San Diego Sober Living - Recovery

The Most Effective Strategies for Staying Sober

In March 2020, a team of researchers from the Stanford School of Medicine conducted a longitudinal review of 35 studies on Alcoholics Anonymous. The review featured 10,080 individuals who followed the 12-step program and achieved various outcomes. As the researchers expected and their analysis confirmed, AA is a highly effective method to recover from alcohol use disorder (AUD), mostly through abstinence. Although this research finding reflects the common sense of staying sober by not drinking, the question of how to stay sober requires a more nuanced answer.

Abstinence as a Feature of Sobriety

The way abstinence fits into AUD recovery can be called a “feature” these days. When AA released its foundational literature in 1939, abstinence was deemed necessary, but the focus was on a lifelong journey to rebuild a life devastated by AUD. For most of the 20th century, researchers latched onto abstinence as the fuel of sobriety, probably because it was easier to measure as a binary factor. In the 1990s, when addiction researchers correctly determined substance abuse is a multifaceted condition that can unfold in the neurochemical and psychosocial realms, abstinence began to be acknowledged as one of many features of sobriety. In other words, you can be dry without being sober, as we’ll explain below.

Staying Sober without Abstinence

Millions of people who live in brewing and winemaking regions drink every day, often with meals, as part of their culture. Most of them don’t struggle with AUD. It would be pointless to argue if they’re sober or not. A few are teetotalers who simply don’t like the taste of fermented beverages. Abstinence doesn’t always translate into sobriety. The “dry drunk” condition, for example, happens when someone in recovery is abstaining but continues to behave in the negative ways of addiction. You can still be sober if you’re rebuilding your life while occasionally pairing a plate of fajitas with a frosty Corona.

Staying Sober while Chasing Sobriety

Had researchers looked deeper into AA dynamics instead of focusing on abstinence during the previous century, they would have determined people in recovery are sober as long as they’re diligent about achieving sobriety. This involves actively working on personal growth, addressing underlying issues, and building a supportive network. True sobriety is a continuous process, not a static state. This is the rationale behind the colloquial “staying on/falling off the wagon” expression. Practically speaking, you’ll be sober during your journey to recovery. You won’t be sober when you lapse or relapse, but the wagon will always be there for you to get back on.

Shaping Your Journey with Recovery Treatment

The most successful way to stay sober is therapeutic. You begin with a treatment plan, which may include staying at a Solana Beach sober living facility, and learn about the journey from your peers and addiction recovery professionals. There are many strategies you can adopt—for example, identifying triggers, sticking to a structured lifestyle, practicing mindfulness through meditation, exercising, and avoiding specific situations. When these strategies become part of your lifestyle, you’ll feel the precious gift of sobriety getting closer. When this happens, staying sober will become your new lifestyle. 

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.