How Long Does It Take Until Sobriety Starts To Feel Good?
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The path to sobriety is a rocky one. You have to work on controlling your cravings, finding new ways to deal with the issues that bother you, and improving yourself as a person. Recovery is a lifelong process, one that anyone needs to work hard for in order to enjoy a better life.
Addiction is something that not only affects the addicts themselves but also their close family members and friends. Once the addict makes a step forward and enters a rehab treatment facility, everyone expects things to magically improve at a snap of the finger. But the process is more challenging than they can imagine. Eventually, the high expectation can lead to disappointments, especially if nothing changes in the life of the addict after they return from the rehab center.
The time it takes to get sober varies from a person to another and may also depend on different life conditions.
What Does Being Sober Mean?
Being sober means not being drunk or under the influence of drugs. A sober person is not currently affected by any substance, and they can think clearly. Besides, they can make decisions for themselves. One can get sober hours after ingesting a substance, depending on how much they consumed and how used they are to it. In essence, this is what being sober means.
Getting sober can also mean something entirely different. While it has the same purpose, respectively not being under the influence, getting sober actually refers to achieving sobriety in the long term. This applies to people who are dealing with addiction and tend to abuse specific substances on a daily basis.
It means that the individual suffering from addiction is getting clean and is slowly returning to the physical and mental state they were in before the addiction.
Addicts get sober by either being strong enough to resist the temptation altogether, or they may end up going to a rehab center where they receive professional treatment.
How Long Does it Take to Get Clean?
It is always hard to tell how long it takes for someone to get sober. Different factors may affect the recovery and either slow it down or make the person start all over again. In reality, everyone will recover differently, which will also influence the amount of time it takes to get clean.
The effect of the substance usually goes away after about 12 hours or a bit longer, depending on the amount consumed. But achieving permanent sobriety will take much longer. It can happen after several months or even years.
The path to sobriety is not an easy one. The first weeks are the hardest, and it’s the period when someone is most likely to go back to their addiction.
The First Stage of Getting Sober
During the first stage, the addict will deal with side effects like nausea, vomiting, insomnia, seizures, headaches, and many others. Some even go through hallucinations and confusion. This is all part of the process – the body is getting used to not consuming the harmful substance anymore after receiving it on a daily basis.
Over the next period, the addict may deal with mood swings, depression, and/or anxiety. As time progresses, things will get better and better. The body will get healthier and mental health will improve. Insomnia will go away, and the addict will be able to control their triggers as well. The longer the recovery process, the less likely it is for the person to relapse.
If someone relapses, then the process will take longer as the addict will have to start the recovery all over again.
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Methods Of Staying Clean
Getting sober is hard, but staying sober is even harder. Avoiding relapse is only possible if the addict does everything in their power to undergo the treatment and work on resisting temptations. If they stay on the right path, things will keep progressing.
Sober Living Homes
Joining a sober living home program is one of the best things an addict can do following rehab. It is highly indicated if their living environment is full of enablers, it is toxic, or if they have people in their life who like to party or pressure them to try out alcohol or drugs.
Sober living houses take care of multiple individuals who want to make a better life for themselves. They focus on helping the person develop healthier habits and aiding their transition back to normal life without it being too overwhelming.
Recognizing Triggers
Knowing the triggers can help an addict stay away from the addiction. Once they identify the triggers, it will be easier for the addict to avoid them. Some triggers may include financial issues, relationship problems, emotional distress, stress, and many others.
Staying Healthy
A healthy lifestyle can encourage someone to stay clean, especially when benefits become obvious. Self-care can become the main focus of the individual, which means they will also make sure to avoid things that affect their health, like alcohol and drugs.
You can stay healthy by eating well-balanced meals regularly, exercising, getting enough sleep, joining recreational activities, and even practicing some relaxation methods, like yoga or meditation.
Milestone Celebration
Breaking down the recovery into smaller steps or milestones can help you be more willing to continue the recovery.
Once a milestone is reached, you can give yourself a small reward or celebrate. Of course, rewards should not include alcohol and drugs.
How Real Deal Can Help
Real Deal is different from other recovery programs because it focuses on the community and accountability. Comfortable houses and daily meetings are the norms. Patients are also taking breathalyzer and drug tests regularly to ensure they stay clean.
At Real Deal, we encourage people to make progress and we’ll praise them when they reach the next milestone. Our residents will have a healthy lifestyle and will be able to have a normal life by going to work. They will also learn skills that will help them in the future and even help them stay off the addiction. All in all, it is a program that is worth checking out.
So, what are you waiting for? It is time to get clean! It may take time and hard work, but you will get what you want soon enough. Start your recovery now with Real Deal and reap the amazing benefits later!