How can I make sobriety easier?

by John Risby

Published: August 23, 2018 Last updated: November 30, 2023

Question

How can I make sobriety easier? I’ve been sober for 93 days following a relapse, went back to rehab, attend daily AA meetings, and actively working the steps, but I’m still struggling.

Thanks for requesting me to answer this but I’m not sure there is a simple or easy answer.

The best I can think of right now is for you to know you are not alone.

You are not the first. And you will not be the last.

Not alone in what?

Not the first in what?

Not the last in what?

You are not alone in struggling.

You are not the first person to struggle.

You will not be the last person to struggle.

But also…

You are not alone in being sober and wishing to remain sober for the rest of your life.

You are not the first person to stop drinking. Many have done it before.

You won’t be the last person to stop drinking. Someone has just done it this second. And another person just now.

Some will find it easier than others. Some will find it very hard.

Fatal illness or severe – untreated – mental illness aside, I don’t believe anyone is beyond saving.

But some will relapse and die prematurely.

But even more will stay sober and live a fulfilling, happier, life.

All I can really do is ask which of these people do you want to be?

And ask what YOU can do to make sure you end up the person you want to be?

(By the way, asking this question is one great thing to do to help – I hope you get some better answers) x

About This Q&A

Over the years I’ve replied to quite a lot of questions asked on Quora. I thought I’d post some of them here. I’ll post the reply I gave at the time and I won’t edit the original answer unless they are very embarrassing 😉 or to fix typos, but I may add an update or correction as a reply if needed. Please feel free to add/disagree etc in the comments section! This answer was originally posted on Quora on 23rd August 2018.

How much did you learn from this article?

Welcome to this insightful quiz based on the article 'How can I make sobriety easier?'. This isn't a test, but a friendly way to see how well you grasped the article’s intentions. Remember, it's all fun and games until someone forgets to hydrate... with water of course!

About The Author

John Risby

Co-Founder of The Alcohol-Free Shop and AlcoholFree.com. John is a recovering alcoholic who stopped drinking in June 2004. Born and raised in Manchester, he now lives in Malaga with his wife and young daughter. He came to terms with being an alcoholic many years ago, but still finds the concept his daughter is Spanish very strange.