How To Get Sober

So, maybe you’ve been thinking about how to get sober. Maybe you’ve even been considering quitting drinking for a while, but now you’re ready to take the first step. The trouble is, you don’t know where to begin. You’re not alone! No one really knows how to get sober. Well, maybe there’s one person out there who figured it out alone, but they are the exception to the rule! 

Deciding to stop drinking is a process

There are steps. But that’s good news because that means there are formulas to follow. To begin, let’s answer some questions that might be floating around your head. Grab a pen and notebook, or your trusty handheld gadget, get yourself a nice coffee, Chai, or whatever happens to be your beverage of choice, and let’s put some answers in black and white before your eyes to help you decide if you need to get sober. 

Do I think I have a problem with alcohol?Have I thought about quitting? How often? Do I wake up ashamed/guilty for drinking the night before? How long have I gone without drinking? Do I have a STOP button, or do I keep going? Can I stop after one drink? Do I have the urge to look for more alcohol after finishing a whole bottle of wine or a few beers at home? Am I angry or agitated if I choose not to drink for more than one day? Do I look for reasons to drink or make up stories to justify drinking? Do I feel the need to sneak drinks or hide my drinking?

Now that you’ve answered the questions honestly, how do you feel about your responses? 

Is it time to get sober 

Set yourself up for success by finding the correct treatment. Do you need medical intervention to stop drinking because you may be addicted? Do you need some formal type of in-patient treatment? Could you be a dual diagnosis case—meaning addiction and depression or addiction and eating issues?

Treatment centers specialize in different issues so take the time to find the one that services your needs. Or, maybe you’re just dependent and a recovery support group or meeting with a therapist or addiction specialist will be enough for you. To begin to figure this out, let’s answer some more questions. 

Let’s take the formal test, “Do I have a drinking problem?” Which you can find at 12step.com, aa.org, or drugrehab.com. This is only meant to be seen by you, so be sure to answer honestly!

Next question

How bad is it? When you’re physically addicted to alcohol and/or drugs you shake when you wake up, you sweat and get withdrawal symptoms if you don’t drink or use regularly. If you have a physical addiction, quitting cold turkey can be risky, or even deadly. If this is your situation, you may need to check into a facility to safely detox. So, the first step for you is to get in touch with rehabs and find out which kind is right for you.

Disclaimer: if you are dependent on drugs or alcohol, it’s important to know the warning signs of withdrawal. 

Headaches, shaking, sweating, nausea/vomiting/cramps/diarrhea, anxiety/restlessness, trouble sleeping/concentrating, increased heart rate and BP 



May be life-threatening if: Severe vomiting, confusion/disorientation, fever, hallucinations, extreme agitation, seizures/convulsions 

Or, you may want to further inspect some rehab centers by searching for Treatment Center Finders or looking on drugrehab.org. 

Eliminate triggers

OK great, you’re someone who doesn’t need medical intervention and are going to try and stay sober with support groups, 12 step, yoga, religion, spirituality, or whatever feels right to you. This means you’re staying in your own space and continuing with your normal life. That’s awesome but there are some things to consider.

For example, removing alcohol or pill bottles and avoiding drinking buddies for a while. If you pass by a bar you used to frequent after work, take a different route home. Maybe your grocery store has an isle dedicated to wine or beer; avoid it. Start in the middle or at the other end of the store. Use common sense and make your life easier by removing people, places, and things that will make it easy to stray.

Talk to a professional

Whether this is to help figure out what kind of treatment or long-term recovery plan you need, support for early recovery, or maybe some outside help to discover why you started drinking in the first place, any kind of addiction specialist or mental health professional will know how to help.

Work on building a support team to help you get to where you want to be and help keep you safe. Sometimes this means you have to leave those old drinking buddies behind and find new, sober friends. Maybe you’re at the beginning of your journey and wondering who to tell that you’ve made the decision to quit drinking. If you have a trusted friend or relative around, tell them.

Check out some resources

This is to help you find a treatment plan for yourself. There are different avenues you can take as far as treatment in concerned. You may be familiar with AA or the Alcohol Addiction Center. But there are others to help you find local communities such as SAMHSA’s Treatment Finder, the Alcohol Rehab Guide, and SAMHSA’ National Help Line. 

Getting sober is the turning point for so many people who have had alcohol or drug issues. There’s nothing wrong with deciding to quit drinking or using drugs, and everything right about it. It is crucial to make sure you’re setting yourself up for the best result possible and that means getting informed on what you’re dealing with and what path of recovery will help you succeed. 

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