Author: Charles Frank
How to Get Sober and What to Expect
Shame is having negative beliefs about yourself and your self-worth. Guilt is having negative feelings about your past behavior. People in recovery can experience a lot of shame simply for having become addicted in the first place. Once you do return to work, it’s important to create a budget and take steps to safeguard yourself as work stress can be a relapse trigger.
For example, one of my worst habits was needing to have a drink in my hand. I tried to replace it with water, but it was too easy to drink quickly and lacked flavor. I used to be a heavy drinker, but eventually, I got tired of the hangovers and dealing with the embarrassment of my drunken behavior. Learn that you have choices and that you can maintain control. If any area of your life is out of control, it will not help you maintain lasting sobriety.
- NIAAA’s website is full of practical research and science-based methods to help you stop drinking.
- Self-detox is an individualized approach without professional or medical support.
- Although you may be deterred by entering a treatment program, it’s the safest way to detox from alcohol.
- A self-detox can be dangerous because you don’t have access to medical care for the most severe symptoms of alcohol withdrawal.
- Although it might be safe for people with mild withdrawal symptoms, it can be dangerous to people with alcohol dependence.
Support groups can include 12-step meetings like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or non-12-step groups like SMART Recovery, which has a more secular approach. Whether it’s for health, relationship, financial, or any number of reasons, consider creating a list on your phone of the reasons why you want to get and stay sober. Set a reminder once or twice a day to look through your list and share it with a supportive person in your life if you feel comfortable. At-home alcohol detox is especially dangerous for people with alcohol use disorder (AUD). A medical detox with support and supervision can drastically increase the chances of a successful recovery.
Benefits Of Medically-Supervised Detox Treatment
If you experience nausea, seizures, and hallucinations, seek help. Light exercise and a proper diet can help you adjust to the detox. Exercise can reduce stress, improve mood, and bolster your immune system. Alcohol is absorbed into your bloodstream very quickly, so it won’t make much difference unless you vomit immediately after taking a sip. Stick with drinks that take a while to finish, like beer and wine. Although you’ll fall asleep easily enough when intoxicated, your sleep will probably be fragmented and disturbed.
By this metric, it’s easy to justify consuming alcohol to excess because so many people are doing it. There are withdrawal symptoms, environmental temptations, and outright stress. If you put down the bottle for 30 days, but you slip up and have a drink on day 31, this doesn’t undo the 30 days before.
Aside from providing emotional support, they can also call medical professionals if something goes wrong. Alcohol withdrawal symptoms can be painful and potentially life-threatening, so it’s important to have people you can rely on. Alcohol detox can be a dangerous process, which is why it’s typically best handled by a medical professional at a detox or rehab center. Alcohol detoxification involves withdrawal, and withdrawal involves physical symptoms.
Ultimately, the severity of symptoms depends on a number of factors, including age, gender, and longevity of the addiction. Many individuals who struggle with alcohol addiction are also battling other medical conditions such as depression, anxiety, or personality disorders. People frequently use alcohol to self-medicate themselves, but when they stop drinking, these disorders can worsen. In fact, some people don’t even realize they’re dealing with mental health disorders until they stop drinking. Acknowledging and celebrating the hard work of recovery is helpful for keeping you motivated and reminding you why you took this brave step toward sobriety in the first place. Just be sure that your rewards don’t involve drugs or alcohol.
Myth: Drink strong coffee to sober up
Getting support doesn’t have to mean going to rehab, although that is an option. Support can also look like joining in-person and online support groups. One 2020 study found potential benefits of combining in-person and online support methods.
I developed a unique framework for getting sober and dealing with vices. One common mistake for those who are new to alcohol and drug recovery is substituting a new compulsive behavior for their old one. People new to recovery can find themselves approaching their new diet, exercise program, job, and even participation in support groups with a compulsion that echoes addiction. If these emotions become excessive, they can hold you back from recovery. If you are trying to maintain a sober lifestyle, those feelings can become toxic and contribute to relapse if you don’t deal with them properly.
Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms
Shots of hard liquor get you drunk very fast, so avoid them. An India pale ale (IPA) typically contains more alcohol, so it will count as more drinks. There isn’t anything you can do to speed up how quickly your liver breaks down the alcohol in your blood, which is why sobering up fast isn’t really an option.
Don’t beat yourself up if you relapse
Many 12-step programs suggest that sobriety means total abstinence—never using the substance ever again. This article discusses what sobriety means and describes strategies that can support your long-term recovery. It also covers tips on how to deal with the challenges you’ll face on your journey to sobriety. When a person consumes alcoholic beverages, the alcohol builds up in their bloodstream.
Although detoxing from alcohol at home can have benefits, the early stages of sobriety pose a dangerous risk for medical complications. You also have a higher risk of relapsing during this time. Triggers for using drugs and alcohol typically are people, places, and things that remind you of your addictive behavior or encourage the use of substances you’re avoiding. In fact, drinking caffeine (whether in coffee or energy drinks) can sometimes be dangerous because it tricks people into thinking they’re sober. As a result, they may accidentally injure themselves or put themselves and others at risk by driving drunk. A healthy fear of the consequences is important, but using them alone to curb your alcohol consumption has another serious drawback.
Eating before, during, and after drinking can help slow the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream. This is because the body closes a valve at the bottom of the stomach when digestion occurs. This slows the rate at which alcohol enters the intestines and is subsequently absorbed. Although an at-home detox can be intense, there are ways to mitigate severe side effects. However, it’s important to contact medical professionals when an emergency occurs. Start a new hobby or plan a project to keep your mind off cravings and triggers.
Instead, focus on things, experiences, and activities that will support your new, healthy lifestyle. The best way to sober up from excess alcohol drinking is to allow plenty of time, rest, and sleep. The suggested methods above may help a person feel and appear more alert but will not decrease blood alcohol levels in their body. If you don’t experience intense withdrawal symptoms, an at-home detox may be a good option. However, alcohol withdrawal syndrome is dangerous and require supervision from medical professionals. When you’re detoxing in an inpatient or outpatient detox treatment facility, they’ll usually prescribe medications to help ease withdrawal symptoms of alcohol.