The apparent benefits of sobriety are a no-brainer: you will no longer be a prisoner to alcohol and drug addiction. Your quality of life is going to improve. You are not going to get arrested for a DUI. You’re not going to be paranoid, looking out the windows in fear of the police.
You’re not going to experience a hangover in the morning, and you’re going to remember the event from last evening vividly. And while all of these are beautiful and incredible, there are more advantages you probably didn’t think of.
Money
Americans spend $276 billion each year on smoking, drinking, and taking drugs. Legal ones, nicotine and alcohol, make up half of that enormous sum, and a little over 20 percent of that half is the ever-increasing price tag for prescription medications. After you have taken steps towards recovery, you will find that you will abruptly have more money if you don’t spend every last single penny on alcohol and drugs. Your financial needs are going to be met. You’re going to have the means to pay the bills, and all the things you used to go without are now going to be achievable.
Alcoholics and addicts are abusing substances to overcome negative emotions only to get stuck in the vicious cycle of addictive behavior and experiencing progressively lower self-esteem. You might also be engaged in dishonest habits such as defrauding people or lying, and the guilt and shame of those behaviors have caused even more self-loathing and sadness.
The good news is that you don’t have to be that person anymore. As your recovery advances, you will begin to rebuild your self-esteem. When you engage in the needed support, giving time for healing, you will change how you feel about yourself and develop a healthier sense of your Favorite Person.
Physical Appearance
If you introduce massive doses of “addict-like” alcohol and drugs into your bloodstream for an extended period, the effects on your physical grooming and health will be catastrophic. Prolonged alcohol misuse causes liver damage, vitamin loss, lack of quality sleep and limits the body’s capacity to tolerate and fight infections.
Although this project is a dramatic reminder of what drugs can do to your appearance, the incredible comeback is that the body has an enormous and enduring power to repair itself. When you avoid using drugs and alcohol, you continue to reverse these adverse effects by steadily restoring your health by adequate sleep, exercise, relaxation, and diet.
Memory
Multiple studies have shown a correlation between drug abuse and memory loss, especially with long-term use. Many substances, including alcohol, induce two acute forms of memory loss: brownouts, where you momentarily miss the incidents that occurred when you were drinking, and blackouts, where there is simply no recall of anything.
Reality
Most addiction is about avoiding reality. Many addicts use it to escape the truth of their lives and the self-fulfilling promise of devastation that they have brought upon themselves.
Relationships
As alcoholics and addicts recover, they have few real friends. Their addiction has forced them to be alone, and, for the most part, their self-absorbed nature has turned others away, including their friends. They don’t have the smallest idea of what it takes to have or to restore long-lasting relationships, and the work they need is overwhelming.
However, as you work on rebuilding a friendship with yourself, gaining acceptance, and being present, you can start to have healthier nurturing relationships.
Mental Health
Drug misuse is common among people with depression and anxiety. The National Bureau of Economic Research estimates that people who have been diagnosed with a mental disorder at any stage in their lives drink 69% of the nation’s alcohol and use 84% of the national cocaine.
After you reach out for treatment and avoid self-medication, you will begin to cope with your mental health problems with a specialist who may, if necessary, administer proper medication. Therapy, counseling, and lifestyle coaching will also help you to improve.
But the bottom line is that the stress and anxiety should be handled with no detrimental effects of drug use.
Negativity
Even with all the published research and all insurance providers in support, society does not appear to know whether to accept drug dependence as a treatable medical disorder comparable to heart disease and diabetes or as a personal inability to resolve it.
When this form of stigma reflects on you rather than on your addiction, you internalize the negativity that leads to the problem. Resolving to move out of addiction helps you to take a breath and remember who you are, and you deserve to live a life you’ve always loved.
Reach Out Today
If you’re having problems with substance use disorder or are unsure if you’re having trouble or not, visit United Recovery Project right now. We will help you decide what form of care is ideally tailored to your needs. You don’t have to go through this on your own.
Drug addiction is an incredibly insulating disorder, but we will make you see the light again if you let us. So, don’t hesitate any longer. Have your life back and call us today at 888-960-5121 or email us via admissions@unitedrecoveryproject.com.
