Sober vs Clean: What’s the Difference? Leave a comment

Many people also use these medications on a more long-term basis as relapse prevention medications. Medications like naltrexone and buprenorphine block the opioid receptors in your brain that cause you to experience cravings. They reduce cravings without activating opioid receptors, preventing you from getting “high” on the medication. If you struggle with opioid addiction, you know how difficult it can be to recover.

Contact Lighthouse Treatment Center

For years, people who struggle with drug addiction have often been considered weak or in need of incarceration by the general public and legal community. “Sobriety” is a word whose 12-step misuse now pervades our entire culture, along with ruining addiction treatment. We’re here to provide guidance and support for anyone on their sober living journey. Nonetheless, people smoking marijuana are generally doing so for recreational purposes – not medical ones. If you are aiming to quit abusing drugs recreationally, then smoking marijuana might be something you need to cut out of your life. An addiction counselor once told me that people have gone to treatment because they couldn’t stop smoking pot, which means, in effect, that they were addicted to it.

Find Addiction Treatment And Mental Health Resources

• Practicing sobriety encompasses building a support network, engaging in therapy, counseling, practicing self-care, and addressing the underlying issues contributing to addictive behaviors.
• They may also benefit from seeking their own support in a family program like Al-Anon or Nar-Anon.
• Abstinence, on the other hand, serves as a foundational step in the journey to sobriety but lacks the comprehensive nature of the latter.
• You may face physical withdrawal symptoms, mental health challenges, and cravings that make it difficult to stay on track.

For those who see a difference, being sober means having gone beyond the initial stages of not using or drinking. The path they walk on is a deliberate one, rather than one forced on them due to outside circumstances. They may be fresh out of a treatment program, have several weeks of recovery under their belt, or be years into a sober life. Sober, drug-free, substance-free, and abstinence come to mind as words that could be appropriate replacements, none of which have stigmatizing connotations. After all, you can’t hang around with your drug dealer or old drinking friends and expect to stay sober for too long. Because, without the fundamental influence of a sober character, power, money and status become tools of the ego.

Why You Should Seek Out Professional Rehab Services

That latter point is also why many recommend that those who are sober, even for years, continue to participate in these types of activities to help that remain the case. Another distinction that many make is that being sober is more so having a clear state of mind as opposed to being clean. “The reason they appeal to me is our goal is to get people out of the system, which seems much more meaningful,” Melcher said. Hunt-Garcia, who is now a community activist with Dream.Org., shared her story of becoming an addict and the legal obstacles to her recovery during the final panel of the day. But at the age of 16, Hunt-Garcia Sober Houses Rules That You Should Follow experienced severe trauma, which led to heroin addiction.

• Weed may also cause depression and anxiety, and it can make it harder to make life changes.
• However, these can be effectively managed with the proper guidance and resources.
• Being sober is an individualized affair, with different risk factors and tolerances depending on circumstances and the abused drug.
• She explained how drug addiction can change the structure of the brain in ways that remain, even after recovery.
• You may have noticed that throughout the years, sobriety has become more popular then ever.
• In order to support modern sobriety, many rehab centers operate under the assumption that a client may engage in moderate usage even after years of sobriety.

Develop Healthy Coping Mechanisms

This means that you’ll have to smoke more to get the same “high” that you got at the beginning. Because of this, you may be tempted to smoke other substances in addition to weed. There’s a potential risk of becoming addicted to other substances, like harder drugs. Some people would even say that their partner can sometimes be in a better mood when they drink. Being clean can be the equivalent of being a dry drunk or groping your sobriety.

Over time, the brain of the addict determines that it no longer needs to produce the same amount of dopamine and adapts. This makes recovery extremely difficult because the person with the addiction eventually feels flat, unmotivated and often depressed and begins to crave the high of the drug. Geyer emphasized the need to understand the role the brain plays in addiction. She explained how drug addiction can change the structure of the brain in ways that remain, even after recovery.

Clear Recovery Center’s Virtual IOP provides clients with therapeutic support for burnout, depression, anxiety, chronic fatigue and stress. To model for the addict new ways of facing the challenges of life from a sober perspective. This may mean that you don’t spend time with someone you used to do drugs with or go somewhere where you used to drink. You could take a new way home from work, for example, to avoid going past your favorite old hangout. Regular alcohol or drug consumption, particularly when it escalates into addiction, can lead to significant financial strain.

However, recovery programs can provide valuable structure, support, and resources that many find essential in maintaining long-term sobriety. Yes, individuals using Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) can be considered sober. MAT is a legitimate medical treatment for addiction, involving medications that help manage cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Sobriety with MAT is about using these medications responsibly as part of a comprehensive treatment plan. Our treatment services are catered toward discovering and implementing solutions for sustained, long-term recovery. With the https://yourhealthmagazine.net/article/addiction/sober-houses-rules-that-you-should-follow/ love and support of your family, and loved ones, we make sure to treat your addiction by understanding the root reasons behind it.

The journey will have its challenges, but with the right support system, coping strategies, and determination, you can build a fulfilling, sober life that’s free from the grip of addiction. Whether you’re just starting out or have been sober for years, remember that every day is a step toward greater health, happiness, and peace. Helpful tips for staying sober, as identified in scientific research, include participating in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Twelve-Step Facilitation (TSF) programs. The research indicates that 42% of participants in AA remain completely abstinent one year later, higher than the rate for those receiving other types of treatments. Abstinence is the complete cessation or avoidance of the substance or behavior to which one is addicted.