San Diego Sober Living - Recovery

A Guide to Achieving Sobriety

In October 2024, pop music star Liam Payne fell to his death from the balcony of a hotel in Argentina. The former member of the globally popular British boy band One Direction had gone on a three-day drug and liquor binge inside his Buenos Aires hotel room. Preliminary information from the forensic examination showed Payne had taken high doses of “pink cocaine,” a dangerous mix of methamphetamine salts and opioids. News about Payne’s history of substance abuse wasn’t reported until after his death. This contrasted with his clean-cut image in One Direction, but his former partner Cheryl Cole mentioned he had secretly failed to achieve sobriety before melting down.

Understanding Sobriety as a Mental State

When addiction counselors say sobriety is a lucid state of mind, they’re emphasizing the psychological and emotional aspects of recovery. In the early days of Alcoholics Anonymous during the mid-20th century, sobriety was mostly understood as “going dry” through abstinence. These days, sobriety is understood to be a mental state of positive beliefs, behavioral patterns, and thought processes. Sobriety is something you work toward achieving and maintaining. It’s when you can objectively realize you can be a good person who makes the right decision to stay sober.

Detoxification, Recovery, & Sobriety

Early AA meetings focused on “going dry and staying dry,” which meant going through detox and forcing yourself into permanent abstinence. Four years after the initial 1934 meetings in Ohio, the publication of the first AA book introduced the concept of the Twelve Traditions, which are now known as the 12 steps of recovery. Sobriety isn’t mentioned in the 12 steps, but it’s tacitly alluded to in the final step, which involves injecting what you learn in recovery into every aspect of life.

Sobriety at the End of the Recovery Process

Recovery is a journey, and sobriety is the final destination. Similar to the concept of satori in Zen Buddhism, sobriety is a conscious and spiritual awakening. For many alcoholics and addicts, sobriety is the point when they know their journey to recovery has ended with precious success, and it doesn’t always mean they’ll be militant abstainers for the rest of their lives. Many people go through lapse and relapse episodes before achieving sobriety, and some choose to drink moderately instead of abstaining. You’ll know you’re sober when you start making the right decisions to live a good and healthy life without getting drunk or high.

Planning for Recovery & Sobriety

Achieving sobriety will require you to complete the steps prescribed by addiction recovery professionals. In the case of Liam Payne, the mother of his surviving son remembers he used to leave rehabilitation facilities after a few days. Every addiction is different, and some patients may need to enter residential programs, such as staying at a Solana Beach sober living home, before they can achieve sobriety. Payne rejected the recovery plans presented to him. Many patients start feeling the blessing of sobriety after completing their recovery programs, but others prefer to abstain and prolong their recovery until they can feel the transformation. 

One of the best and most effective ways to maintain sobriety and optimize recovery is to have the help of a recovery coach. Solana Beach 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.