Getting Curious About the Sober Life | RESOURCES

So you are getting curious about sober life. What a great first step! But getting sober might take a bit more effort than just not buying alcohol. It’s a lot more complicated than we think. Especially when your social life revolves around late-night cocktails or drinking a few while watching the games on Sunday, drinking can become a severe issue when you find yourself relying on it to get through your day. 

If you find yourself stuck in a cycle of stopping and starting, then it might be time to explore your options for getting help. Below are a few of the resources that can support you as you work towards a sober life.

Support Groups, Podcasts and More

There are many accessible resources when you start getting curious about sobriety. Many of these are free and welcome you, whether you are coming to them for the first time or the fiftieth. 

Meetings

Alcoholics Anonymous, or AA meetings, are a great place to meet people and learn a structured way to help manage your drinking. It also serves as a safe space for your sober community to share stories and be vulnerable throughout the process.

SMART Recovery and Refuge Recovery also serve to create a safe environment for the sober community. It may be a good idea to attend each of these meetings at least once to see which one fits your needs. 

Apps

Mobile apps can help you create connections with online communities and offer creative rewards for hitting your milestones. Here are a few of my favorites: 

The “I Am Sober” app offers users an accountability and tracker tool to help keep them on the right path. It also has a community of users you can chat with and daily logs to record moods, activities and pledges.  

Nomo was created to help users keep count of their sober days. I like this app because it allows users to create whatever kind of clock they want – so if you also want to kick your smoking habit, you can do that too with this app. It also has a journaling feature, refocus games and an encouragement wall.

Sober Grid is the largest sober community app connecting millions of users and helps keep you accountable as you work towards a sober life. This app also hosts 24/7 live peer coaching.

Podcasts

I love podcasts because I get to hear the shared experiences of others seeking out sobriety. It helps keep my focus on my goals and answers questions that I’m too afraid to ask 

The Shair Podcast 
Shair stands for Sharing Helps All In Recovery. Omar Pinto hosts the podcast and he interviews individuals each week who have experienced addiction and continue to work through their own personal recovery. 

Recovery Rocks
Founder of SobrieTea Party, Tawny Lara, and her friend/mentor, Lisa Smith, chat about recovery and rock n roll in their podcast Recovery Rocks

Rooted Recovery Stories 
Rooted Recovery Stories is hosted by our very own Patrick Custer, the national director of alumni at Promises Behavioral Health. Guests share their recovery stories or provide insightful thoughts on addiction and sobriety. 

Higher Levels of Care

While these resources serve a great purpose, sometimes we need a little more structure and a lot more care. These services provide a more in-depth look at your drinking, help you understand the root or “why” of the problem and provide tools to help you effectively manage it.

Individual Therapy 

One-on-one therapy is a great place to get started. Your therapist can help you work through some of the more challenging things, like trauma, that may be leading you to drink. 

Outpatient Treatment

Outpatient treatments such as intensive outpatient programs (IOP) or partial hospitalization programs (PHP) are a little more involved than traditional one-on-one therapy. These programs usually involve treatment for several hours a day, about three to five days a week.  It’s an excellent option for someone who has professional or family obligations.

Residential Treatment 

Residential treatment is the most structured way to get help. It involves going to a treatment center and staying for a week to 60 days. These services allow a person to disentangle themselves from the daily stressors that drive a person to cope with alcohol. 

Finding what works for you will take time. And your journey towards a sober life may have its ups and downs. But you got this. The hardest part is taking the first step. 

Written by Chrissy Petrone

Creative Content Director with Promises Behavioral Health