What Happens When You Get Sober?

3. You Kickstart a Healthy Lifestyle

There’s more to recovery than therapy. Even in rehab, you can engage in fun, fulfilling hobbies, like martial arts or cooking. These healthy coping tools can help you stay grounded after you complete treatment.

Sobriety can help you get your life on track in measurable, practical ways. Studies show that most people’s finances improve during addiction recovery.⁶ And that, in turn, can improve your mental and even physical health. Experts agree that financial stability decreases your chance of depression,¹⁰ anxiety, and heart disease. This solid foundation can empower you to take healthy risks, like meeting new people.

4. You’ll Build a Sober Community

Sobriety can improve your relationships.¹¹ Many residential programs are built to support this.  In rehab, you’re surrounded by people who support your healing goals. And once you start to repair your relationship with yourself and others, you’ll get to build a support network that has your back as you continue your journey.

This new community can be found through 12-Step meetings, non-12-Step support groups, sober living, or outpatient aftercare. Or, you could connect with people who share your interests. Whether you find a new hobby or pick up an old one, this can be a fun, low pressure way to find like-minded people.

If your previous social circle was built around drug use, this is your chance to form new, healthy relationships. And because forming social connections with other sober people can help prevent relapse,¹² it’s an important part of your recovery.

5. You Have the Chance to Reconnect With Loved Ones

Addiction damages close relationships¹³ with both given and chosen family. But recovery empowers you to hone your interpersonal skills. And, in time, those skills might help you heal your family dynamic.

For Michael Waggoner, sobriety is an opportunity to reconnect with family.¹⁴ “I am rebuilding relationships with my family, I am rebuilding trust,” he says. “I am able to be a dad today and a positive influence in my son’s life.”

6. You Can Realize Your Higher Purpose

Experts say that “addiction is a response to boredom, loneliness, meaninglessness, and other existential struggles.”¹⁵ Sobriety can help you find your purpose, and go on to live a meaningful life. Instead of just coping with a series of problems, you can build confidence and start moving toward the future you want for yourself.

When he was addicted to alcohol, James Gibbon had “no hope for the future.”¹⁶ He faced  legal, financial, and relationship problems as a result. “I accepted the fact that I would never own a home, have a career, graduate from college, meet somebody special, and start a family,” he says. But after treatment:

“I began to see potential in myself. My confidence began to grow.”

The hard work of recovery can help you resolve past trauma, and teach you healthier coping strategies. With those skills, James achieved all the goals he thought were beyond him. And that isn’t unusual. When you stop using drugs and enter recovery, your potential for success only grows.

Sobriety Is Just the Beginning

It takes hard work to get and stay sober.

Healing isn’t just about stopping drug use. It’s about starting a new chapter.

And once you commit to recovery, you might be surprised by your own strength. That self-confidence is a powerful starting point.

Visit our directory of inpatient rehabs to learn more about their locations, services, pricing, and more.

Reviewed by Rajnandini Rathod

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