Time2Rise

One of my obstacles to permanent sobriety is the idea that I won't enjoy life without alcohol. This article has helped me to see that I can enjoy sobriety; perhaps it will help some of you.

"At bottom, sobriety is the opposite of craving, broadly defined: you're not going to war with what's unpleasant, chasing after what's pleasant, or clinging to what's heartfelt."

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog...enjoy-sobriety

tealily

Thank you so much for sharing this article, Time2Rise. Very helpful. It really rings true to me this time around.

Increasingly it seems that just gutting it out with willpower, trying to "quit", to "stop", to "say no" to yourself, is incredibly difficult and almost a losing proposition. Instead, if you turn it around, and make it a positive, it's not as impossible. Then it becomes a "gift" you are giving yourself. It's a new way to think, and for me this time, it's making it easier.

Here are a few passages that stuck out to me:

"You might think of sobriety as a kind of loss, but it's actually fueled by a sense of gain. Sure, there's a place for using your will. But studies show that willpower gets depleted fairly quickly in most people. Instead of willing yourself to avoid the bad, enjoying the good - the benefits of your sobriety - will naturally draw you in a higher direction." ....

"Enjoy the bliss of blamelessness. The feeling that there is nothing to be ashamed of, that you are taking an honorable path. ,,,,

"Enjoy the pleasures of a clear mind and a healthy body. Be glad about not putting toxins - the source of the word, intoxication - into your body and mind. Feel good about the gift you are giving your future self. ...

"Enjoy the results in your relationships. Enjoy not feeling embarrassed the day after, or hung-over, or tired because you stayed up too late. Savor the respect of others. ....

"Enjoy the inner peace that comes from not being compelled to do things that may feel good in the moment but have big lingering costs for you and others."

Time2Rise

This passage spoke to me. It's something I need to take more time doing each day,

"When you have a chance to enjoy your sobriety, really help the experience sink in, which will gradually incline your mind and brain toward the high road instead of the low one. Sober traits are grown in your brain by actually installing sober states. If you don't register your positive states - if you don't take the dozen seconds or so to help them sink in - they make little or no difference to your brain: then there's no learning, no improvement in neural structure or function, and thus no lasting benefit."

kintsugi

I LOVE this article! I think there's definitely a "slug it out, it's supposed to suck, if it's easy you're not trying, easy = doomed to fail" etc etc etc and I personally have found it so much more manageable when approaching it with a attitude of gain and growth.

I get that everyone is different, and some people really get by on the more "serious/disciplinary" paths, but I'm so happy to see more and more articles like this floating around.

Thanks for the post!

Maudcat

I know! Gotta flip the script. I choose to be sober and healthy.

nova84

The audio book programme and companion website I am completing at the moment uses the phrase 'thriving in sobriety'...and I just love it. I am totally focused on all that I have to gain in sobriety. There is nothing appealing, pleasurable or tempting about alcohol to me anymore 💜