As a therapist, most of us typically come from our own background of experiences with either our own mental health or the experiences of the mental health of those close to us. That real life experience helps to foster our drive and passion for the career field we chose and gives us a different perspective of someone who may have minimal experience with mental health prior to getting into the career field of mental or behavioral health.
My own experience in mental health before becoming a therapist was I struggled with addictive behaviors and the consequences of it affecting my anxiety and depression to a degree that I was wildly unhappy and going down a detrimental path in my early 20s. After getting sober, my life got significantly better. It was single handedly the best decision I ever made for myself and this blog post dives into what I’ve learned in the last 3 and half years I’ve been sober so far.
Sobriety and sober-curiosity as of lately has become more popular amongst social media and with the new health wave this current generation has been promoting. If you are looking to get sober or even are sober-curious this blog post is for you.
Three and a half years of experiencing the human condition in its entirety, the good the bad, the beautiful the ugly. When I first made this decision for myself, I was staring headfirst into a giant question mark of a lifestyle I had never known, or even thought I could know. The unknown lay ahead of me and that scared me to my core. Questions of could I even do this? Is this a forever choice? Will I be able to be happy? How am I going to be able to cope with the anxiety that has been my biggest hurdle my entire life? All these questions and self doubt swirled around my head but on July 21, 2020 I decided I was just so tired. So tired of using alcohol and drugs to mask the internal misery and pain I had spent years of my life running from. So exhausted from years of not loving or being comfortable with myself and using partying as a false escape to attain that feeling of being connected that left me feeling more lost and disconnected than ever after. So drained of years of losing good friendships and surrounding myself with people who at the end of the day were in as much pain as I was and falling down the same hole.
Transparently, the process was not easy. Staying sober was probably single handedly the toughest decision I’ve had to stick by. I spent the first 4-6 months of my sobriety crying in a whirlwind of repressed and neglected emotions and worked through a lot in therapy. I constantly felt like I would never find whatever happiness was being promised with this life choice. The real challenge was more than just sobriety: it’s tolerating clearing of the wreckage of the past while holding onto hope for the future.
With that being said, I am so grateful that I held on. This is just the tip of the iceberg of what I’ve learned:
- I’ve fallen in love with myself and who I am to my core in such a way that I’ve never experienced in my previous years of existence. I’m weird, beautiful and unique and have such great qualities to grow in and share with others.
- I have goals for myself that I’ve been pursuing and accomplishing time and time again.
- I choose quality over quantity when it comes to the people I want surrounding my life. My relationships are so much deeper and meaningful now and that human connection I’ve spent years chasing comes so naturally and authentically now.
- I have the energy and capacity to do things that previously lil miss hungover-till-4pm-the-next-day could never dream of having.
- I do things that scare and challenge me. I feel FREE. The world truly is my playground.
- I’ve learned to be vulnerable with myself and others and to let myself feel the hard stuff.
- I’ve learned that life isn’t always gonna be easy but utilizing coping skills learned in therapy make it so much easier to get through.
- I feel gratitude on such a higher level than before and i am more present in my day to day life and learn to appreciate the beauty in the little things
- I’ve learned that to get comfortable you gotta get fucking uncomfortable. Challenge yourself.
- And my biggest takeaway from all this is that using alcohol and drugs to cope does numb the dark within us. But in turn, it numbs the light and doing so is such a disservice to ourselves and the things we are capable of.
And you know what?
My light shines so brightly now 3 and half years later.
For those trying to choose a sober lifestyle or are even just curious about sobriety, the journey is a powerful way to discover yourself and grow personally. Choosing sobriety can transform your entire perspective on life and relationships, boost emotional strength and resilience, and reveal your authentic self. Whether you’re taking a break from alcohol or making a long-term commitment, the benefits include better mental clarity and physical well-being, self love and strength, and deeper connections with the people in your life. Embracing sobriety doesn’t mean giving up joy, instead, it leads to a more fulfilling and mindful life. So for anyone sober or curious about sobriety, this path is a journey of making choices, feeling empowered, and unlocking endless possibilities.