There are many different ways to find pleasure and enjoyment in life without alcohol. Some people find it through their hobbies, such as reading, playing sports, or gardening. Others find it through their relationships with friends and family. And still, others find it through their work or by giving back to others.
It's possible to learn to enjoy yourself without alcohol, but it may take time and practice. When you are attending events where others are openly drinking, stay close to people who are sober and remind yourself why you are choosing not to drink.
Practice Self-Care
Exercise, keeping a healthy diet, focusing on your sleep, meditation, and more are some easy ways to practice self-care.
Shifting Your Social Circle
Many people live happy lives without the presence of alcohol, surrounding yourself with like-minded people will enable you to normalize an alcohol-free lifestyle. A great way to meet other sober people is through volunteering, attending alcohol-free events or social-media groups.
It's pretty normal to feel bored in early sobriety, but it's kind of related to not being used to feeling calm or peace. The feeling of things being too quiet or empty does pass. Don't be scared. I promise you will have so much fun in life without alcohol.
Moderate drinkers and nondrinkers report similar rates of sadness, but both groups are slightly less likely than heavy drinkers to experience sadness. Still, while heavy drinkers and nondrinkers report similar levels of positive emotions, heavy drinkers report experiencing more negative emotions than nondrinkers.
After One Year: Congrats on making it to 12 months! At this point, your risk of developing all types of disease will be reduced and your bone density will start to increase.5 Keep in mind that everyone is different and will experience different things when they stop drinking.
There's no rule that says you have to drink when you go to a party, and chances are you won't be the only one taking who has decided not to that night. Be comfortable in your decision not to drink, and have confidence going in that you're still going to enjoy yourself, and you don't need alcohol for that.
So what happens when you stop drinking? The good news is that the liver is the only organ that can restore and regenerate itself. Because the liver is in a constant state of regeneration, in many cases the healing process can begin within just weeks after foregoing alcohol.
Going sober is right for you if you are a heavy drinker, a binge drinker, or if you suffer from any of the many diseases that alcohol has been linked to. Plus, even without a disorder, your health can still benefit from living sober.
Addiction takes away your joy, relationships, self-esteem, finances, mental wellness, physical health, etc. But a sober lifestyle restores all that. It frees you from these things that hold you back, giving you the opportunity to have deeper and more meaningful connections and engage in activities that bring you joy.
Research shows that the more successful you are, the more you drink, and that men drink almost twice as much as women.
You Need Stimulation
One of the reasons you might find you are bored without alcohol is because you need more stimulation. For the longest time, you numbed your brain rather than engaging it. Now it is suddenly fired up and engaged, yet you're not doing anything with it.
It eroded my dignity and self-respect. It caused me to lie; to feel shame and guilt, anxiety and fear; to withhold my real self from people I loved and wanted to be loved by.
By breaking free from alcohol I was able to develop a relationship with myself that I never had before. The sober journey was one of self-discovery. Getting through the challenges of becoming sober has given me the confidence to handle anything that comes my way. This is probably the biggest benefit to sobriety.
Better mental health
Regular, heavy drinking interferes with chemicals in the brain that are vital for good mental health. So, while you might initially feel relaxed after a drink, alcohol can contribute to feelings of depression and anxiety. And stopping drinking could make feelings of stress easier to deal with.
Although positive changes may appear earlier, 3 months of not drinking can not only improve your mood, energy, sleep, weight, skin health, immune health, and heart health.
By 4-8 weeks after quitting, your gut will start to level out. Your sleep-quality will improve. Though we may fall asleep faster when we drink, our brains actually increase alpha wave patterns, which cause our brains to be more active than they should be while we sleep.
Quitting drinking for 30 days can have a number of positive effects on both your physical and mental health. Some of the potential benefits include improved sleep quality, increased energy levels, better concentration and focus, weight loss, and improved overall health.
After two weeks off alcohol, you will continue to reap the benefits of better sleep and hydration. As alcohol is an irritant to the stomach lining, after a fortnight you will also see a reduction in symptoms such as reflux where the stomach acid burns your throat.
Within a few weeks of quitting drinking, your hydrated skin will thank you with: Diminished puffiness. Reduced dryness. Fewer wrinkles.
How long does it take to feel better after quitting alcohol? Whilst physical withdrawal symptoms are likely to be at their worst during the first couple of days and are usually very much improved in a couple of weeks, emotional issues may remain for longer.