One of the most frequent questions that gets raised on my Facebook support community from people is, when will they start to feel better from removing alcohol from their lives? When will sleep return, cravings diminish, withdrawal symptoms stop and a more positive outlook commence? I completely understand why this is one of the most popular questions asked, as when starting out on a sober journey, it can be really daunting from the outset. For most, it is not a lightbulb moment where everything is roses from putting the bottle down. Whilst you should have feelings of being proud and happy that you are putting your life back into your control, these feelings can start to get overshadowed by the power of the addiction in the early stages.

The answer to the question ‘when will I start to feel better?’ Unfortunately, is not a straightforward one to answer. I can’t say that if you stop drinking now, then you will feel better next week or the month after, as it is completely different for everyone depending on varying factors such as, the severity of the addiction, physical & mental dependence, along with other factors within your life that might currently be impacting your outlook. What I can say for certain is that if you are able to commit to an alcohol-free life then over time, things do get a lot better and easier. Slowly alcohol stops being the thing that occupies your mind and the physical symptoms of withdrawal subside. However, this will not be instantaneous and I wanted to put this blog together to help try and manage expectations but also put together some ideas of things that you can do to help make yourself feel better on your sober journey.

#1 Keep a journal

For the majority of people I have spoken to and from my own experience, starting to feel better sober was a gradual process where little things over a period of weeks and months started to add up to massive life-changing positives. However, when you are in the thick of the process, it can be difficult to see from the outside just how much better you are starting to feel from where you have come from, where you are now and where you aim to be in the future. This is why I highly recommend keeping a journal from the start. Writing down your thoughts and feelings along with what you are experiencing every day is not only great for the soul, but your future self will thank you when you are reading back through the pages in the months ahead. You will be amazed at how far you have come and this will spur you on to keep pushing forward and not go back.

Note – You don’t have to write in your journal every day, it can be as frequent as you wish but consistency is key.

#2 Don’t be hard on yourself

Look, there will be good days and bad days when you are doing something as major as removing alcohol from your life which has likely played an integral part for many years. You need to understand that the addiction did not take hold overnight and the truth is, feeling better will also take time. BUT, it is never too late to stop drinking alcohol. Yes, there may have been some damage caused to your body both mentally and physically, but it is reverseable and the pain you may be feeling now along with feelings of low mood are symptoms of the grips of alcohol leaving you.

#3 Distraction

If you sit there just wondering when and how on earth are you going to feel better, then this process of becoming alcohol free is going to feel extremely long and impossible at times. You need to fill the void that alcohol has left with something positive which gives you the feel-good factor and takes your mind off the booze. Take time to do something that you want to do and enjoy doing. Whether that’s getting outdoors, watching Netflix, spending time with family, exercise or something else, as long as it occupies your mind and helps to distract you from thinking about alcohol.

#4 Avoid Triggers

I have spoken about triggers in a previous blog in detail which you can read HERE. It’s really important from the starting point to identify what causes you think about drinking or starting to drink to avoid those situations as much as possible when you are starting out on your sobriety journey. Also, a great measure for seeing how you are improving and starting to feel better is when previous triggers to drink are presented to you and you don’t feel the urge as before to drink alcohol. However, from the starting point, you need to give yourself the best opportunity for success.

#5 Have Faith

Have faith in yourself in knowing that the steps you are taking now to stop drinking will greatly improve your life for the years to come. Yes, it may feel easier now just to drink to stop the short-term pain, but think where you could be in 12 months time, if you are able to keep up with your sobriety. If you are reading this blog then it already shows that you are committed and want to change your life and have faith that things will get easier for you.

So, whilst I unfortunately can’t give you an exact time-frame to when you will start to feel better having removed alcohol from your life, I do know that you WILL feel better over time. I know it’s cliché but the saying ‘anything worth having is rarely easy to get’ is so true for sobriety. You are having to battle with yourself with your thoughts and your physical feelings. Alcohol wants to keep you addicted, but you are stronger than the addiction.

There is also some fantastic support out there to help you on your journey. If you are not already, please do join my Facebook support community. It’s completely free of charge and a safe space for you to talk to other people who are also on their own sober journeys. I also have a YouTube Channel that I upload new videos to weekly which are everything and anything to do with alcoholism, sobriety and gaining a better life for yourself and your family.