How to Embrace a Sober and Sober-Curious Lifestyle: Tips from Bartenders

Whether it’s to improve your physical health or state of mind, it can be beneficial to explore the role alcohol plays in your life. “If you have a slip, it makes a full relapse less likely,” Willenbring says. “It’s much easier not to take drinks two, three, four, or five because that initial rush is blunted; it doesn’t do anything for you.” “We’re not talking about extreme alcoholism, we’re not talking about maybe one glass a year, there’s a massive space in the middle which is called grey-area drinking where a lot of people fit in.” February is here, and Dr Sandro Demaio has joined thousands of Aussies to hit pause on a habit in his life — drinking alcohol.

The ability to prioritize self-care is one of the empowering aspects of choosing sobriety. Without the influence of alcohol, a range of activities from outdoor pursuits to creative hobbies become available. From hiking and biking to painting classes or book clubs, there’s a world of opportunities waiting for you. If you’re not ready to be around alcohol yet, that’s okay. You can always decline invitations to events where alcohol will be present until you feel more confident in your ability to resist temptation.

Strategies for Handling Inquiries About Non-Drinking

Any activity that you’ve closely paired with alcohol in the past may trigger the desire to drink, Willenbring says. Turning down a cigarette, an invitation to a Super Bowl party, or another problem activity can help you avoid high-risk situations. How to stay sober in social situations where other people are drinking. It’s important to surround yourself with those who will be supportive.

Since I’ve got sober I’ve had varying success at navigating my way through this Easter weekend. One year I felt shiny, sparkly-sober, newly-slim & invincible! One year I took every single alcoholic beverage consumed by another person as a personal slap in the face and raged at the situation privately in my room (with a pen and paper). It’s helpful to have something in your hand at all times. So if you go to a place that serves alcohol, maybe you can immediately order a non-alcoholic drink. To be better prepared, it’s important to develop some go-to responses ahead of time for how you’ll politely turn down a drink or handle questions about why you’re not drinking.

Find Balance in Your Life

It’s up to you to decide how much information to share and who to share it with. Everyone has their own choice being sober around drinkers to make, and no explanation is needed. Here are 8 benefits I’ve observed from 9 years of sobriety.

• My kids are 13 and 15, and I know there will come a time very soon when they’re out of the house and we’ll take way fewer family vacations together.
• When you begin to view your negative thoughts and feelings as problems to be solved rather than the embodiment of who you actually are, you liberate yourself.
• Virgin mojitos are especially tasty and look like the real thing if you are trying to avoid prying questions about your beverage choice.
• To be better prepared, it’s important to develop some go-to responses ahead of time for how you’ll politely turn down a drink or handle questions about why you’re not drinking.

” You want to learn how to have fun without drinking, and that’s how you ended up here. Focus on enjoying non-drinking activities and order non-alcoholic beverages. Incorporating this strategy as part of your plan not only aids in avoiding temptation but also allows for more enjoyable social experiences while maintaining sobriety. Remember that it’s okay to lean on others – we all need support sometimes. When you get sober, you realize there is an entire daytime pulse in your city or town that you never really felt before.

Drunk people become experts—and want you to know it.

This old advice can be helpful in this scenario, but it may not mean what you think. For example, many people drink because they love to dance but feel self-conscious dancing in front of a room full of people while sober. Push yourself to do the things you have never done sober and pretend you have the courage and confidence you once believed you had while you were drunk. Chances are that without alcohol you will be a better dancer, karaoke singer, and conversationalist anyway! Confidence is something that can be learned and developed, but it’s okay to employ some acting skills in the meantime. Shift your perspective and embrace the joy of being sober.

• Chances are, early on in your recovery, you won’t feel completely comfortable being sober while at parties.
• No matter how insignificant it may appear, every small step forward is still progress.
• And while these things might sound serious and scary, it’s important to note that it’s one piece of a larger puzzle.

Having someone by your side who understands and supports your decision can strengthen your commitment towards staying sober around drinkers. They can help deflect attention away from you, provide moral support when needed, and even step in if others try to persuade you into drinking. After recovering from alcoholism and becoming sober, the goal shifts to maintaining recovery and avoiding relapse. Being around friends who drink is one of the challenges and triggers you might face in everyday life that could lead back to alcoholism and addiction. Nonetheless, it’s possible for you to maintain your sobriety while continuing friendships with people who drink. To stay sober when your friends are drinking, you might develop and practice coping strategies to navigate any discomfort or peer pressure.