Pros and Cons of getting sober

TS, you've primed your brain to be pleasured in certain ways for a long time. Just keep pushing!!! You'll adapt, and things will become more normalized.
 
Oeshon said:
It's a problem I've never had luckily. I go on some big benders and have some weeks where I go hard, but I can also turn it off like a light switch and do a month sober no problem.
Click to expand...
Well that's certainly a huge help to the struggling TS. Just knowing there are ridiculously successful people out there who dominate life should be a comfort to him.
 
CrimsonFan said:
So as alot of you guys know, I was really bad off on drugs and alcohol for a long time. Now that i've managed to get the most sober time of my entire life under my belt (62 days). Shits weird.

I'm sitting here trying to figure out what the fuck to do with myself like normal. Feel like ranting

Obviously I was ready to make a serious change in my life, with two medical detox's this year, one 30 stay stay and rehab, a really bad relapse, and just a rollercoaster ride of trying to change my life for the better.

A little over two months ago I said fuck it, and with $4000 to my name, I spent $3200 to go detox myself from alcohol for one week. I was living in basically a trap house with cocaine dealers, i told them i'm gonna go.. found a place, called my mom to come pick me up.. and said my goodbyes to my friends and that lifestyle.

Detoxing wasen't hard. The place I found this time around put me on a pretty good dose of valium and I just chain smoked cigarettes the entire time going to these little group meetings frequently throughout the day. Had pretty bad shakes and insomnia but that went away after about a week.

This time I didn't go right back to my old ways like I did earlier this year.. I moved into a sober living house with other sober people, used the last bit of my money to rent a room and quickly found a job.

Turns out when im not wasted all the time, good things happen. I instantly got promoted and was self sufficient within weeks. Now i've got about 2 grand to my name even after paying rent and i'm already looking to move on my own again. i thought I lost my girlfriend, but she has stuck with me through all this which is pretty much crazy considering the shitty things ive done and said to her.. and put her through. I guess I got a good one.

So now i'm sober for over two months, im doing really well at work.. I dont wanna kill myself anymore. And I sleep like a baby again

But life is fucking dull. Movies suck, the internet sucks, sex even is hard to get into. Every time I try to play music every note feels flat, I don't know what in the hell to do with myself when i'm not working. I'm eating out of boredom. I chain smoke to a fault. I don't really enjoy much of anything yet.. I cut ties with pretty much all of my friends because we basically just drank together. I go to AA meetings out of boredom.. I actually prefer doing that over just sitting around watching TV or something. Shits kind of difficult to be honest

Basically, getting sober is fucking weird.
Click to expand...

Start working out and eating healthy. That will help A LOT. It will literally force "happiness endorphins" into you.

And I once read a study that people who use drugs or abuse alcohol usually do it because they don't really have a purpose (in life.) Try to find a purpose.
 
Stay productive and try some sports maybe. Running helped me a lot. After a vicious run, I felt alive again.
 
CrimsonFan said:
So as alot of you guys know, I was really bad off on drugs and alcohol for a long time. Now that i've managed to get the most sober time of my entire life under my belt (62 days). Shits weird.

I'm sitting here trying to figure out what the fuck to do with myself like normal. Feel like ranting

Obviously I was ready to make a serious change in my life, with two medical detox's this year, one 30 stay stay and rehab, a really bad relapse, and just a rollercoaster ride of trying to change my life for the better.

A little over two months ago I said fuck it, and with $4000 to my name, I spent $3200 to go detox myself from alcohol for one week. I was living in basically a trap house with cocaine dealers, i told them i'm gonna go.. found a place, called my mom to come pick me up.. and said my goodbyes to my friends and that lifestyle.

Detoxing wasen't hard. The place I found this time around put me on a pretty good dose of valium and I just chain smoked cigarettes the entire time going to these little group meetings frequently throughout the day. Had pretty bad shakes and insomnia but that went away after about a week.

This time I didn't go right back to my old ways like I did earlier this year.. I moved into a sober living house with other sober people, used the last bit of my money to rent a room and quickly found a job.

