Here is a toolkit of six coping skills to help you maintain sobriety when you find yourself in difficult moments. Instead of a stimulant, alcohol is actually a depressant. It sedates certain areas of the brain that control judgment, self-control, and inhibitions. As such, this can lead to excitable behavior as a person loses their inhibitions. The effects of alcohol can begin to impair a person’s judgment and coordination earlier than they realize. It is illegal to drive with a BAC of 0.08 or higher, and this limit may be lower for commercial vehicle drivers and those younger than 21.

Nope – Food, especially oily foods like cheese and meat, slow down the ingestion of alcohol, so the alcohol you have consumed still has to be processed by your body at some point. The sugar, and other nutrients, may have an influence of your brain chemistry making 5 Tips to Consider When Choosing a Sober Living House you feel better, but eating just slows the process of alcohol breakdown. You’ll never finish everything you want to do, but if you set strict timelines, you’ll keep yourself on track for staying sober. You can also dedicate your time to online communities.

How To Get Sober and Stay Sober Longer

I grabbed a tall, thin guy, and he punched me in the side of the head. I looked around, and between them and us, there were a dozen kids fighting on the street. The guys ran off, and we swaggered back to our perches at the bar where we drank free for the rest of the day. Here, the only other tenants were a drug dealer, an elderly man, and two gay Dutch sailors who’d gone AWOL together. None of us paid rent, because Viktor, the hard-partying guy whose family owned the place, enjoyed our diverse company.

The idea behind this is that the reasons you’re already aware of for stopping drinking are real. Real joy is simply out of your reach if you are regularly getting drunk. Denial is something that you cannot see while you’re experiencing it. Once you’ve ditched the drink for good, you’ll only recognize the lies that your alcohol-addicted mind was telling you.

How To Stay Sober At Social Events

If you were/are part of a rehab facility, look and see if aftercare services are offered. If you are not part of a rehab facility, consider participating in local recovery support groups, such as AA or NA meetings, online forums, and good old-fashioned making friends. 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.

• One afternoon, a handful of us regulars were day drinking at the bar when Rene, one of the sailors, shouted that some guys had beaten up our resident drug dealer.
• Developing new healthy habits can help you manage stress and distract you from negative feelings.
• Sober living isn’t just interesting; it’s fulfilling and vibrant.
• That means drinking is limited to moderate, responsible amounts as defined by your personal goals or the more official Moderation Managementguidelines.
• There is no reliable evidence to support this, so its best to assume that any change is negligible.
• So, it’s extra helpful to have a support network available to you when you need it.

Breathing is a great way to give yourself something to focus on instead of your rapid thoughts. Try breathing through your diaphragm, fast and deep breaths in through your nose, then long and slow breaths out through your mouth. This will probably make you sleepy, but it’ll also help to center you.