Over 15 million American adults have an alcohol use disorder. If you’re one of them, you may be struggling to get sober and stay that way.
Recovering from a drug or alcohol addiction is never easy, but it can be even harder when all your friends love to party. Luckily, there are ways of getting clean without sacrificing all your friendships.
Do you want to know more? Keep reading to learn 5 tips that will help you stay sober.
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1. Branch Out
While completely cutting out all your drinking friends may not be necessary, you should limit your time spent with them, particularly when they’ll be drinking. So, if your friends go out to the bar every night or weekend, you’ll want to branch out and make non-drinking friends that you can spend time with instead.
This will prevent you from feeling alone and thinking about how much fun you had drinking with your friends. When you are ready to attend a party, make sure you bring one of your new sober friends with you for support.
2. Always Have a Non-Alcoholic Drink with You
Being at a party can be challenging enough, but constantly having people offer you a drink can make it even harder.
To combat this, carry a non-alcoholic drink with you at all times. This way, you can tell people you already have a drink instead of having to divulge your whole battle with alcohol to everyone who offers you a cocktail.
3. Know When to Leave
Is everyone around you starting to get a little too drunk? Do you feel like you’re about to give in and have a drink?
Head for the door ASAP! When learning how to stop drinking, it’s important to know your boundaries and not to push them.
4. Partake in Non-Drinking Activities
When your life used to consist of non-stop partying, you may feel bored and lonely when getting clean. But the key is to find another activity to occupy your time.
Start exercising, take up a hobby, or plan weekend get-togethers with your non-drinking friends. Not only will this show you that you can be happy and sober, but it’ll give you something to do if you need to leave that party at 8:00 p.m.
5. Remind Yourself Why You’re Sober
Do you find yourself wanting a drink? Before you reach for that bottle, remind yourself why you’re sober.
Think about everything you’ve done and all the people you hurt because of alcohol. Remind yourself that one drink can do a whole lot of damage, and head over to an AA meeting for some extra support.
Getting Clean Isn’t Always Easy
Nobody said the road to recovery would be easy, but it’s worth it. Just follow our top tips for getting clean when all your friends like to drink. From making sober friends to reminding yourself why you quit drinking, there are plenty of ways you can stay strong and alcohol-free.
Have you experienced a relapse? Check out these tips to stop the cycle of addiction.
