How to Stay Sober Without AA
Living at Reflections Rehab
One of the Nation's Leading Recovery Treatment Center for Dual Diagnosis and Co-Occurring Disorders.
According to a report from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), nearly 30 million Americans aged 12 and older are currently struggling with an alcohol use disorder.
If you or someone you know is working to overcome this addiction, there are programs available to help. One of those is Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), which includes a 12-step process, sponsorship, and other resources.
While AA can help you find healthy ways to live without alcohol, it isn’t for everyone. It’s also not the only path that you can take to recovery.
Are you wondering how to stay sober without AA? Today, we’re sharing 10 tips to help you break free of this condition and reclaim the life you deserve.
1. FIND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT
When anyone is learning how to overcome an alcohol addiction, it can be incredibly beneficial to seek professional help along the way. While it’s possible to quit drinking on your own, these experts have access to specialized tools, knowledge, and expertise to support you on the journey.
From a licensed therapist or addiction specialist to a life counselor, find a local resource you can trust and feel comfortable opening up to. They’ll listen without judgment, seeking to understand the factors that lead you to drink. They’ll also know some of the obstacles you might face on your road to recovery, and they can give you helpful coping mechanisms to avoid a relapse.
Often, this will include a detox phase to rid your body of the substance that’s taken hold of it. At Reflections, we offer a medically-assisted Drug and Alcohol Detox program that allows you to heal and recover in a safe, supportive environment. Seeking professional treatment equips you with the skills you need to live comfortably without alcohol, including:
A program like ours offers personalized assistance, designed around your individual needs and concerns. This can make the path to sobriety easier to walk.
2. FIND SOBER ACTIVITIES YOU LOVE
One of the tenets of recovery is finding activities you can engage in that don’t involve drinking. When your mind and body are engaged in these projects, staying away from alcohol becomes easier to do.
Try to remember the pastimes that used to bring you joy, especially when you were younger. Did you love to draw or color? Or, were sports and athletics more your thing?
Tap into the hobbies that engage your sense of purpose and help you feel fulfilled. It’s especially helpful to find ones that take place in a group setting, even occasionally. This way, you can connect with others in your community and plug in at a deeper level.
If you’re at a loss for what to try, start by volunteering for a cause you believe in. As you give back, you’ll not only fill your time but you can discover how to fill your spirit in ways that don’t require you to numb your feelings with alcohol.
3. AVOID TRIGGERS
Do you know that a certain group of friends will tempt you to drink? When you’re in the throes of an AUD, there are likely others around you who are supporting and even enabling your addictive behavior.
In addition, there might be physical locations that are an instant trigger, such as a neighborhood bar or the local liquor shop. While it might be difficult to break ties with those people and places, doing so is necessary to live an alcohol-free life.
Avoiding temptations might sound simple enough in theory, but it can be difficult to eliminate everything that drives you to drink. This is another reason why professional treatment is so helpful. In these programs, you’ll learn ways to navigate the real world without isolating yourself, seeking healthy relationships that build you up and won’t undermine your progress.
4. LEARN ABOUT THE DANGERS OF ALCOHOL
As you seek recovery, it’s important to understand why you’re taking these steps to avoid alcohol. For many, learning about the dangers of alcohol addiction can be a powerful motivator to keep going.
Alcohol addiction can negatively affect a person’s physical, mental, and emotional health. These effects can be long-reaching and can have serious and sometimes fatal consequences. You can learn more about the dangers of alcoholism in this resource from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
This information isn’t meant to scare or alarm anyone. Rather, it’s intended to serve as an educational tool to help individuals learn more about how their addictions can affect their well-being. There are many myths about this behavior, including ones that downplay its effects.
By becoming better-informed about the risks involved in excessive drinking, you can strengthen your commitment to quit drinking. This also gives you the motivation to avoid triggers and temptations and stay the course when recovery gets challenging.
5. CULTIVATE A STRONG SUPPORT SYSTEM
Staying sober often hinges on surrounding yourself with people who encourage you, uplift you, and support your decision to abstain from alcohol. For some people, achieving this inner circle is relatively easy. They already have friends, family members, and colleagues who want the best for them and are ready to cheer them on.
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For others, it can be quite challenging. Their entire community might consist of people who are also struggling with alcohol addiction. Finding a new group of people to connect with can seem like an impossible feat.
This is where it helps to plug into a recovery group. If you want to look somewhere other than AA, there are also online groups designed to support people through this journey. There may also be local meet-ups where you can connect in person with others.
For additional support, you can also look into professional outpatient treatment programs. Our Intensive Outpatient program consists of two individual therapy sessions each week, as well as group therapy sessions and educational didactic group sessions. Sharing your progress and setbacks with others can help you stay strong, and you can also benefit from learning about their journeys.
6. STICK TO A STRUCTURED ROUTINE
Having excessive amounts of free time can be a major trigger for those struggling with alcoholism. When can plan for and predict the basic outline of each day, you’re less likely to slip back into your old habits. The stability and structure it creates are comforting and promote a sense of overall well-being.
While you don’t have to plan every single minute of your life, it does help to create a routine that’s productive and enjoyable. In addition to keeping you on track with your sobriety, it also gives you something to look forward to.
If you work, then your professional responsibilities will take up the majority of your time during the day. In addition to those obligations, be sure to allow time to nourish your mind and body away from the workplace. Some of the steps to incorporate into your routine include:
Building healthy habits doesn’t happen overnight. It may take time to adjust to a more rigid schedule, especially if you’re used to living moment-by-moment within your addiction.
Set realistic goals for yourself and start small. In time, you’ll find that maintaining a routine can help you achieve a more positive mindset and healthier outlook.
7. FIND HEALTHY OUTLETS
Someone overcoming an alcohol addiction needs a way to release stress, cope with life, and manage emotions without the help of drinking.
Some of the healthy outlets you might consider trying include:
You may find that exercise is an especially beneficial outlet, as it releases feel-good endorphins throughout your body. These neurotransmitters send messages that help you relieve stress, lower anxiety, and relax in a healthy way. Discovering the outlets and coping mechanisms that work for you can help promote overall health and long-term sobriety.
8. REWARD YOURSELF
Recovery can be a long and winding journey, and it helps to have positive motivators along the way. When you reach a special milestone, go ahead and reward yourself!
Ways to celebrate your steps to sobriety include:
Even if the achievement doesn’t seem overly significant by someone else’s standards, it’s important to recognize it and celebrate it. Your progress is personal, and reinforcing your positive behavior can help you stay strong as you recover.
YOU CAN LEARN HOW TO STAY SOBER WITHOUT AA
Deciding to overcome an alcohol addiction is a brave step. Eliminating this dangerous and harmful behavior from your life can improve your wellness, strengthen your relationships, and put you on the path toward a brighter and healthier future.
While programs like AA can help people recover from alcohol use disorder, they aren’t always the best fit for everyone. Now that you know how to stay sober without AA, you can put them into practice and start reclaiming your life.
Our team at Reflections is here to help you along this journey. We offer many different treatment and therapy plans designed to help individuals overcome addiction. Contact our Northern California Rehab today to learn more and get started.
Article originally posted on www.livingatreflections.com
Atlanta Writers Club Volunteer Promoting LEAP tonibellon.com Alcoholic parent,enabling spouse and friends. Keeping secrets from friends and teachers Read LEAP(Toni Bellon)
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