Lastly, developing a comprehensive recovery plan should include pursuing hobbies and interests. Engaging in activities that bring joy and fulfillment can help individuals stay focused, motivated, and connected to a positive lifestyle. Whether it’s painting, running, playing music, or gardening, finding activities that resonate with you can provide a healthy outlet for emotions and reduce the risk of relapse. In addition to formal support groups, it’s crucial to build a supportive network of friends and family. Surrounding yourself with sober individuals who understand your journey can make a significant difference in maintaining sobriety. These individuals can provide a listening ear, offer encouragement, and serve as a reminder of the progress https://yourhealthmagazine.net/article/addiction/sober-houses-rules-that-you-should-follow/ you’ve made.
I believed that if I could just achieve abstinence, everything would fall into place. But as I spent more time in the recovery community, I began to understand that there’s a significant difference between simply abstaining from substances and truly being in recovery. This distinction between abstinence vs recovery is one that many people struggling with addiction grapple with and understanding it has been crucial in my own journey to healing.
Here, participants added nuance by expressing widely varying degrees of acceptance for different substance-related recovery outcomes. In contrast, other participants limited important substance-related recovery outcomes to abstinence from “harder drugs” such as one who shared “every one of them except the marijuana, tobacco, and suboxone. For example, one participant reported “reducing methamphetamines because that’s my drug of choice. Summarily, the drug-related recovery outcome open response offered much more nuance in terms of acceptance of non-abstinent recovery outcomes. When I first started my journey away from addiction, I thought that simply stopping my use of drugs and alcohol was all I needed to do.
Throughout recovery, it is common that an individual may make personal compromises or develop unhealthy or dishonest tendencies. Lying about one’s use of an addictive substance can be common, Sober House Rules: What You Should Know Before Moving In as can avoiding conversations and social environments or eschewing responsibilities or obligations. This can include creating a supportive and healthy environment, distancing oneself from triggers and negative influences, and developing new coping mechanisms. It’s important to identify and address any underlying issues that may have contributed to the addiction, such as trauma or mental health conditions. We share an article “What’s the Difference Between Abstinence and Recovery” written and published by a peer recovery program in Colorado. We believe there is a clear distinction between abstinence and sobriety.
When it comes to addiction recovery, it’s essential to understand the key differences between abstinence and sobriety. While both concepts involve refraining from the addictive substance or behavior, they go beyond mere avoidance. Abstinence is a crucial step towards recovery, but it primarily revolves around avoiding substances. Sobriety, on the other hand, encourages individuals to build a healthier, more fulfilling lifestyle. This may include developing new hobbies, nurturing supportive relationships, practicing self-care, and fostering spiritual growth.
Substance more over time as it tries to achieve the same high as when you first started using drugs and alcohol. The dry drunk syndrome occurs when an addict stops using alcohol or drugs but still behaves as if they are struggling with addiction. Individuals with the dry drunk syndrome are often unhappy in their sobriety and would rather be drinking or using drugs because they have not found the joy that sobriety can bring when healing occurs. Many are stuck in the early stages of recovery where they haven’t yet learned healthy coping strategies to deal with the stressors of everyday life. Some of those with dry drunk syndrome end up relapsing, yet there is still a population that stays sober for a long time but does not succeed in restoring their lives.
Admitting that you are no longer able to manage your drinking or drug use is the first step in the healing process and the beginning of your recovery journey. Its definition does not imply the powerful healing that occurs for someone on the path of recovery from drugs and alcohol. You can still be struggling and potentially engaging in the same destructive behaviors while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Some have even coined the term “dry drunk syndrome” for individuals who are behaving the same way as they did when drinking or using drugs.
#2 – THE GOAL OF PEACE INSTEAD OF PRIDE – Have you ever seen someone who quit drinking or smoking and told everyone? They were elated that they’d finally “kicked the habit.” But once that newness wears off, what’s sustaining them? It’s okay to feel good about stopping a bad habit, but you must understand that the habit is stronger than self-congratulatory feelings. Being proud of stopping self-harm behavior is important, but it’s not enough.
Ioana uses her passion for psychology, research, and mental health to create reliable resources on various topics relating to addiction and treatment. Acknowledging this step depends on understanding sobriety as a process instead of a state. However, with the right support and treatment, these withdrawal symptoms can be managed effectively.
In contrast, sobriety recognizes that relapse is a common part of the recovery process. It encourages individuals to learn from setbacks, seek support, and recommit to their journey. Abstinence is primarily centered on eliminating substance use, often driven by a desire to avoid negative consequences and regain control over one’s life. Sobriety, on the other hand, involves a mindset shift towards holistic well-being and personal growth. It encompasses the intention to create a fulfilling life beyond addiction.
The 100 participants were primarily White (88%), male (67%), employed or in school (70%), and 40 years old on average (Table 1). Furthermore, most participants had been on community supervision in the last 90 days (76%) and about half of the sample lived in a rural area (52%). Three-quarters of the sample reported lifetime injection drug use (76%) and over half (57%) reported experiencing an overdose. Also, the vast majority (93%) of participants considered themselves to be in recovery. Hawaii Island Recovery, the Big Island’s premiere residential substance abuse rehabilitation facility for adults, offers a comprehensive treatment program in a tranquil and healing environment. Understanding this correlation and the definition of sobriety as a process may increase the likelihood of breaking the negative cycle of sobriety and relapsing.
While the two terms are often used interchangeably, they represent distinct paths to recovery. In this blog post, we will explore the disparities between abstinence and sobriety, shedding light on their unique implications and highlighting the benefits of each approach. Yes, individuals using Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) can be considered sober. MAT is a legitimate medical treatment for addiction, involving medications that help manage cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Sobriety with MAT is about using these medications responsibly as part of a comprehensive treatment plan. Recovery from drug addiction is not just a one-time event but a continuous process.
Overwhelmingly, participants endorsed recovery as not using any methamphetamine (98%) and 88% of the sample reported methamphetamine use reduction as a “very important” or “essential part of recovery”. Similarly, 90% reported that not using substances is “very important” or “essential to recovery”. However, participants were more likely to endorse non-abstinent recovery when asked about the use of specific substances, especially legal substances. Lastly, participants reported that reducing cravings (91%) and identifying as a person in recovery (81%) were also important substance use-related recovery outcomes. Embracing a truly sober approach to one’s future involves a lot of work and effort.
Simply, we don’t have the experience, resources, or ability to handle life’s problems and stresses. Without substances to find comfort in, a person may resort to dishonesty, verbal abuse, anger, over-eating, compulsive shopping, co-dependency, etc. to find relief from the realities of life. Abstinence is not enough because it does not replace drugs and alcohol with a solution to face and handle life in a healthy way. On the other hand, sobriety is about finding a new way of living to replace our old life in addiction.
People may achieve sobriety at different levels or remain relapsing for years or even decades. Sobriety is a process in which you improve your health and move forward to achieve your life goals. Each year, approximately 90% of individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs) in the U.S. do not engage in treatment 4.