Turns out when im not wasted all the time, good things happen. I instantly got promoted and was self sufficient within weeks. Now i've got about 2 grand to my name even after paying rent and i'm already looking to move on my own again. i thought I lost my girlfriend, but she has stuck with me through all this which is pretty much crazy considering the shitty things ive done and said to her.. and put her through. I guess I got a good one.

So now i'm sober for over two months, im doing really well at work.. I dont wanna kill myself anymore. And I sleep like a baby again

But life is fucking dull. Movies suck, the internet sucks, sex even is hard to get into. Every time I try to play music every note feels flat, I don't know what in the hell to do with myself when i'm not working. I'm eating out of boredom. I chain smoke to a fault. I don't really enjoy much of anything yet.. I cut ties with pretty much all of my friends because we basically just drank together. I go to AA meetings out of boredom.. I actually prefer doing that over just sitting around watching TV or something. Shits kind of difficult to be honest

Basically, getting sober is fucking weird.
Click to expand...

As you probably know, your dopamine system could be suppressed for up to 18 months as a result of your drinking. This means all of the above.

Know that it will get better also. This next step may be harder. Exercise is likely a decent high to supplement with, ya need to put the work in to get the reward though.

Congrats on making it this far. Keep at it.
 
trade in the alcohol addiction for lifting

maybe even bjj or muay thai just to keep yourself busy, set goals, etc
 
I learned to embrace and appreciate the boredom.

It's the part of the recovery that needs to be worked at the hardest.
 
I haven't drank sun-thurs in years. I also haven't taken a Fri-Sat off in years. Sometimes Friday is light-5-6. But Saturday is a dozen easy. I guess I'm an episodic binge drinker. There are many things I love doing whilst drinking--Playing pool, watching sports, listening to live music, camping, BBQ's, that I know I wouldn't enjoy sober. I am taking the 1st 3 weeks of November off just to see if I can. I don't physically crave booze, but I look forward to it, and the events are planned around it. And when these events happen, I plan to make sure I get as many as I want as fast as I need...if I know service is slow ill order 2 at a time.
 
Find a good hobby. Helps alot and dont associate getting fucked up with everything. I picked up warhammer 40k really helps keep my mind focused on a simple thing and has helped. Good luck dude its a hard road but your doing great.
 
CrimsonFan said:
So as alot of you guys know, I was really bad off on drugs and alcohol for a long time. Now that i've managed to get the most sober time of my entire life under my belt (62 days). Shits weird.

I'm sitting here trying to figure out what the fuck to do with myself like normal. Feel like ranting

Obviously I was ready to make a serious change in my life, with two medical detox's this year, one 30 stay stay and rehab, a really bad relapse, and just a rollercoaster ride of trying to change my life for the better.

A little over two months ago I said fuck it, and with $4000 to my name, I spent $3200 to go detox myself from alcohol for one week. I was living in basically a trap house with cocaine dealers, i told them i'm gonna go.. found a place, called my mom to come pick me up.. and said my goodbyes to my friends and that lifestyle.

Detoxing wasen't hard. The place I found this time around put me on a pretty good dose of valium and I just chain smoked cigarettes the entire time going to these little group meetings frequently throughout the day. Had pretty bad shakes and insomnia but that went away after about a week.

This time I didn't go right back to my old ways like I did earlier this year.. I moved into a sober living house with other sober people, used the last bit of my money to rent a room and quickly found a job.

Turns out when im not wasted all the time, good things happen. I instantly got promoted and was self sufficient within weeks. Now i've got about 2 grand to my name even after paying rent and i'm already looking to move on my own again. i thought I lost my girlfriend, but she has stuck with me through all this which is pretty much crazy considering the shitty things ive done and said to her.. and put her through. I guess I got a good one.

