Sober Living Means Taking Good Care of Yourself

There are some experiences that you might expect with sober living. Sobriety, for one. And perhaps spending time with others who are sober might be another major aspect of sober living. However, once you’ve got sobriety down, there are other parts of sober living that many recovering addicts need to get used to. This article will address the more subtle facets of what it means to live a sober life.

Primarily, sober living means taking good care of yourself. And interestingly there are many addicts who never learn how to do this. Although it might sound simple, many of adult men and women, especially if they were raised in chaotic homes or experienced trauma as a child, may not take the time to cook themselves a meal, go to the doctor when they aren’t well, or drive at safe speeds on the highway. Some recovering addicts discover that they really don’t know how to take good care of themselves. Although they might eat, sleep, and take care of their basic needs, they don’t do it regularly enough. They might not eat until 3pm or they might sleep 4-5 hours at night. And if they’re not physically well, they’ll ignore their symptoms until they absolutely can’t ignore it any longer.

This kind of lifestyle might seem to work while addicted to drugs or alcohol. However, most recovering addicts find that when they are taking care of themselves consistently, they have less stress, more emotional energy to tend to life’s day to day challenges, and less relapses. Those who are taking the time to make themselves dinner, take short breaks throughout the day, and go to the doctor on a regular basis, have more mental and emotional energy to safely manage their triggers and cravings.

For this reason, part of sober living is learning how to take good care of yourself. This might include things like:

• Eating well.
• Taking all your medications as prescribed.
• Having health insurance.
• Keeping up with daily hygiene.
• Avoiding caffeine and nicotine.
• Attending support groups and treatment appointments.
• Having a support network.
• Getting adequate exercise.
• Having a safe place to live.
• Having at least one hour per day for yourself.
• Feeding your religious or spiritual life.
• Associating with people who are safe and supportive.
• Driving safely.
• Having hobbies or activities that you enjoy.

Although the first step to sober living is sobriety, later recovering addicts learn that taking care of themselves can also support their sober lifestyle. Yes, sober living is about staying sober. But it is also about all those facets of life that help a person stay that way.

If you or someone you know is struggling in their sobriety, perhaps a focus on self-care might help. When a person is eating well, sleeping 8 hours each night, going to the doctor regularly, exercising, and managing their daily stress in healthy ways, he or she is more likely to stay sober. Because sober living is healthy living, learning how to take care of yourself is an essential part of recovery.