7 Lessons Learned From 7 Years Sober

What’s up, sober owners? Mike III here, if you’re doing Dry January, I hope it’s still going strong! If you’ve slipped, there’s still time to pick back up. I can’t count the number of times I had to restart my sobriety before it finally stuck. It’s all about learning, growing, and getting stronger as you go!

In this issue, I’m sharing my personal insights on what I’ve learned over the course of my sobriety journey. If you can relate to any of it, hit reply and let me know!

Now let’s get to it and, as always, thank you all for your support! 🙏

On Friday, I celebrated 7 years of continuous sobriety and reflected on my biggest takeaways from my sober journey:

1. Confidence is everything.

   Sobriety unlocked a new level of confidence that I didn’t know I had. After all the hell I’d been through in my drinking days and then the multiple failed attempts to get sober, things were put into perspective in sobriety, and I feel like there’s nothing I can’t do. Also, I’ve always been pretty introverted and kind of shy. That hasn’t changed completely, but I’m much more confident than I used to be in who I am and my interactions with others. Getting sober empowered me.

2. Life still happens.

   It may be cliche, but life doesn’t just magically start going your way in sobriety. What it does is become manageable. I’ve had shitty days, I’ve lost loved ones, I’ve had relationships not work out. Life is still tough. The difference is that now I’m participating in all the things, being there for others, and handling it responsibly. Avoiding life is a shitty way to live. Even on the worst days, it still feels better to be present and do what you need to do to get through.

3. Keep evolving.

   Early on in my sober journey, it was all about just being sober. I was satisfied with just getting through the days without drinking. But eventually, I started wanting more. It’s a natural process of growth. I wanted a purpose and identity beyond just being sober. A job and side venture with purpose, relationships with meaning, life milestones and goals that are fulfilling. Creating the life I want excites and energizes me. Sure, not everything works out the way I want, but I learn something valuable from every experience. Seeing growth in myself and my life keeps me going and helps me keep sobriety in perspective because I know that without being sober no growth happens.

4. Emotions are human.

   Emotions can be a son of a bitch. The saying, “Good news is I got my emotions back. Bad news is I got my emotions back,” is so true. Some emotions are uncomfortable. Fully experiencing our emotions though, is the most human thing we do. Seven years in, there are still times it’d be nice to not feel a certain way. The thing is, I experience the most growth by processing those emotions in a healthy way. Negative emotions can be much more powerful for growth if I take the time to step back and think about why I’m experiencing the emotion and what I can learn from it.

5. Prioritize mental health.

   This is true for everyone, but as an introvert I internalize everything. I easily get caught up in my own head in an analytical cycle. If I don’t practice self-care and good mental health habits, the chaos in my head just builds up. I was also diagnosed with Adult ADHD at about a year sober. Taking the alcohol out of the equation allowed me and my doctor to have a true baseline from which to measure my health, both mentally and physically. It’s not a perfect science, but I try to protect my mental health as closely as I protect my sobriety because the two are so closely intertwined.

6. It’s still okay to ask for help.

   We tend to think that asking for help in getting sober was such a big ask that we have to do everything beyond that ourselves. It took a bit of time struggling to move forward in sobriety for me realize that it was still okay to ask for help and rely on others to get to the next level. Working through all the aftermath with a licensed substance abuse counselor and a case manager saved my sobriety and I even believe it saved my life. Beyond that I regularly lean on other sober folks and my circle of support for advice and help throughout my life journey to this day. I believe you’re never too old or too successful to ask for help.

7. Gratitude every day.

   I got that gratitude attitude going on every day. The further I get from my sobriety date, the harder it can be to remember my why. Gratitude keeps me connected to my sobriety and enables me to help others. It’s usually just the basic things, like waking up, staying sober, having great relationships, and being responsible that top my list. But we all know that without sobriety even those basics can be gone. Life is an amazing journey and I’m grateful that I get to live it to the best of my ability every day.

📰 Sober Lifestyle Resources

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