Even if you gave me 100 notebooks and all the time in the world, I wouldn’t be able to write the many ways my life has improved as a result of getting sober. I don’t think anyone in recovery could capture the magnitude of the benefits of getting sober. Part of this is because of all the blessings I’ve received in sobriety from drug addiction. As a result of becoming clean and sober, I am happy with myself.
Long before I picked up a drink or drug, my life was out of control. I made sure everything on the outside looked good. So, from middle school on, my life looked great. I had a ton of friends, good grades, played sports, and I even volunteered.
Everything was excellent except for the fact that, on the inside, I was dying.
Most of the time, I was nervous, anxious, depressed, scared, and arrogant – all at once. I felt like someone was going to find out I was a fraud, that I didn’t deserve my friends.
Do Drugs Help With Anxiety And Depression?
Eventually, my way around the constant depression and anxiety was to start getting high. In high school, my drug use was innocent at first. I began using marijuana regularly, smoking weed every day. Though smoking marijuana was not an instant fix to my problems, it was helpful for a while.
Soon my friends began to change, and my motivation for school work started to dwindle. Shortly after that, I began drinking alcohol. Drinking alcohol in high school has a social element that comes with it, and I think it helped me feel as though I fit in. I quickly realized that I did not drink like most of my peers, drinking far more than them, and often experiencing blackouts.
Eventually, my drug and alcohol addiction made a subtle transition to various forms of pills. I experimented with Xanax, MDMA, Trazadone, sleeping pills, and a variety of Opioids, starting with a Percocet. Once I was able to experience the results of opiates, I became addicted instantly.
Progression Of Drug and Alcohol Addiction
Suddenly, days went into months in a blink of an eye. Time no longer had any other value except for obtaining more forms of opiates. If I were unable to get pills, I would experience physically terrible opiate withdrawals. Eventually, I did the one thing I never said I would do – heroin. I thought, “I will just do a little bit of heroin, one time, to not feel sick.” However, that one time turned into years of battling a deadly heroin addiction that nearly killed me.
Suddenly, my solution for my anxiety and depression, drugs, and alcohol was now what was going to kill me. I’m not alone in this, lots of people with depression and anxiety experienced drug addiction. The problem I was now facing was that I had no other solution to dealing with life other than drugs and alcohol, and I could not stop. However, if I did not stop using drugs, I was eventually going to die. At that moment, I knew I needed help but was unsure what to do.
Benefits Of Getting Sober
When I knew my drug addiction would be my death sentence, I finally sought help. I made a phone call to a drug rehab center, thinking that I would be too helpless of a case. However, the person that spoke to me was very kind and compassionate. Additionally, they were even in recovery from drugs and alcohol as well! The staff at the drug rehabilitation center told me about all of the benefits of getting sober, and that the best part would be that I would not ever feel that way I did at that moment again. All I had to do was trust the process and take the addiction treatment center’s suggestions.
As a result, I took my first leap of faith in over a decade and said yes. It’s incredible how the benefits of getting sober begin happening almost immediately. Within a few weeks, I was able to go days without thinking about using heroin or drinking alcohol. Additionally, my family began to show up back in my life for the first time in many years.
Obtaining all of the incredible benefits of getting sober was not easy. Staying sober one day at a time has had its own unique set of challenges. However, with hard work, incredible addiction treatment professionals, faith, and the support of family and friends, I did it.
What Are The Most Overlooked Benefits Of Getting Sober?
- Making new, genuine friends
- Going back to your priorities, like school or work
- Getting back your life
- Being able to start a family safely
- Regaining a sense of purpose
- Waking up and not thinking about using drugs or alcohol
A New Sober Life
Even beyond the traditional benefits of getting sober, I began developing a new perspective on life. Finally, it was no longer about outside appearances or what others would say of me. As a result of addiction recovery, I began to be comfortable being me.
In my sober life, I share my problems, fears, and triumphs honestly. That’s the most significant blessing about getting sober – the ability to look at the world in the eye.
Getting Addiction Help Today
If you, a family member, or someone you love is struggling with addiction, please know, there’s more to life than drugs and alcohol abuse. The truth is that getting sober is possible, but it is challenging to do it alone. As a result, we all need professional help from drug or alcohol addiction.
Our team of addiction therapists at Lighthouse Recovery Institute works with our patients to create personalized treatment programs to battle addiction and help everyone reap the benefits of sobriety. Contact us today and learn more about our programs and the admission process. Long-term sobriety might be one call away.
