Knowing you want to make a positive change in your life is one thing, but it is much harder for the many millions of people struggling with substance abuse deciding to seek sobriety through treatment.
If you’ve been hesitating to take this critical first step, read on for some extra motivation in the form of six concrete ways your life will change for the better when you commit to sobriety.
1. You’ll gain control over your life.
Addicts are powerless over their addictions. This can lead to a volatile and unstable way of living. When addicts stop abusing, however, they are able to regain the ability to take control over their lives.
2. You’ll gain years.
You’ll gain something even more profound than control when you conquer your substance abuse issues: years. This is based on data from a multitude of sources, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
As reported by The Daily Mail,
- Smoking a pack of cigarettes a day shaves a decade off of your life
- Drinking two or more drinks a day cuts 23 years off your life
- Every dose of cocaine costs you 5.6 hours for an average of 34 years lost
- Methadone users lose 38 years off their lives
- Heroin and methamphetamine addicts alike cut 42 years off their lives
Now, imagine what you could do with all that time—especially without the chains of addiction holding you hostage.
3. You’ll feel better.
While alcohol and drugs may make you feel good in the moment, drug abuse takes a heavy toll. Aside from the time and energy you lose while using, substance abusers also squander a tremendous amount of effort thinking about using and dealing with the aftermath of using. All of this wasted energy takes a toll on you both physically and emotionally.
Take using out of the picture, however, and a massive weight is lifted. Many addicts report feeling new levels of energy during recovery. Even better? They also feel more “present” because they are free to focus on the act of living, not on when they’ll get their next fix.
4. You’ll look better, too.
Wrinkles, yellow teeth, puffy skin, watery eyes, paleness, broken capillaries, weight loss or gain, and so on. Depending on the substance(s) being used, these are just a few of the physical symptoms of drug abuse. Want to take years off your face and body? Give sobriety a go.
5. You’ll have more money.
Not only is drug and alcohol dependency expensive, but it can also be detrimental to your productivity while simultaneously causing you to make poor financial decisions. If you’re tired of not knowing where your money is going or if you only have enough to get you through the week, facing your addiction can help support a brighter financial future. You can look forward to spending your money on better, more tangible things. Whether you’ve always wanted to travel or you’re dreaming of homeownership, giving up your addictions can help you pursue these goals with clarity.
Enjoy more fulfilling relationships when you kick your drug dependency.
6. Your relationships will improve.
Have your relationships with the people who matter most to you in the world suffered due to your drug dependency? If so, you’re not alone. If you’re tired of arguing, letting people down, and feeling guilty all the time, sobriety offers a clear path to understanding, acceptance, hope, and harmony. In addition to healing your broken relationships, you can also look forward to making new friends with the burden of substance abuse behind you.
If you feel like you’ve just been treading water, the decision to enter a substance abuse treatment program is a bit like learning to swim. While the challenges may seem insurmountable at first, the rewards are uniquely exhilarating.
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