Who doesn’t want a better night’s sleep? I know I do. It makes me feel more invigorated and ready to face the day without thinking, “When can I take a nap?” Oh, and coffee helps too.

I have a friend—let’s call her Kayla. About a year ago, Kayla shared an article on her Facebook page about a new “movement” called Sober Curious. The basic premise of the article was that an increasing number of people are questioning their drinking habits, abstaining from alcohol, and loving the results. Kayla was one of them and had read a number of books addressing this concept of choosing to abstain from alcohol and reaping the benefits.

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Being curious and looking to sleep better, I fired up my Amazon Prime app and ordered a few books. You know where this is going. Yup, here I am, alcohol-free (AF) for a bit over a year, and I can honestly say I haven’t looked back.

Sure, there are times I think, “Wouldn’t a glass of wine be nice,” but the overall positive effects of being alcohol-free are so profound that the thoughts have become quite rare and fleeting and almost incomprehensible. I would be hard-pressed to come up with a negative thing to say about sobriety from alcohol.

But I can go on and on about the positive effects:

  • Better sleep
  • Clearer mind
  • A sense of well-being
  • Increased presence
  • More meaningful relationships
  • Significantly reduced expenses from dining out
  • Improved mood
  • Increased energy and productivity
  • Sense of gratitude

If I must be honest, though, I can think of one negative in my case. I have developed a new love of ice cream. But it’s not just ice cream; it’s all the toppings as well. While most people lose weight when they go AF, I have put on the “Freshman 15”. In the scheme of things, I’ll take it. With a cherry on the top.

For many people, the disease of Alcohol Use Disorder or addiction is way more complicated, and the desire to stop and to read a self-help book is not enough. Not even close. Getting free from the grips of alcohol can be much harder and potentially dangerous. Supervised medical withdrawal is sometimes necessary.

We here at the Coleman Institute for Addiction Medicine are ready to help you take your first step towards freedom from alcohol in a safe and comfortable way. In as little as 3 days. Once you are detoxed from alcohol, we will help guide you through a program of sobriety that makes sense for you. We offer naltrexone therapy as a proven way to reduce cravings from alcohol following detox. We also have a very high detox completion rate, so the odds are really in your favor. Give us a call. We can take the first steps together.

Dr. Deborah Reich

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