1 Year Sober

How have I resisted all the other half-finished bottles and abandoned wine glasses since then? (Trust me, I still notice them all.) It’s not because I finally experienced “true” surrender the morning after my sad little last drink; it’s because I’ve conjured up surrender every day since then. None of those admissions of powerlessness has been as cinematic as waking up in the ICU; I hope to never have another one that is.

Pamper yourself with a spa day or treat yourself in other ways that you enjoy. Take the first step toward addiction treatment by contacting us today. A Healthy Journal was born out of passion, the passion for food, but mainly for a healthy life. We are a bunch of friends all over the world who, at a certain time of their lives, realised the doctor’s advice was not enough anymore. Therefore, we tried to help ourselves through diet, sport, natural remedies and little gestures made out of love.More ….

Post-Graduation in NYC

I can’t end this blog post without saying a “thank you” to my best friends, family, and ex-boyfriend who have been the best support system I could have asked for in the last year. Thank you for always answering the phone, for checking in, for being willing to listen, for telling me you are proud. I could never, ever have gotten and stayed sober without you. Heading into my second year of sobriety, I want to do more to break the stigma. If I could drink like a “normal” person, it would mean I’d have a different brain and personality. My entire life, I have been a huge risk taker with an all-or-nothing mentality and a touch of non-comformity.

With the growing popularity of Dry January, even more so. And, sure, if you are someone who is merely toying around with quitting drinking, who thinks Dry January just sounds like a fun challenge or interesting experiment for you, go for it. But if you are someone who suspects they have a problem and the prospect of going dry for a whole month fills you with anxiety, then maybe reconsider your start date. Some days are easier than others and some days you forget about drinking and using, but for me, I work on my physical health, which is important, but my mental health as well.

How hard is it to stay sober for a year?

A week after your last drink, you will feel more hydrated, which could improve your oral health and even your skin health. For many drinkers, the novelty of sobriety has worn off. At the end of 48 hours, a lot of people may get discouraged because they don’t see any results of not drinking — besides no hangovers and remembering what happened the night before.

For dependent drinkers, in some cases, you may experience nightmares, anxiety, and insomnia due to long-term withdrawal symptoms. Alcohol dehydrates you because it is a diuretic — meaning it flushes out fluids. Many drinkers are surprised to find they stay hydrated for a lot longer when they don’t drink.

If you are trying to figure out how to celebrate one year of sobriety and give back, becoming a mentor for someone else may be the answer. You have a lot of insight and valuable knowledge about life in recovery that you can share with someone still struggling or just starting their recovery journey. Once my hangovers cleared up, I never seriously considered New Year’s Day as the beginning of continuous sobriety; I counted it a success to make it to brunch before I started again.

I would have champagne on every flight, a glass of wine in every hotel room, a drink in hand at every event, and of course mandatory drinks anytime I met up with friends. Dr. Alex Lee is a Doctor of Social Work and clinical expert in the fields of addiction, mental health, and trauma. Dr. Lee is currently VP of Care Innovation and Director of Coaching at Ria Health. After a long journey—including many successful years drinking moderately following the Sinclair Method —I decided to quit alcohol completely in the winter of 2018.

Whether you’re sober curious, worried about alcohol withdrawal, or looking into Dry January, this is the right place for you to learn what happens to you when you stop drinking. Read about all the sober celebrities who have modified their drinking habits and chosen a sober lifestyle for their health and wellness — not due to alcohol abuse. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that I need to stay honest, open-minded, and willing. When I have these three in my mind every day, I will be able to not only stay sober but continue on my recovery path and experience blessings beyond my wildest dreams.

4 Weeks

At six months, you’ll also get your clarity back and begin to like being sober. Six months was the turning point for me — it was when I thought that I could really get used to this sobriety thing. I was 27 years old with nothing to show for it, and I barely recognized the person I had become. I had no real direction for my life, and I felt lost — I was drained emotionally, physically and spiritually.

• But I felt a need to say goodbye to all the negative influences in my life during this time.
• A good way to celebrate your sobriety anniversary may be to share your story.
• Now that you don’t have to deal with hangovers, and you no longer spend time drinking, you should have both more time and more capacity to exercise!
• In the more challenging moments, it’s important to remember that your body is recovering, and that discomfort is often a sign of growth.
• My entire life, I have been a huge risk taker with an all-or-nothing mentality and a touch of non-comformity.
• Getting sober was an act of dissent for me as well, but with unintended consequences.

Opportunities started to fill my inbox with new ventures and new collaborations. A whole bunch of ‘good luck’ dust seemed to be sprinkled on top of my life without any other explanation. I was gardening, cooking, reading, learning and filling buzzed time or hangover time with so many other valuable activities instead.

I first started drinking in high school and from the moment I had my first sip, something clicked in me. It gave me the confidence that other people seemed to possess naturally. It numbed away my massive insecurities and removed my inhibitions. Looking back now and knowing what I know, my relationship with alcohol has never really been a healthy one. Online alcohol therapy can help you manage negative thoughts, build healthier coping mechanisms, and navigate social situations without drinking. Daily drinking can have serious consequences for a person’s health, both in the short- and long-term.

Almost all dependent drinkers will no longer experience alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Though you may crave a drink, you shouldn’t experience other side effects of alcohol withdrawal anymore. For those who struggle with alcohol use disorder — AKA dependent drinkers — the first few hours mean alcohol withdrawal symptoms will begin. I’ve learned to feel my feelings—the crux of what i was running from with my alcohol abuse. I continue to struggle with being present with my feelings but today i don’t have to drink to numb them. I understand that sometimes I’ll be sad—but it won’t last forwever.

Improved psychological functioning.Alcohol can have a negative effect on your psychological functioning. For example, you may feel upbeat or even elated while under the influence, only to find that you are anxious, irritable or depressed when not drinking. This can lead to mood swings and difficulty getting along with others. It is no surprise, then, that a recentstudyfound that compared to heavy drinkers, those who stopped drinking or limited their drinking had better psychosocial functioning. I don’t consider myself even remotely trendy, but my recovery journey alongside the sober-curious trend is simultaneously exciting (Margo Price and I are both rebels? Hell yes!) and worrisome.

I had what causes alcohol use disorder alcoholism drinking seven months earlier, when the days were short and dark. The season had felt like an appropriate match to confront a reckoning with alcohol that was decades in the making. The hashtag #dryjanuary, which refers to a campaign originally created by Alcohol Change UK to encourage people to abstain from drinking for the first month of the year, has 128 million views. The majority of top-liked videos under the tag were posted at the end of 2022 and 2021, as it is becoming more common for creators to share stories about quitting, often going viral in the process. Although you may be sober, there are plenty of other people still struggling with addiction and neglecting to get help.

It takes an enormous amount of strength to recognize that something is wrong and want to change it, especially in our alcohol-obsessed society. Seek out therapy and/or an AA meeting near you. I also have to be aware of when I’m not in a great headspace and aware of when I’m romanticizing alcohol so I can avoid being around it. You’ll get closer to some friends, you’ll lose connection with friends, and your romantic relationships may end. My behavior was justified by similar behaviors of those around me, a whooping heap of self-delusion, and a society that normalizes NOT normal drinking.