Physical Sobriety vs. Emotional Sobriety

[YYCGal]

My ABF has been sober for 6 weeks now and our lives together have significantly improved. A therapist I am seeing said that sometimes it takes 2-3 years before he is emotionally sober - fully accepting of his addiction and seeing the joys that life brings when one is sober.

Can anyone comment on this statement? Is my therapist on the mark?

[Ann]

I too have heard that it takes a couple of years or so for the endorphins in the brain to return to normal levels and for them to catch up emotionally.

I'd trust the therapist, this is what he is trained to do.

Prayers for both of you, he seems on a good path.

Hugs

[Ten Chips Down]

Originally Posted by YYCGal

My ABF has been sober for 6 weeks now and our lives together have significantly improved. A therapist I am seeing said that sometimes it takes 2-3 years before he is emotionally sober - fully accepting of his addiction and seeing the joys that life brings when one is sober.

Can anyone comment on this statement? Is my therapist on the mark?

He's on the mark, though I would not blindly place childlike trust in any clinician just because that's his training. Personally I'm intensely curious about the workings of everything and it's eventually how I broke free of AA and sobered up. LOL (Now there's a subject for another thread! )

"A therapist I am seeing said that sometimes it takes 2-3 years before he is emotionally sober..." Well, that's a buzz-phrase, "emotionally sober." Hell it could mean just about anything. Too nebulous because it's a bit contrived, really.

But I know what he's conveying, and Ann pretty well nails it: It can actually take quite a while for brain chemistry to return to a relative state of homeostasis, and that length of time is directly proportionate to the amount of time he was indulging in EtOH.

They don't call it recovery for nothin' right? -and oh yes believe me, recovery takes its own sweet time.

Ten