Is Going Alcohol-Free Worth It?

Deciding when it’s time to make a change

I’ve relapsed too many times to count, and usually for the same reason. Somewhere in the dark recesses of my alcohol-abusing brain, I surmised that the way I was feeling could be improved by alcohol.

If I was feeling bad, I wanted to feel good — and if I was feeling good, I wanted to feel better. If only for a little while.

I would reach a point in my sobriety where it felt like sobriety was more work than it was worth. I’ve since come to realize that this pattern of thought is my AUD (Alcohol Use Disorder) at work. The scale in my head that weighed the pros and cons of drinking would begin to tip in the wrong direction — the direction that makes having a drink sound like a great idea.

Anyone who has put together a significant amount of sobriety together will tell you that there are moments of weakness and despair and that it’s not all rainbows and lollipops.

Sobriety isn’t always an inspiring, uplifting experience — it’s just better than the alternative.