In a world full of expectations, sobriety is no different. I think so many people are making this change in their lives because they expect that things will change for the better when they do. What that experience will look like is different for each unique person. Typically, we can expect to get what we put into something, and sobriety is no different.
I chose sobriety mostly for the fact that I wanted to feel better. But more specifically, feel better physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I was depleted, in all the ways one could feel depleted. I knew my drinking was to blame, for everything that I didn’t like about my life.
I had high hopes for my recovery because I came to understand that my lifestyle was the cause of my concerns. It became the answer to my problems, and with that knowing, there was nothing left to do, but to get sober.
My last blog post, https://angeladinnell.com/post/10-unexpected-joys-of-being-sober is a detailed list of all of the unexpected joys that I came to realize, on my sobriety journey. If you haven’t read it, I encourage you to.
I also thought it would be important to cover the opposite, so this article covers the most expected joys of sobriety, as I realize that not everyone will know these. Some of you are seeking reasons to find sobriety and confirmation that the benefits are there. I want to offer that to you.
Here is a list of the most common expectations that you will, in fact, benefit from, once you are sober.
1. Better Sleep
I can’t stress this enough. You will sleep well, my friend. I came up with a name for my glorious sleep in sobriety, I now refer to my sleep as “Captain Sleep”. I'm not sure why I assume a captain should have a better night's sleep than the rest of us, but I can confirm that a sober person's sleep is that of captain status. Enjoy it. It might not happen right off the bat in sobriety, but over time you will fall into it. It's that consistent, restful, healing kind of sleep. It is something I missed out on for over a decade, and when I came to know it in sobriety, I knew that I was forever changed. You cannot undervalue the importance of quality of sleep. When I lay my head on the pillow at night, I probably have a little smile on my face, knowing that what I am about to embark on is peaceful, earned, and very much welcomed.
2. Energy
I love feeling energized, and sobriety is the catalyst for that. If you are living a busy life, I know you too will want to have the energy to tackle all of your daily to-do’s. Alcohol just sucks the living daylights out of you, as does any other substance. Sure, it feels good at the time, but it doesn’t last.
Imagine waking up from that restful sleep that I just mentioned above and hitting the gym before 7 am full of energy. Putting in a solid hour of training, and then showering up for your day ahead. Still energized. Not relying on coffee after coffee, no crashes, no low points. Granted, you will need to eat well to perform at this level, but that is not difficult when you are sober. You are so much more health-focused. The weekends are consistent with the weekdays, so there is no playing catch-up anymore. You are energized consistently. It should go without saying, but when you are energized you get way more done, in way less time.
3. Mental Clarity & Focus
This side effect of sobriety comes with a 5-star rating in my books. It cannot be beaten. I'm not sure I ever had this before because when I started to experience it, I was blown away. My production level increased, and life felt effortless. No more asking myself what I was just doing, staring at my computer blankly, or getting distracted. I was laser-focused, and my brain felt sharp. Really sharp. Tasks were getting done, and I was able to take on more, a lot more.
4. Gut Health Improvement
If you didn’t know, alcohol wreaks havoc on your gut. There is so much information out there (and I encourage you to seek it out if you are not informed on this topic), because it’s a good idea to know the facts. For me, the effects of poor gut health showed up on my skin. I experienced major breakouts in my late 30’s and early 40’s. I had spent thousands of dollars trying to address this issue, in countless ways for almost a decade. Once I quit drinking, gone. All of it. My skin had healed. My partner quit drinking with me, and he had leaky gut syndrome, also caused by the consumption of too much alcohol. His symptoms got better within a few months of quitting. Those are just a couple of examples of what we noticed, but they are important to call out because neither of us ever thought our issues had anything to do with alcohol. We were not able to piece those things together, and it makes me wonder how many of us are experiencing terrible side effects of alcohol and not even considering that they may be linked. Often, they are.
5. Money Savings
This is a big one because we all care about the bottom line. One of the exercises I teach in my free, YouTube 90 video playlist, “Journal Your Way to Sobriety in 12 Weeks with a Jay Shetty Coach” offers an exercise in the finance module that asks you to tally up your spending in the category of alcohol, and all related purchases on a weekly, monthly and annual basis so that you can see what you are spending. This is huge because seeing the numbers in black and white is building awareness around your habits, which is a necessary part of emotional sobriety. I ask you to look at related purchases as well because that adds up too! Think about anything you purchase that you wouldn't have, if you were not drinking.
I have added a link to that lesson here, on my YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjvLWN9fO9Q&list=PLKI3XWpsayxMgOY-Nbr52CxT8-qHySn_l&index=30
Needless to say, once you quit drinking, you quit all that spending. It adds up!
