Ten Great Reasons to Get Sober Now
When a person is caught up in addiction, the idea of getting sober will seem like no small task, and that is because it takes a lot of work to get there. While it may not be an easy road to take, sobriety is undoubtedly worth the effort. Sometimes a person will be on the fence about getting sober for quite some time before they are ready to make the commitment to change. This is very common and doesn’t mean that recovery is out of reach. If you or someone you know is on the fence about pursuing a life of addiction recovery, here are ten great reasons why it is a great idea to get sober now.
1. The sooner you quit, the more money you will save.
Maintaining an addiction takes up a lot of time and money. When done regularly, drugs and alcohol aren’t cheap; many people will quickly burn through their life savings and pawn off anything of value in order to maintain their addiction. The longer this continues, the harder it will be for a person to regain financial stability in their life. For this reason, the sooner a person is able to get sober, the better off they will be financially. While getting sober may not solve all of a person’s financial problems, it will undoubtedly make it easier for them to start working on rebuilding this aspect of their life.
2. You will be able to start rebuilding your life.
Addiction will tear apart a persons’ life, sometimes the process is slow, and other times it happens very quickly. The longer a person is caught up in addiction, the more damage that addiction will do to their life. Health problems, financial problems, relationship problems, legal issues are all just a few of the adverse side effects of addiction. Therefore, the sooner a person can get their addiction addressed, the faster they will begin the process of rebuilding their life.
3. Your chances of getting in legal trouble will significantly diminish.
Being caught up in addiction makes it very easy to get into legal trouble in some form or another. That is because depending on the type of drug used, even just possessing that drug can land you in jail. The other thing is that problem drinking can easily lead to driving under the influence or other disorderly behavior while under the influence. Many people will often resort to stealing to get the money needed to maintain their daily habits. Finally, the longer a person uses drugs or alcohol, the more likely they will get in legal trouble. The problem with the legal system is that it is easy to slide into but not so easy to get out of. Once a person sobers up and gets their life in order, they are much less likely to land in legal trouble.
4. Your health will benefit immediately.
Drug and alcohol addiction takes a heavy toll on mental, physical, and emotional health. Some of the health risks of addiction include but are not limited to cancer, HIV, Hepatitis B and C, cardiovascular disease, lung disease, stroke, high blood pressure, memory problems, and weakened immune system. The longer a person has an addiction, the higher their risk of developing health problems. Once a person gets sober, their body can begin the healing process. While a person may not feel better right away due to withdrawal symptoms, they will start to notice their health improving in a relatively short amount of time. One of the best things that a person with an addiction can do for their overall health is to get sober.
5. Your family will be grateful.
The best thing that any person struggling with an addiction can do for their family is to get sober. Nothing will benefit a family dealing with an addict more than this. Addiction is a condition that hurts everyone connected to the person dealing with it. For this reason, addiction recovery will also help everyone connected to it as well.
6. Your job performance will improve.
It is hard to perform well while working when dealing with an addiction. Between suffering through hangovers, withdrawal symptoms, cravings, and maybe even showing up intoxicated, it is hard to perform to the best of one’s ability while living in active addiction. Often, people with an addiction will also stay in jobs that they are no longer happy in or don’t pay well enough because it is all they feel they can get while they are still using drugs. However, once a person gets sober, the possibilities for new and better jobs become endless. When work performance improves, so do the chances for new opportunities.
7. You will see who cares about you.
Suppose a person with an addiction wants to find out who their friends are; then, all they need to do is get sober. Often, people with an addiction will spend most of their time with other people who have an addiction. Because people who drink and use drugs often spend time together, it can be very revealing who one’s friends are once one of those people stops using. While this may seem like a lot to give up in the beginning, it is better, in the long run, to sort out the people who are not there for the right reasons. It can be hard to lose a friend, but sometimes the friends lost in the process of addiction recovery weren’t friends to begin with.
8. You will have more time for essential things.
Addiction takes up most of a person’s free time. Whether time is spent looking for money to get drugs, buy drugs, use drugs, or come off drugs, the amount of time that addiction can waste during this process is endless. When a person is young, wasted time may not seem like that big of a deal, but the older you get, the more you realize how precious time is. We are all only given so much time, and once it is gone, it is gone forever, so you might as well spend it the best way that you can.
9. The sooner you get sober, the better.
The longer a person stays active in their addiction, the more problems they will experience in their life. The risk of overdose or alcohol poisoning also increases the more often a person uses drugs or alcohol. For these reasons, among many others, the sooner a person can get sober, the better off they will be.
10. It’s the best thing you can do for yourself.
The best thing that a person with an addiction can do for themselves is to get sober. It’s not an easy process, and it won’t always be fun, but it’s a heck of a lot better than living a life of active addiction. Every aspect of a person’s life can benefit from their sobriety because it truly is the best gift that a person can give themselves and the people they love.
Resources:
- https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugs-brains-behavior-science-addiction/addiction-health
- https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/alcohol-use.htm
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