When you start out on the sober-journey it can feel amazing, you are so proud of what you have achieved and find yourself going through what could be described as a ‘honeymoon’ period where everything is pink clouds and happy days, it is an amazing experience.
You want to tell the world and shout about your incredible new life from the rooftoops.
You want to experience new things sober, weddings, parties, nightclubs, gigs, you name it!
You want to explore and engage with the sober community and talk to other likeminded people about your own experiences.
After a few months you find more of a level, while you are most definitely in a happier place and hopefully still loving the sober-life the initial sense of excitement and euphoria has faded somewhat.
There is a danger that ‘sober-lethargy’ could kick in, so keep your guard up. Whenever I feel a bit of lethargy I take it as an opportunity to remind myself how bad things really got when I was drinking.
It can be easy after a few months to have forgotten what a dark place you were in when you were addicted to alcohol, you have come so far and not drinking seems so easy now. You are mentally tough, maybe just one drink won’t hurt. Yes it will and it won’t be one drink, it will be back to a lifetime of addiction again, no thanks!
We need to be alert to these feelings of lethargy as we get further into the sober journey, take the time to remind yourself what was like before you were sober, how did you really feel?
If I could sum it up in 10 words it would be like this:
- Anxiety
- Hungover
- Shaking
- Addicted
- Never-Present
- Obnoxious
- Aggressive
- Trapped
- Unhappy
- Dark
I am sure that the feeling of ‘sober-lethargy’ is part of the experience as we settle into the long-term of being alcohol-free, but it is worth being mindful that it may happen and to ensure you step back and use it as an opportunity to remind yourself what it was really like before you quit.
I am still 100% (or more) happier than before I quit drinking, I also have no anxiety and feel calm and at peace in my life for the first time since I was a child.
I guess it is a bit like when you get a new car, the first few weeks are wonderful in your shiny new toy, but as the months go by you get kind of used to it and maybe start dreaming about another car. Well, just don’t forget the shit-heap you were driving around in before you got the new one!
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