Considering extending dry January past the first month? The benefits of sobriety can make a huge difference in your life but can be hard to see if you’re surrounded by people focused on having fun through addiction.
Staying sober can feel even more difficult than the initial process of getting sober. And it’s easy to fall back into old habits. But these positives far outweigh any of the benefits you receive from addiction.
1. Better Looking and Better Feeling
Whether you’re addicted to drugs or alcohol, your body will thank you when you start living a sober life. The list of physical damage and health risks caused by drug and alcohol addiction is long and daunting and can end in death. Not only will your body begin healing and you will be at a lower risk for things like heart disease, cancer, and dementia, you’ll look better too.
Your skin suffers from addiction too, and it might be hard to notice, but in time you can tell the effects of drugs and alcohol on a person’s appearance.
2. Happier Mental Health
Addiction may be tied to myriad mental health issues, especially anxiety and depression. Staying sober may feel like it puts you further in a depressive hole, but you will get out of it as you got out of addiction if you keep it up. Alcohol and drugs can exacerbate symptoms of mental illness, and staying sober can help those diminish and allow you to live an easier life.
3. Say Yes to Stability
A commonality among the types of addiction is that they can lead to an unable life. You may be moving from job to job or house to house because it is hard to remain in one place and hold down a position. People may want you to move on because your addiction is hindering their own lives.
One of the big benefits of sobriety is that your life becomes more stable. You will find it easier to keep a job, make money, and even afford your own place.
4. More Money, Less Problems
One of the most basic ways staying sober leads to a better life is you can save a lot of money. You may not realize how much money was spent affording a means of escape until you stop buying all of the bottles or baggies. That money can be put toward living the life you want where you can be more independent.
5. Real Relationships
By staying sober, you can have healthier and happier relationships. This includes friends, family, and more intimate relationships. Addictions bring in bad behavior, negative thoughts, and often outbursts that wouldn’t happen if you were sober.
Some relationships may take longer to heal, but you can build new and healthy ones as well.
6. Connect with Community
Through sobriety, you can meet all kinds of people who want to help you with your journey. Living a sober life can be challenging, but is never done alone. Live freely while staying sober is often made possible through a community that cares for you and your sobriety.
Best Benefits of Sobriety
A list of all the benefits of sobriety could go on much longer. There are ways you may not know your life could improve until it happens, and staying sober can do that for you. If this helped you feel more motivated to keep the addiction at bay, keep reading for more good advice.
