The Sober Diaries: ‘Alcohol is part and parcel of work culture’

being sober around drinkers

Apparently, drinking is like sitting on the TV remote’s volume up button, except drunk people are the TV and I can’t find the remote. One friend not only starts to shout after a few, but he also won’t stop talking and cursing. Normally I wouldn’t mind—I mean, my conversations are littered with expletives—but when it’s two in the morning, and I’m sober and tired, it wears thin quick. Our addiction being sober around drinkers recovery support groups, access to rehab after programs and 12-step meetings, and other treatment options can provide strategies for overcoming addiction or handling triggers and temptations. Contact Gateway Foundation today to learn more about the programs and services that best meet your needs. If a 12-step program doesn’t sound appealing, you can look for other support groups.

Make a list of the ways drinking has negatively impacted your life.
Focus on the positive aspects of socializing without alcohol, such as clear-mindedness, better sleep, improved health, and the ability to fully experience and remember moments with friends.
Mark Willenbring, MD, former director, division of treatment and recoveryresearch, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
As is the case with all things, you can’t defeat it until you understand it, and this is the first step in doing it.
Don’t get down on yourself because you can’t get wasted at the bar with your friends anymore.

Can Alcohol Cause Constipation?

However, you end up in a situation where ‘the thought crosses your mind’ to maybe have one drink and the ‘mental gymnastics’ begin. So, a woman who went sober has shared a one-minute trick to stop those ‘alcohol cravings’. Danielle (@thedanielledigrandi) has been sober for over five years and shared on TikTok how ‘alcohol cravings can legit hijack your brain and overtake your mind’. Except, realistically, it’s rarely ‘just the one drink’ in the end as it can be easy to quickly slip into an overwhelming urge to keep knocking them back without even realising.

Can I Quit Alcohol Cold Turkey?

Look for cultural festivals, fitness classes, or hobby-based groups. Exploring new and diverse activities can provide alternative avenues for socializing, creating memories, and connecting with others. If you’re living with a recovering alcoholic, for instance, they may ask you https://ecosoberhouse.com/ not to keep a certain type of alcohol in the home. Or you may have a close friend that starts to reject party invites and asks that you don’t discuss drinking in front of them. But if putting yourself in a healthy place means walking away from others, then that’s OK too.

Even if you have no idea HOW things can change, trust the process and keep working on it.
You might search for groups based on sobriety, interests, or location on Facebook and engage with their discussion posts and events.
And while these things might sound serious and scary, it’s important to note that it’s one piece of a larger puzzle.
It wasn’t just a crutch anymore; it had completely wiped out my ability to socialize and connect with people.

Change up your hobbies

“[They said] you’re just numbing yourself to your own life, and yet you feel disconnected, but you’re disconnected because you’re drinking, and you’re drinking because you feel disconnected. It was this cycle. Danielle says every time she’s done this it’s reminded her that it’s just ‘never one drink’ and users commented to say how helpful it is and pointed out it also works for other ‘bad behaviours and negative choices’. In this film, drinking is ‘the star of the show’ and you’re supposed to think of how the night could go into ‘complete debauchery’ if you give into those initial cravings. A woman who has been sober for five years has shared a simple trick we should do before having ‘just one’ drink to stop our alcohol consumption spiralling out of control. “What I find with my clients is that the more senior people become in the organisation, the more social events are expected to attend,” she says.