1. Feeling healthy feels great
Now before I go on, getting sober in itself doesn't necessarily mean getting healthy. Too often people replace their addictive behavior with overeating or indulgence in other self destructive activities. It is important when going into recovery to be mindful of these things and focus not only on sobriety but your physical health and well being.
That said, a sober body and mind feels remarkably better than that of an abused one. Alcohol is literally poison that you ingest into your bloodstream which causes havoc on your organs, brain and central nervous system. When we stop pouring poison into our bodies they tend to respond in amazing ways. Our bodies have a fascinating ability to heal and it's not long after putting down the bottle that your eyes begin to clear, your skin and hair looks healthier and your energy levels go up.
During withdrawal, you may not feel this way. It does take some time for your body in the early stages of recovery to reach a point where you notice these feelings. When you do though, you may find it's the best you've felt in years. On top of looking better and feeling better your mind will become sharper.
2. Saving money
Lets face it, alcohol is not cheap. Even the lousy stuff adds up over time. Say you only drink the cheapest vodka on the shelf, you're still hypothetically spending a minimum of $5 a day in order to maintain that lifestyle. That bare minimum adds up to $150 a month extra in your pocket. Most of us however likely spend much more than that on our drugs of choice.
Everyone is different in this regard but it's safe to suggest we can all save thousands per year by simply choosing not to drink. This opens up a variety of options one can pursue with their saved money. It may just become easier to make bill payments, pay off your car, mortgage or credit card debt. Perhaps invest it in your future or even use some of it to join a gym or a club that promotes healthy living.
We could all use a little more coin in our pockets, you'll find your wallet expanding once you chose to put down the bottle and walk the road of recovery.
3. Regaining the trust of family and friends
In most cases if you've reached a point where your addictive behavior is effecting your life in such a way that you're seeking help in recovery, there's a good chance you've hurt, offended or let down someone you care about at some point. Unfortunately, one of the many negative consequences of addictive behavior is lack of responsibility and trustworthiness. We're prone to lying or manipulating people we care about in order to continue to drink or take drugs. Our brains reach a point that they are no longer functioning at a normal level and we become people that others don't particularly want to associate with.
When you manage to put the bottle down and focus on recovery, more often than not we find even those we hurt willing to help and forgive. Some take longer than others, however it is the nature of people to want to help and support those they love. It may take some time, rebuilding broken bridges can be difficult. The harder you work towards sobriety the more people will see it and often respect you for it.
On top of rebuilding the relationships that may have been hurt by our addiction, we are now free to pursue new and wonderful relationships. Often when in an addictive and drugged state we shut out most of the world. Or perhaps just let in others who's lives are focused around self destructive choices. You'll be feeling, looking and thinking better and suddenly finding that others really like sober and honest people. Who knew?
4. Change in perspective
Sure, those first few drinks may give you a buzz and a short termed joyful boost but generally those of us who drink constantly are not happy people. We can become vicious and hateful even, as the alcohol reaps havoc on our brains. We don't notice the little intricacies that make life wonderful and often we reject everything that we don't agree with.
I for one became very hateful towards people who had different thoughts or opinions than I. Still to this day I'm stubborn and opinionated but not to the point of thinking everyone who had a different mindset towards politics, religion or society were idiots. As months of sobriety passed so did much of my anger and disdain towards the world. I, personally am a rather cynical person. However I'm no longer an unhappy one. I've learned acceptance. I may not agree with how things are, yet I can accept those things and move on.
Like it or not, the majority of things in this world are subjective and you're not right all the time. Most importantly, that's absolutely okay! It is a difficult perspective to have when shrouded in a haze of drunken frustration and depression. The sober and clean mind is an open one.
5. Time is on your side
How often, even when drinking did you think of fun activities that you'd like to take part in only to find yourself passed out or sleeping until midday whenever you had "free" time. Or, perhaps all you ever cared about was getting a fix and you never really considered all the cool stuff there is to do in this big yet small world. Now that you're sober and have all that access energy, there's a lot of time to fill and it can be done with some pretty fantastic things.
As a personal example, I really enjoy kayaking with my wife along the cost of Florida. It's great exercise and even the first time I went out I saw and experienced things that were so far beyond any experience sucking back the contents of a bottle ever granted me. Visiting symphonies or simply going out to dinner once a week and not only being able to stomach the food but the ability to remember every wonderful moment.
6. No more blackouts
Blackouts were becoming so constant for me, that even the moments leading up to me buying a bottle became fuzzy the next day. That constant wondering what happened, why I was waking up in a strange place or the couch. The uncertainty as to what damage I'd caused this time was absolutely terrifying. I've woken up in hospitals and I've woken up in jail with absolutely no memory of how I got there.
I'm fortunate in that all the chaos and havoc I've caused has been reparable and not too severe. That can not be said for all who drink themselves into a state of waking unconsciousness. I can think back to parties even in my youth, I recall the feeling of enjoyment yet I can not remember the moments themselves. What point is there to experiencing anything if you can not assign memory to them. As we age, memory can begin to fade. However as teenagers, young or even older adults there's no logical reason to enhance or speed up this process.
Going out for the evening and waking up the next day not only feeling refreshed from a proper sleep but able to recall the entirety of the evening in full is one of the greatest experiences someone new to sobriety can have. To me, it was one of the earliest and most reassuring gifts of a sober lifestyle. Weeks that consisted of a day or two of memory now have 7 full days of good and bad. As a sober person, I can enjoy the good and make the best of the bad without crippling under the weight of it.
Sobriety isn't easy, but it is the most rewarding path anyone can take. I've covered 6 reasons that sobriety is great but they are countless and subjective. You'll discover there are things that are specific to your circumstances but I can promise they will all be positive. Keep on keeping strong!
