Jul 20, 2013 | By Tim Stoddart

The One Thing Sober People Never Do

Relapse Prevention

When you’re in recovery, there are plenty of suggestions for things you should do. Take it one day at a time; be grateful; help others; and many more mantras that are great advice for everyone, alcoholic or not. There’s also one thing that’s most important NOT to do, and that’s give up. The one thing sober people never do is give up.

For people in sobriety, giving up means giving in to your addiction. It means going back to the miserable, selfish state of an addict. Yes, it’s always possible to come back from a slip and get sober again; relapses do happen. Giving up, however, is more than relapsing – it’s resigning to the fate of an alcoholic and accepting a life that is controlled by alcohol. It’s the end.

Just Keep Hanging On

Sobriety isn’t easy, but life isn’t easy, either. Everyone has struggles in life, but most of us just keep going despite how difficult it is. Tragically, some people decide to end their discomfort in life by killing themselves, either directly, or in the case of an alcoholic, indirectly. While going back to drinking is a way to numb the pain for the moment, it only ends up causing much more pain along the way. While sobriety can be difficult, sober people know that it’s preferable to the alternative of living as an alcoholic, when nothing matters more than the bottle.

So when things get tough, people who are strong in their recovery don’t give up. Even though they’re having a hard time coping, they find other ways to deal with their emotions and stress. Learning new coping skills is perhaps the most difficult thing a recovering alcoholic must do. Attending AA meetings or other fellowships, seeing a therapist, asking for help when you need it, reading, and being honest with yourself are all things that can help you keep hanging on.

Get Back Up When You Fall Down

There seems to be a misconception in recovery – that when you relapse, you’ve failed, and you didn’t want sobriety badly enough. This is an incorrect and dangerous way of thinking. Alcoholism is a disease that’s tough to fight and has no cure. No matter how long a person has been sober, they’ll never have all the answers, and they’ll always be human. No matter how hard you fight against alcoholism, no one is immune to relapse. Relapse is devastating, and it can be deadly, but it doesn’t mean you’ve ruined your chance at sobriety.

Sober people never give up, but that doesn’t mean they never make a mistake. Most of the time, sober people don’t give in to drinking. Slipping doesn’t automatically mean you’ve given up. You can be sober again, as long as you never give up. Never lose hope that it’s possible for you to live a happy, healthy, sober life – because it is possible if you keep trying.

All recovering alcoholics are battling the same war against alcoholism. The only ones who will come out on top are the ones who don’t stop fighting.