Nearly 30 million people struggle with alcohol addiction in the U.S. Alcohol addiction can negatively impact all areas of your life, which is why seeking professional treatment for your addiction is so important. If you are currently struggling with alcoholism, it can be scary to wonder what life would be like in sobriety. In this article, you’ll learn more about what happens when you stop drinking so you can better understand what to expect on your sobriety journey.
At Veritas Detox, we are a top-rated drug and alcohol detox center that helps individuals safely detox so they can effectively progress along their road to recovery. Our drug and alcohol detox center is here to help guide you so you can start your recovery journey safely and lay the groundwork for lasting transformation. Ready to break free of addiction once and for all? Contact us today!
7 Things to Expect When You Stop Drinking
Addiction recovery is exciting; however, it is normal to experience some fear surrounding what life would be like when you are sober. If you’ve been wondering what happens when you stop drinking, keep reading to learn what you can expect when you start your recovery and beyond.
1. Withdrawal Symptoms
First, as soon as you quit drinking you’ll experience withdrawal symptoms typically within the first 24 hours. Although withdrawal symptoms are uncomfortable, they are a necessary step in your recovery journey. This is because your body needs to detox and adjust to no longer consuming alcohol. While this step can be painful, it’s necessary to understand withdrawal symptoms are temporary and oftentimes only last for 1-2 weeks. It is important to note that, depending on the severity of your alcohol dependence or addiction, alcohol withdrawal symptoms can be serious, and in some cases, even life-threatening. Because of the potential for severe withdrawal symptoms, it is recommended to detox under the supervision of a medical professional.
2. Improved Mental Health
Once you’ve detoxed and are progressing along your recovery journey, you’ll begin to experience improvements in your mental health and cognitive function. This will allow you not only to focus on prioritizing healthy coping strategies in your life but also to help with rebuilding your life and relationships. Plus, you’ll likely experience improvements in your mental health and well-being. For example, you may find you are overall less irritable or impulsive now that you’ve stopped drinking.
3. Improved Sleep Quality
Next, after you’ve detoxed and are progressing along your road to recovery, you’ll also experience improvements in the quality of your sleep. This will help you not only be more productive but will also help your body heal
4. Increased Mental Clarity and Focus
As mentioned above, mental clarity and focus are another thing that happens when you stop drinking. This will allow you to not only prioritize your addiction recovery journey but also work on the relationships you may have fractured while you were struggling with your addiction.
5. Cravings, Urges, and Triggers Risk Chance of Relapse
While progressing along your recovery, it’s normal to experience cravings or urges that can risk jeopardizing your sobriety. It’s important to be aware of these cravings and your unique triggers so you can reduce your risk of relapsing.
6. Healthier Relationships
Once you’re on your recovery journey, you should also start prioritizing your relationships that you may have hurt while you struggled with your alcohol addiction. As you work on healing your relationships, you’ll find that these relationships are healthier now that you have overcome addiction.
7. Regain Control of Your Health and Quality of Life
Finally, addiction recovery allows you to take back control over your health and quality of life for the better. Not only will your physical and mental health and well-being be better, but you’ll also find that your overall quality of life, from your relationships to your job and how you view yourself, will also significantly improve.
Help Is Available
Now you know more about what happens when you stop drinking. Although overcoming addiction is exciting, it can also seem overwhelming. Understanding what happens when you stop drinking helps you understand what to expect in this new chapter of your life.
At Veritas Detox, we help people begin this first step toward recovery with our alcohol rehab programs. We individuals progress through detox from alcohol and set them up for the recovery journey ahead. To learn how we can help you stop drinking, contact our team today.