When people suffer from addiction, it’s hard for them to think about living without the presence of drugs. They are quite literally dependent on them to feel normal. In fact, they may start to wonder what it means to enjoy living sober. A sober life can begin to feel like an impossible dream when people suffer from a drug or alcohol addiction. What they don’t understand is that there’s no secret formula for enjoying a sober lifestyle. The key is to enjoy what they do while they remain drug-free. Learn more about our sober living program for additional help.
Living Sober Means Spending Time With Friends and Family
When individuals suffer from drug addiction, they tend to isolate themselves. All too often, they suspect others will judge them for their actions. As a result, they form a protective seal around themselves and push others out.
They only experience fun when they hang out with others who do drugs or while they do drugs. Unfortunately, this leads to a very lonely life. Friends… significant others… co-workers… all of these people drift away when an addiction takes a firmer and firmer hold. Living sober, however, allows individuals in recovery to spend time with their friends and family.
Part of rehab involves rebuilding trust and lines of communication between family members. Broken ties often have to be mended. Therefore, reestablishing trust helps people move on and enjoy spending time together with family and friends. These same friends and family members act as a support system once these individuals get out of rehab.
Sober Living Enables People to Do What They Love
When suffering from addiction, people lose track of what they truly love to do. Things that brought joy and satisfaction, such as hobbies, suddenly are forgotten as substances become the main focus for those suffering from addiction.
Thinking about getting and using drugs takes most of their time and energy. Once they lose the need to do drugs, they can return to their former passions with renewed vigor. There’s an added benefit as well. Without spending money on drugs, they have more money to spend doing what they truly love.
Maybe people enjoy outdoor activities. Perhaps they love to paint, draw, take photos or write poetry. Regardless of what brings them joy, cutting out drugs lets them do it more often. As an added bonus, developing hobbies helps them avoid the compulsion to return to drugs or alcohol.
Enjoying the Simple Things
Addiction keeps people from enjoying the simple pleasures of life. They often neglect simple, everyday activities. Some of these include things like going shopping, paying bills or cooking.
For some people, these tasks seem mundane and boring. For people who struggle with addiction, however, doing them often feels rewarding. It proves that they can count on themselves when it comes to everyday life.
A Love to Learn
Living sober frees people to learn new things again. Some of them enjoy going back to school and expanding their knowledge. Returning to school tends to lead to better job opportunities and further improving their way of life. Once again, this drive all starts with getting sober.
Let Us Teach You How to Live Sober
At Crestview Recovery, we’re proud to teach people how to get and stay sober. We offer a sober living program that teaches individuals how to re-enter society after rehab. Of course, we offer much more than just sober living training. Some other programs that we offer include:
- Extended care
- Individual therapy
- Trauma therapy
- Dual diagnosis program
- Residential treatment
- Outpatient treatment
Don’t fear sober living. Let us teach you the joy of quitting drugs for good. Call us at Direct to learn more.
Since 2016, Dr. Merle Williamson, a graduate of Oregon Health Sciences University, has been the Medical Director at Crestview Recovery, bringing a rich background in addiction medicine from his time at Hazelden Treatment Center. He oversees outpatient drug and alcohol treatments, providing medical care, setting policies, detox protocols, and quality assurance measures. Before specializing in addiction medicine, he spent 25 years in anesthesiology, serving as Chair of Hospital Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and Chief of Anesthesia at Kaiser Permanente. This experience gives him a unique perspective on treating prescription drug addiction.
