November 19, 2024
Q: Does sobriety get easier?
A: In my experience, sobriety does get easier. I can’t give an exact timeline for that to happen, everyone is different, but it’s worth the wait. That’s one thing I love about recovery: it’s different for everyone.
I think about sobriety as a skill that you can develop over time. And like any other skill, the more you work at it, the easier it gets. Over time, it becomes something you do every day, but you don’t think about it as much.
My first year and a half of sobriety was hard. It took about nine months for my cravings to go away, and I had to learn how to function without alcohol or other drugs for basically the first time.
Before getting sober, alcohol was my form of release. It took me a while to learn how to handle life without it. I started that work at 12-step meetings. And once I started working out, I found a way to ease my anxiety without alcohol. Your coping skills might be different, and it might take a while to learn what works best for you.
I also learned life skills that I used to neglect or didn’t know how to do in addiction, like getting enough sleep. It sounds simple, and it is, but sometimes that’s where we have to start. That led to the bigger steps, like going to school and getting a job. The more I experienced while sober, even hard times, the better my life got.
I was pretty young when I started my wellness journey; most of my peers were still out partying. Missing out on those experiences was another hard thing for me to work through. As time went on, it got easier and easier to accept that I would miss making some kinds of memories. I didn’t doubt my decisions, and I knew I was doing what was best for me.
Today, I’m at a point where I don’t think about alcohol at all anymore. It’s a great place to be, and it’s possible for you to get there, too. Early sobriety can be really difficult, but it does it easier. It gets better.
If you’d like someone to talk to who can walk alongside you, please don’t hesitate to reach out for help. Peer coaches like me can speak from experience, as well as our training, to give support and personalized resources.