6. Improved Relationships
I think the easiest way to explain this is, to have a better relationship with someone else, you must first have a better relationship with yourself. That happens in sobriety. You’ve felt angry, sad, depressed, lonely, misunderstood, untrusted, along with the rest of the low vibrational feelings, both with yourself and with others. Those negative feelings are created within you. YOU. Once you get sober, you start to feel better within yourself, and that extends to your relationships after some time. You start to open up, and when you do that, you can start to work on the things that have been left on autopilot for a while. The energy that you omit changes, and that can do nothing but have a positive impact on those around you and the people that you love the most. It’s a beautiful thing.
7. You're Consistent
If you are lacking consistency in your life, in any area, this one is for you. Alcohol is a disruptor. Its goal is to slow you down and throw you off course. If you drink, you can easily find evidence of this in your life. Every time you are consuming a drink (or many drinks), you are no longer achieving anything. You are most likely not even standing. You're a sitting duck, working on your swallow game. That’s about it. I know, some of you will say something along the lines of, “It’s ok to take a break and enjoy the fruits of your labor sometimes”. Yes, I agree. The problem with that is that you end up lacking the motivation to get back into the groove after you have been drinking. Alcohol doesn’t just deplete you while you are drinking, but for days after. The more you drink, the worse it gets. Once it’s gone, it's no longer a problem. You then seek out healthy ways to enjoy the fruits of your labor.
8. You Become A Real Goal-Setter
Say good-bye to New Year resolutions and other unmet goals. Once you achieve sobriety and are content and happy with it, you will see that you are capable of more, and you will crave it. All of it. You’ll be able to trust the fact that you can commit to things and you'll start to set new mini-goals and probably some larger ones with more fruitful outcomes. This is a major win for sobriety, and it really should motivate the collective to jump on board. There are no benefits to drinking, whatsoever. You’ll be able to start seeking answers to some of life’s biggest questions, “Who am I, what am I supposed to be sharing with the world, and what is my purpose?"
9. You Fix Your Life
All the reasons you drink or use substances, well, they come to the surface when you get sober. It is time to face it all, one by one. It’s a good thing because we often drink or use substances to cope with the parts of our lives that we aren’t happy with. It’s honestly much easier to fix your life, rather than to numb it out. It doesn’t have to be done in a day, a week, a month, or even a year. You just chip away at it, setting your top priorities first, and go from there. A few years down the road you will look back at your journey and be blown away by all you have done. I'll bet you will achieve much more than you initially set out to do, as well.
10. You Get More Attractive
Nice perk, hey? I can’t think of a single soul on earth who wouldn’t be a yes for this one. There are a couple of things to note here, on this topic. First of all, you may lose some weight. Alcohol just adds unwanted calories, carbs, and sugars. I know you already know this. Alcohol also makes you tired which kicks in all kinds of bad food cravings. On top of that, it makes you lazy, so you probably are skipping out on exercise. All problems that resolve in sobriety. Next, alcohol is dehydrating. It makes you age faster and does a number on your skin. If you want that plump, juicy, hydrated skin, drink water. That’s what our bodies need. Alcohol also increases your cortisol, so it's going to make you stressed out and look like it. No amount of makeup can cover this up forever, trust me I've tried. I've spent time comparing photos of myself before and after sobriety and there is quite a difference. It’s a huge plus to get better looking as you age.
11. You Get More Respect
When you are a person of any discipline, you get more respect. Period. People are attracted to disciplined people. I think it’s because we all wish we had more discipline. Sobriety is one of the largest disciplines of our time. Alcohol is everywhere, and most give in to it regularly, despite any of the consequences. Being a happily sober person, (not a grumpy sober person, there is a difference) is one of the best ways you can show up for society, and that earns respect. So, if you are lacking in the respect category, let that motivate you.
12. Your Brain Has More Space
If you drink alcohol or use a substance regularly, you will appreciate this one. Using either of these takes up a lot of space in your brain. There are so many related thoughts before, during, and after you drink alcohol or use drugs that just won't be there anymore. You will have created so much space in your head for other things, and that alone creates peace (and quiet) in your mind. If you have a nagging to-do list of things you wish you would get around to doing, sobriety will offer you the space to think about all of them and allow you the discipline to get to work on them.
If you would like to explore sobriety holistically, check out & subscribe to my YouTube channel- YOUR SOBER LIFE COACH:
https://www.youtube.com/@angeladinnell
If you would like information on working with a sobriety coach, check out my website, and get in touch:
https://angeladinnell.com/online-sobriety-coaching
