Having fun without the aid of drugs and alcohol can seem like a daunting task. When you’ve lived with your addiction for such a long time, it becomes ingrained in everything you do recreationally. Sometimes drugs or alcohol were the actual events- having people over for drinks or meeting with friends for cocktails. You might have to change what you do for fun but you’ll find yourself having more fun sober than you ever did with drugs or alcohol.
You’ll experience more joy:
Drugs and alcohol are often used to self-medicate and cope with difficult thoughts and emotions. While they are good at temporarily numbing the ability to think about our problems, they also have a strong tendency to numb the positive emotions that make life great. Happiness, joy, and excitement are all feelings that are dulled by drugs and alcohol.
You’ll be able to remember the memories you make:
No matter your addiction, substance abuse affects memory. Think back to a time before your addiction. How vivid are those memories? Now try to think back to some great times you had while using. The sober memory is going to be much clearer. Your addiction memories are based off of putting together fragments. One of the saddest parts about addiction is that you lose out on so many great memories. How many times have you woken up with little to no recollection of what happened the night before? These memory lapses rob you of what could be some of the greatest memories of your life.
More time to enjoy:
While it may not seem like much, every time you use, you lose an amount of time that you will never get back. Maybe it’s just 15 minutes or an entire evening. Either way, addiction requires time. This could be time spent having some of the greatest moments in your life. It could be time with loved ones, time doing something you enjoy, or even just time spent relaxing alone.
You’ll have more money:
Addictions are expensive. Imagine all the things you can do with the extra money you spend on drugs and alcohol. Travel, new cars, a new home, going to a concert, fulfilling a dream- all are possible with the extra money you’ll have by not spending on drugs and alcohol.. Once you’re sober it will be shocking to see how much extra money you have and what you can do with it.
The Springboard Center knows that treatment for addiction and alcoholism is important to you. That is why we are committed to providing you the best proven practices for treatment so you can live a full life of recovery. Call us today for information on our residential treatment program and sober living: (432) 620-0255