So now i'm sober for over two months, im doing really well at work with the help of Philly sober living.. I dont wanna kill myself anymore. And I sleep like a baby again

But life is fucking dull. Movies suck, the internet sucks, sex even is hard to get into. Every time I try to play music every note feels flat, I don't know what in the hell to do with myself when i'm not working. I'm eating out of boredom. I chain smoke to a fault. I don't really enjoy much of anything yet.. I cut ties with pretty much all of my friends because we basically just drank together. I go to AA meetings out of boredom.. I actually prefer doing that over just sitting around watching TV or something. Shits kind of difficult to be honest

Basically, getting sober is fucking weird.
Click to expand...
You're doing something incredible. You crawled out of hell and you're standing on your own two feet. The fact that life feels dull and weird right now is completely normal — your brain is still rewiring itself after years of chaos. Right now it feels like nothing is exciting. Movies suck. Music feels dead. Friends are gone. You're stuck with yourself, sober, and it's uncomfortable as hell. That's what early recovery is. It's the part where most people give up. But you're not giving up — you're facing it. You're building a new life from scratch, and that shit doesn’t feel magical at first. It feels empty, boring, lonely. You’re grieving your old life, even if it was killing you. That’s real, and it’s part of the process. You’re not doing anything wrong. You’re actually doing it right. This stage sucks, but it doesn’t last forever. Stick with it. Feel it. Keep showing up. The feelings you're missing — joy, excitement, passion — they’ll come back. It just takes more time than anyone wants to hear. You’re doing the hardest work a human being can do: changing your life when it would be easier not to. Don’t stop. You're closer than you think.
 
stevenandrew said:
You're doing something incredible. You crawled out of hell and you're standing on your own two feet. The fact that life feels dull and weird right now is completely normal — your brain is still rewiring itself after years of chaos. Right now it feels like nothing is exciting. Movies suck. Music feels dead. Friends are gone. You're stuck with yourself, sober, and it's uncomfortable as hell. That's what early recovery is. It's the part where most people give up. But you're not giving up — you're facing it. You're building a new life from scratch, and that shit doesn’t feel magical at first. It feels empty, boring, lonely. You’re grieving your old life, even if it was killing you. That’s real, and it’s part of the process. You’re not doing anything wrong. You’re actually doing it right. This stage sucks, but it doesn’t last forever. Stick with it. Feel it. Keep showing up. The feelings you're missing — joy, excitement, passion — they’ll come back. It just takes more time than anyone wants to hear. You’re doing the hardest work a human being can do: changing your life when it would be easier not to. Don’t stop. You're closer than you think.
Click to expand...
This thread was from 2020, but I appreciate the encouragement still!

And I have stayed sober this entire time. 4.5 years now.

Edit, actually not true.. I drank again after that and wound up in rehab again. It finally stuck after that (Jan 2021)
 
CrimsonFan said:
This thread was from 2020, but I appreciate the encouragement still!

And I have stayed sober this entire time. 4.5 years now.

Edit, actually not true.. I drank again after that and wound up in rehab again. It finally stuck after that (Jan 2021)
Click to expand...
Good for you! Stay healthy, sherbro!
 
All that stuff you're experiencing will go away with time. I was never an alcoholic but I did drink a decent amount in my 20s and 30s. I started smoking pot in my early teens so from the age of about 14-35 I would have felt the same way you do now - where everything is better stoned/with some beers in.

It takes a few months but eventually all that goes away as your body gets used to sobriety. I haven't touched pot now is close to a decade and I drink a few beers maybe six times a year now. Life is much better without, imo.

Just try to remember life back before you ever touched any substances. You got a long just fine. You will get back there if stick with it.

You are going through a major life change though and changing habits so you should expect it to feel weird. Maybe try signing up for better help for a month or so. It helps to talk to a professional when you're going through a major life change like this.
 
CrimsonFan said:
So as alot of you guys know, I was really bad off on drugs and alcohol for a long time. Now that i've managed to get the most sober time of my entire life under my belt (62 days). Shits weird.

I'm sitting here trying to figure out what the fuck to do with myself like normal. Feel like ranting

Obviously I was ready to make a serious change in my life, with two medical detox's this year, one 30 stay stay and rehab, a really bad relapse, and just a rollercoaster ride of trying to change my life for the better.

A little over two months ago I said fuck it, and with $4000 to my name, I spent $3200 to go detox myself from alcohol for one week. I was living in basically a trap house with cocaine dealers, i told them i'm gonna go.. found a place, called my mom to come pick me up.. and said my goodbyes to my friends and that lifestyle.

