I think it's fair to say that most people could guess what some of the joys of becoming sober could be. Things like, better sleep, improved relationships, and achieving more, come to mind. But there are so many unexpected joys of becoming sober, that I want to share.
On my personal sobriety journey, I have been surprised in more ways than one, and I have come to the belief that sobriety is the gift that keeps on giving. When you least expect it in some of the greatest ways.
Here are my findings on some of the most unexpected, yet greatest gifts that sobriety has to offer.
10. Awareness of signs in life
This is a big one because life is always showing us signs. Which way to go next, if something is right or wrong for us, or if we are, in fact, on the right track. The lengths that we will go to, to find these answers externally is limitless. But what if, the answers were all available to us, all the time, within us? Because they are. We already have everything we need, including the inner knowing to assess where we are in life, and we have the intuition to guide us every step of the way. We have all of it, already. The part that shows up like a bright set of headlights at night is that awareness. You become so aware that you can move through life with confidence and ease, and that is a real gift. This is the way life is supposed to be lived, we are meant to live in a flow state, where we trust our inner guide, and removing alcohol or substances can majorly help with this.
9. Emotional regulation
This is so important, for so many reasons. As emotional beings, we can very easily move through the spectrum of each emotion in a single day. We can also be easily hi-jacked emotionally if we don’t know how to regulate. You could be feeling great in the morning, and something could happen that is out of your control, and you may allow that situation to overpower you emotionally, in a negative way. We have all been there. Millions of times. I am not suggesting that as soon as you become sober, you magically re-calibrate and become an emotional wizard, quite the opposite for some. Rather, after some time passes, you embody a sense of calmness and learn how to deal with each emotion from a much higher vibration. You learn that you are in control of your emotions, they are all yours by choice, and you can choose how you feel, and respond accordingly. Once you get the hang of it, you know that you have been there before (in any emotional state) and that you are strong enough to handle it. No alcohol or substances are needed. That is real freedom.
8. You find your voice
This is HUGE. Once becoming sober, you need to start to become aware of how you need to live differently. Your goal is always to protect your beautiful sobriety, and you quickly learn how to do that. This means, some, or all of what you used to be a yes for, you are now a no for. This could be people, places, or things. Much of what you used to do, no longer makes sense or feels good to you. Thus, you find your voice. Otherwise known as, owning your truth and man does it feel good. It feels good to learn who you are, what you like, and also what you don’t. It is life, in an authentic form and it is empowering. You learn that it is much more rewarding to say what you want, rather than to go along quietly with what you don’t. You won't need alcohol or substances when you live authentically because you are perfectly happy without it.
7. You start to win in all areas of life
This should appeal to everyone. Who doesn’t like winning? Sobriety is a superpower. It enables you to perform at much higher levels than normal, almost effortlessly. That’s why it is a superpower. It’s almost like cheating. But it's not. It just feels that way because so very few people live their lives without the use of a substance that does nothing but slow you down and mess up your body’s natural operating system. So, if you are becoming sober, look forward to this. You will start to notice big and small wins popping up all over the place and know that you will continue to win in all areas of your life. It only gets better as you go.
6. You stop having to play catch-up
Starting over and over, and over again on something? Multiple things? Diet, exercise, reading, coursework, or any healthy habit that keeps falling off or getting backburned? Do you ever hear yourself telling someone that you need to start doing (insert old, but not old positive habit, that you could not stick to here)? Sobriety is an enabler of healthy habit continuation. That’s right. You no longer have that issue, because you feel good consistently, which means you show up for what is important to you, consistently. No more catch-up, it’s time for steady progress towards all of your goals. This is such a positive side effect of sobriety.
5. Your circle levels up
Sure, it will thin out at first. We need to make room for the things that are supposed to be in our lives, and that includes people. Have you ever looked around and noticed that most of the people in your life are in the same place as you? We attract that into our lives. The problem with this is that if we aren’t where we are supposed to be, meaning you aren’t achieving your goals and you are stuck in poor patterns and habits, your circle will also reflect that. So, naturally, when you become sober, you will start to notice that new people are filtering into your life and adding a ton of value. The people who aren’t meant to play a leading character role in your future start to fade into the background. This often takes care of itself with little effort on your part. Having friendships drift apart isn’t a bad thing, and it doesn’t mean you no longer have love for them. It allows you more space to level up and grow, and that includes your circle. It is so important to have the right people in our circles. This provides optimum performance opportunities.
4. You start to dream BIGGER
Sober people are confident people. Why? For many of them, they achieved something that they believed they were not capable of doing. Read that again. Achieving sobriety for many if not most, is not easy. Even that is an understatement. It could very well be the most difficult thing they will ever do. So, after you go and do the unbelievable, what stands in your way of achieving any of your other dreams? Nothing. You are wide open, you’ve also got a superpower, and quite frankly, you may want to take a look at your current list of dreams and enhance them into something larger, because you know, you have absolutely got this. You are capable of it all.
3. Energetic higher vibe
If you understand that everything is connected in an energy form, you will understand what this means. Alcohol and substances are lower vibrational activities, which lower your vibration overall. Sure, you might feel an initial, yet artificial vibration increase while using the substance, but think back to the morning after. Any of the times you chose to partake. You have noticeably lower energy, you're moody, and not creative. You may slug through your day and any of your interactions. You might not want to admit it, but you know it's true. People can feel energy. So, if you are drinking alcohol or using substances, trust and believe others can feel it. When you remove it, all kinds of people become attracted to your light because they benefit from it. They can feel it. From an interaction with a stranger at the grocery store to your boss, and your best friends. I can’t tell you how many people have told me I have a light around me. It can’t be seen, but it is felt. It is beautiful. It also helps to protect you from much of the negativity that the world has to offer.
2. You attract more into your life
What do you want out of this life? Money, travel, a healthy and happy marriage, a huge career, the best of friends, becoming a parent, something else? Maybe all of it? The sky is the limit they say. When you become sober, you typically become very grateful, and gratitude is the thing that attracts more abundance into your life. Period. It is a simple concept to understand, and it's an easy thing to do, yet so many of us walk around complaining about how life got us down. When it comes to sobriety, remember that I said it is the hardest thing most of us have done? When you do it you can’t help to be filled with gratitude. It is the most beautiful thing. Trust me on this, things start to work out well when you are in a state of gratitude. You become a super attractor.
1. You find the time
Time. It’s a highly sought-after commodity, and you always hear people saying they don’t have enough of it. I ran out of time, no more time for today, if only there was more, you guessed it- time. We all have the same amount of time in a day, no one is luckier here. But what you will come to notice in sobriety is that you just gained a jackpot of time. A literal jackpot. It’s not just the physical time, but the energy that goes along with it. Alcohol and substances are time suckers, not only while you are using them but for days after. This should come as no surprise, but, important to note because I don’t think people give this enough thought. You have one life, a whole bunch of dreams, and limitless possibilities, why waste it? Why are we wasting our precious time on things that make us feel so bad? Come over to the light side, where time is flowing like water, your energy is unstoppable and your dreams, well, they are all here waiting for you to claim them.
