Exploring the Benefits of Sobriety
Not all of the benefits of sobriety are readily apparent to someone suffering from substance use disorder. Often, the prospect of completing rehab and moving on to live a sober lifestyle seems so overwhelming that people talk themselves out of putting in the effort before they’ve even begun.
However, as the saying goes, “Sobriety is tough, but addiction is tougher.” Once you make it past the first difficult hurdles, the positive changes start to take effect. At this point, you will notice significant improvements in key areas of your life, which you may not have anticipated beforehand.
Physical Health in Sobriety
Because substance use disorder wreaks havoc on your body, your physical health may have declined as rapidly as drug addiction has accelerated. Thankfully, discontinuing those substances often slows or even reverses the negative health effects. You may be surprised how much younger and healthier you feel after getting sober.
Sobriety lessens or eliminates your chances of developing the following drug-associated conditions:1
- Lung disease
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- Cancer
- Dental issues from methamphetamine use
- Nerve cell damage or death
- Central and peripheral nervous system disorders
- Bacterial infections from injection sites
Financial Improvements Once Sober
Addiction is expensive. Buying drugs gets expensive and will cause poor performance at work, leading to demotions or job loss that reduce income. Sobriety, on the other hand, costs nothing to maintain and allows for more steady employment.
Sobriety and Improving/Restoring Relationships
Be honest with yourself: have your relationships suffered as a consequence of addiction? Chances are, there is at least one friend or family member who would rejoice to hear about your newfound sobriety. You can rebuild bridges and mend broken connections with loved ones who may have distanced themselves over the past months or years. It’s never too late to reach out to a loved one who wants to support you on your journey toward a sober life.
Your Appearance in Recovery
Clearer skin, healthier hair and nails, and more robust, whiter teeth can happen naturally as substance abuse fades away. When your body no longer has to contend with the constant detoxification required by drug use, it can better absorb nutrients, get restorative sleep, and put energy toward growing healthy, vibrant new skin cells.
For inspiration, look up before and after pictures of people who’ve reached sobriety – just a few months of sobriety makes a world of difference!
Job Performance Improvements
As mentioned above, performance at work is one of the areas of life most affected by addiction. School, sports, and hobbies also tend to slip when a person is struggling with substances. In many cases, sobriety is the switch that flips and makes it possible for recovered people to put effort into all of these pursuits and start making measurable progress.
Improve Your Mental Health in Recovery
Mental illness and addiction often go hand in hand. Many people use drugs to self-treat the symptoms of depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar, PTSD, or any number of other conditions.
For other people, addiction came first and precipitated mental illness by altering their brain chemistry, making it harder to have a fulfilling and rewarding lifestyle.1 In many cases, it’s a chicken-or-egg scenario, where it’s unclear whether addiction caused mental health problems or the other way around.
What is clear is this: receiving concurrent treatment for addiction and mental health disorders can alleviate both issues. Furthermore, you’ll find a path toward mental health that doesn’t include the use of substances. This dual diagnosis approach is more holistic and treats the whole person, not just substance dependency.
Confidence in Sobriety
If you’ve felt stuck or helpless in struggling with substance dependency, that first step can make a world of difference for your confidence. If you can find it within yourself to take the first step toward sobriety, you can take the second step.
After you’ve taken several steps, you’ll be able to look back and see how far you have come. You may sometimes stumble, take a step backward and lose some progress. However, you’ll still be closer to your goals in one year than you are today. Most importantly, you’ll be that much closer to a life where you feel confident and capable.
Contact Silver Sands Recovery to Get the Benefits of Sobriety ASAP
Call Silver Sands Recovery today or use our contact form, and one of our intake specialists will answer your questions and get you the help you’re needing.
Sources:
[1] https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugs-brains-behavior-science-addiction/addiction-health
About the author:
Lisa Waknin is the Founder and Director of Silver Sands Recovery, located in Prescott, Arizona. Lisa started Silver Sands Recovery after immersing herself in the addiction treatment world for several years to figure out what could be done differently to help her daughter and others like her to overcome addiction and stay sober. She believes in a hands-on treatment approach, which includes taking someone out of their environment, providing a 90-day program in a structured environment. During treatment, clients not only recover physically but also learn to live their life again. Lisa is a sought-after expert speaker for recovery support groups, charities, schools, communities, and companies wanting to educate themselves on the explosion of opiate and heroin abuse in our country and the best way to understand, treat, and beat it.