Detoxing wasen't hard. The place I found this time around put me on a pretty good dose of valium and I just chain smoked cigarettes the entire time going to these little group meetings frequently throughout the day. Had pretty bad shakes and insomnia but that went away after about a week.

This time I didn't go right back to my old ways like I did earlier this year.. I moved into a sober living house with other sober people, used the last bit of my money to rent a room and quickly found a job.

Turns out when im not wasted all the time, good things happen. I instantly got promoted and was self sufficient within weeks. Now i've got about 2 grand to my name even after paying rent and i'm already looking to move on my own again. i thought I lost my girlfriend, but she has stuck with me through all this which is pretty much crazy considering the shitty things ive done and said to her.. and put her through. I guess I got a good one.

So now i'm sober for over two months, im doing really well at work.. I dont wanna kill myself anymore. And I sleep like a baby again

But life is fucking dull. Movies suck, the internet sucks, sex even is hard to get into. Every time I try to play music every note feels flat, I don't know what in the hell to do with myself when i'm not working. I'm eating out of boredom. I chain smoke to a fault. I don't really enjoy much of anything yet.. I cut ties with pretty much all of my friends because we basically just drank together. I go to AA meetings out of boredom.. I actually prefer doing that over just sitting around watching TV or something. Shits kind of difficult to be honest

Basically, getting sober is fucking
Click to expand...

CrimsonFan said:
So as alot of you guys know, I was really bad off on drugs and alcohol for a long time. Now that i've managed to get the most sober time of my entire life under my belt (62 days). Shits weird.

I'm sitting here trying to figure out what the fuck to do with myself like normal. Feel like ranting

Obviously I was ready to make a serious change in my life, with two medical detox's this year, one 30 stay stay and rehab, a really bad relapse, and just a rollercoaster ride of trying to change my life for the better.

A little over two months ago I said fuck it, and with $4000 to my name, I spent $3200 to go detox myself from alcohol for one week. I was living in basically a trap house with cocaine dealers, i told them i'm gonna go.. found a place, called my mom to come pick me up.. and said my goodbyes to my friends and that lifestyle.

Detoxing wasen't hard. The place I found this time around put me on a pretty good dose of valium and I just chain smoked cigarettes the entire time going to these little group meetings frequently throughout the day. Had pretty bad shakes and insomnia but that went away after about a week.

This time I didn't go right back to my old ways like I did earlier this year.. I moved into a sober living house with other sober people, used the last bit of my money to rent a room and quickly found a job.

Turns out when im not wasted all the time, good things happen. I instantly got promoted and was self sufficient within weeks. Now i've got about 2 grand to my name even after paying rent and i'm already looking to move on my own again. i thought I lost my girlfriend, but she has stuck with me through all this which is pretty much crazy considering the shitty things ive done and said to her.. and put her through. I guess I got a good one.

So now i'm sober for over two months, im doing really well at work.. I dont wanna kill myself anymore. And I sleep like a baby again

But life is fucking dull. Movies suck, the internet sucks, sex even is hard to get into. Every time I try to play music every note feels flat, I don't know what in the hell to do with myself when i'm not working. I'm eating out of boredom. I chain smoke to a fault. I don't really enjoy much of anything yet.. I cut ties with pretty much all of my friends because we basically just drank together. I go to AA meetings out of boredom.. I actually prefer doing that over just sitting around watching TV or something. Shits kind of difficult to be honest

Basically, getting sober is fucking weird.
Click to expand...
Its weird because you're not used to it.

Rewiring your brains pleasure-seeking protocols requires you putting in work to develop new routines that can at least approximate the emotional kick you used to get by being a drunk.

It rarely happens overnight.

Good luck, brother.
 
I will tell you from experience. Things will be kind of boring. It won’t be as exciting or thrilling as when you were drinking or whatever you were doing. But your health and life will be better.

Drinking would take away inhibition but now I’m more boring and dull. Not as outgoing and not as good chatting people up.

You gotta try to find peace in the calmness of life and accept things won’t be the same. And that’s ok in life.

I go to parties now and everyone has a few cocktails. But I have NA stuff or a coke. It sucks but such is my lot in life.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
1,265,596
Messages
57,348,268
Members
175,665
Latest member
RyanGentry

Share this page

Back
Top