early days of sobriety and it is all a part of recovery system. The state of confusion lasts between 3 days and one week and eventually subsides with passing of time.

These are nothing but the withdrawal symptoms of addiction. These symptoms exist for a while but disappear, once the body gets accustomed to being without the addictive substance.

Benefits of Sobriety

• Sleep comes easily
• Fewer intake of toxins
• Fit body with exercise
• Newfound purpose of life
• New hobbies and friends
• Time to spend with family
• Heightened energy levels
• Stability in mind and decision-making ability
• Contains age-related memory loss
• Helps endure pain

Why sobriety is worth the effort
If you are wondering how long the ill effects of withdrawal would last and is sobriety worth the effort? Sobriety is worth all the effort because it is a new lease of life to an otherwise falling out addict. Apart from boosting mental and physical health, sobriety helps the addict to derive benefit from every moment of life right from waking up for an exercise to cooking favourite meals from the scratch to being more productive at work to being able to support the spouse and the family.

How to maintain long-term sobriety
Long time sobriety is a matter of discipline. It is not hard to maintain, if you stick to your routine schedules. A routine morning schedule is the key to productivity during the day. When your mind is occupied, you have less number of cravings and also the ability to manage them by deviating yourself into a productive passion.

Finding a new job and trying to stay focused helps in building confidence, keeping yourself occupied and also improving finances. A job also helps improve social status and helps make new friends.
A daily exercise routine is a very important aspect of maintaining sobriety. Exercise releases endorphins. i.e happiness hormones which boost mental health and lessen cravings while helping to maintain the body in good shape and health.

Mindfulness meditation is the most fetching practice in maintaining sobriety and comes a long way in re-wiring the brain to de-addict yourself. Daily meditation also helps in attaining mental peace and stability.

Pink Cloud
Immediately after the withdrawal symptoms cease, you get to experience a heightened mania of happiness and heightened energy and positivity around you. This phase is called the ‘Pink Cloud’. This phase is temporary and makes you feel on top of the world. It seems like your life is living up to your over-the-top-fantasies and this is a permanent condition. But soon, this phase is going to cease and leave you in severe depression.

This is where your actual effort for sobriety lies. You have every inch and nerve begging you to go back to alcoholism/substance abuse to put up with the physiological and mental changes your body is going through. Your brain finds too many validations to resort to your past addiction again.

You need to pass through this stage
This is the stage where more relapses occur. And the bitter truth is that there is no going back from a relapse. The real sobriety lies beyond this stage and life cannot be more beautiful if you can pass through this stage with persistence and determination. You need to stick to your goals and imagine a perfect life without addiction. This very motivation helps you keep yourself sober. You need to attend meetings and join peer groups for that extra motivation.

Successful sobriety is nevertheless a long-term goal. Small everyday habits and sustainability will surely lead you there.