How to Maintain a Social Life When Youre Quitting Drinking

And for those who don’t want to quit completely (as AA requires), harm-reduction and moderation-based approaches might be a good fit. Choosing to get sober and stay sober without AA is possible with the right mindset and support system. Following this guide on how to stay sober without AA will give you so much strength and passion. With time, you’ll realize how much more rewarding a sober lifestyle is than depending on alcohol.

Episode 20: Boundaries and the Role They Play in Sobriety

Your intentions may be good, but it takes more than willpower to avoid having a relapse. However, the word is often used in different ways in different contexts. Many 12-step programs suggest that sobriety means total abstinence—never using the substance ever again. If you are tapering off alcohol or pursuing moderation, it helps to give yourself objective data. Use a drink-tracking app, a notebook, or a breathalyzer to record how much you are actually drinking every day. This will keep you honest with yourself and your support system, and help you stick to your goals.

Manage Physical Pain

This can offer additional perspectives and a sense of camaraderie. The Devil Wears Prada alum opened up about her decision to get sober back in 2019 while speaking to the New York Times ahead of the release of her new romantic drama, The Idea of You. You can help people who are affected by alcoholism by making a donation getting sober without aa to the Cleveland District Office. OngoingTribeca, $35With our attention spans hanging on by a thread, this Tribeca gym helps strengthen those mindfulness muscles through the practice of somatic workouts. Through strength training, guided meditation, and cardio, classes take place on mats and are music-driven.

Identifying triggers

Similarly, if you’d like to be sober but aren’t sure if you can do it 100%, you are already on the right path. Yes, we can share in their joy and be proud of their path, but remember that there is no only way to do this. Every single path to recovery, even those that require the assistance of others, is deeply personal. There is nothing wrong with being proud of yourself for what you have done and are doing now. Being open and honest about sobriety also takes a measure of self-awareness, bravery, integrity, and dignity that many people will not understand unless they’ve struggled. That said, here are 4 things I have learned that are useful in getting sober from alcohol without AA.

Think through the situations when you tend to reach for a drink—and plan a new approach.

Educate yourself about the long-term physical and psychological effects of alcohol abuse. Counselors and therapists can help you identify factors that underly your substance use, to avoid triggers, to strengthen your motivation, and to navigate treatment options. They can also team with certified professionals to administer medication-assisted treatment. Best-selling memoirist Mary Karr longs for the family and stability that eluded her in childhood. When she marries and becomes a mother, she finds that with so much to lose, she still cannot control her drive to drink. A car accident, the slow and painful unraveling of her marriage, a stay in a mental hospital and an eventual spiritual awakening finally free Karr from the substance that nearly took her life.

One benefit of staying sober without AA is the ability to customize your own recovery plan. Without the constraints of a specific program, you have the freedom to explore different treatment options and find what works best for you. Kali Lux is a consumer marketing leader with a focus on healthcare and wellness. She has over a decade of experience in building and operating metrics-driven brand, demand generation, and customer experience teams. With a bustling online community and local meetings throughout the United States, LifeRing Secular Recovery is an alternative to traditional, spiritually based, 12-Step programs such as AA.

Find support near you.

Depending on where you live or where the meetings are, AA groups might lean heavily toward one age, cultural background or gender. Knowing relapse signs can help you recognize your risk of relapse, and they may include a return to addictive thinking patterns and compulsive behaviors. You might find that you get to know each other much better when you’re creating new memories—rather than standing around in the same old bars. They might have fun exploring new places and trying new things with you. Having more time and energy might motivate you to continue abstaining from alcohol. When you walk into a situation believing that you can’t have fun sober, this is likely to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Matt Hunt is a documentary photographer connecting with people, sharing moments, and telling stories in Southeast Asia. Self-belief is not all-or-nothing, and the approach to it as such is futile. If you’ve got 1%, plant it and grow towards the 100% you’re aspiring to. The internet is full of self-guided therapy, and I am here for it.

• Satisfying hobbies can distract you from wanting to drink, but they also help you relax — something everyone needs to do.
• One of the keys to maintaining sobriety is recognizing and steering clear of triggers and temptations.
• Peak Covid saw people giving into excess where alcohol was concerned, and the rise of sobriety following the pandemic seems straight out of a ‘nature is healing’ meme.
• The helpline at RehabAdviser.com is available 24/7 to discuss the treatment needs of yourself or a loved one.
• Getting sober is an incredible achievement for individuals grappling with alcohol addiction.

Change your environment

Talk to your therapist, other healthcare provider, or sponsor about how to deal with your anger in ways that won’t cause you to harm yourself or others or turn to alcohol or drugs. The more strategies you learn to identify triggers, cope with stress, and manage your new sober life, the easier it is to prevent relapse. It may help to pick a quit date, or a day when you choose to discontinue use of alcohol or drugs. It’s also helpful to change your environment—for instance, avoid going to bars.

It’s important to find a treatment program that works for you and to have a strong support system to help you through the recovery process. Women for Sobriety also offers online meetings, phone support, and a forum where members can share their experiences and support each other. This may include therapy, medication-assisted treatment, or holistic approaches such as yoga and meditation. Additionally, some people may find AA’s group dynamics or principles too rigid or dogmatic.