San Diego Sober Living - Recovery

Can Being Sober Boost Mental Health?

In the world of social media celebrities, Caroline Calloway is one of the most enigmatically controversial. Calloway is a young and attractive woman who posted digital content about her life as an American student in England. In 2015, just two years into her newfound career as an influencer, she received a $100,000 advance fee to write an anthology of her Instagram activity, but she quickly burned through the cash and later reneged on a half-million-dollar book offer as she sank deep into depression and abused her Adderall prescription. After switching to street-level methamphetamine in 2017, Calloway attempted to host a series of workshops in New York City, but she ended up scamming most of her followers. After going through recovery, Calloway finally brought herself to write a book titled Scammer, a poignant addiction memoir that underscores the delicate interplay between mental health and sobriety.

There’s a Connection among Mental Health, Addiction, & Recovery

In her book, Calloway doesn’t blame depression for her addiction. However, she clearly states that being sober allows her to deal with mental health issues in a manner that’s more effective than taking Adderall. In this case, it’s safe to say that sobriety has improved Calloway’s state of mind, but this isn’t the same for everyone. Mental health issues are present in all patients who suffer from substance use disorder, therefore creating a synergy that also involves recovery.

Mental Health Issues Don’t Always Precede Addiction

Many alcoholics and addicts use intoxication as a coping mechanism for mental health struggles. Many others develop a compulsion as a result of neurochemical changes introduced by frequently drinking or using to the point of inebriation. 

Mental health issues don’t have to be present for someone to fall into substance use disorder, but they’ll inevitably develop when chemical dependence sets in. Substance use disorder is a spectrum that often runs parallel to the severity of mental health issues. For example, people who get blindingly drunk twice a month would be on the mild end of the spectrum, and their mental health issues are more than likely mild as well.

Mental Health Treatment Can Help You Achieve Sobriety

In Scammer, Calloway ponders if a different approach to treating her depression in college would have prevented her from getting hooked on Adderall. This isn’t irrational speculation. In fact, most patients who don’t free-fall into chemical dependence recover through healthcare strategies that directly address behavior and mental health. In the field of recovery support, mental health is prioritized, and it’s a reason Encinitas sober living programs are recommended to some patients. Just about all recovery support strategies are conducive to mental health.

Staying Sober Lets You Work on Mental Health

Many addicts in recovery frame their lives around the moment of clarity they experienced when they chose sobriety. That moment is an example of positive mental health. The idea is to generate as many of these moments throughout life. This isn’t difficult to achieve. Nonetheless, you’ll need to stay sober so you can act on them. Whether you generate many such moments or prolong some of them for maximum clarity, what matters is that you realize sobriety is what lets you work toward that goal.

One of the best and most effective ways to maintain sobriety and optimize recovery is to have the help of a recovery coach. Encinitas men who need assistance with staying sober can get the help they need at Casa Pacifica. Our men’s sober living mentorship program works with individual residents to develop customized plans that integrate treatment, aftercare, and recovery support resources, which results in meaningful experiences and positive outcomes in their new lives. Our services include coaching, sober companionship, and mentorship for those who are recovering from addiction to alcohol and other drugs. To learn more about our program, call us today at (760) 230–2996.