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Good things about being off drugs/getting sober

I'm starting to trust my own judgment again as far as other people go.

I gained back weight I lost.. I'm still teaching myself to see that as good and healthy.
 
Got straight A's in grad school this semester!

That's definitely in no small part due to being sober

:)
 
TryingToGetBetter said:
The ability to feel.
Color returned to my face.
Mood swings are becoming less often and less severe.
I like to eat food again! Yay!
Not worrying about where the next dose comes from.
I am saving money, and not overdrafting every week.
My senses get cleaner and clearer each day.

Day 6 for me. It's a beautiful day.
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The color in the face coming back is quite noticeable for me, as I am a pasty cracker. Being back on Suboxone now I have noticed it return again. Last time I was clean this long I remember at least one person mentioning how I had color in my face unlike usual. Just made me think 'damn, the dope really makes me look that sickly to people', b/c its the kind of thing you don't think about (or maybe you just don't care like with so many things) when you are high all day
 
^The color returning to my face, and looking healthy in general was HUGE for me when I first got sober. Everyone at rehab told me I looked grey, like a zombie. Not only that but i was so disheveled they all assumed i had been homeless until I started sharing in group. (I was close enough to being homeless, but technically only slept outside a couple times.)




The biggest thing for me right now though, is the ability to feel all of lives feelings and be present in your own life. On drugs, everything is a blur and I was literally so high on heroin that I hardly felt anything, even after watching somebody die of a seizure. Only when I came down would I ever feel emotion and even then it was distorted and I quickly blocked it out with another shot.

Now I can feel everything, the good - the bad - and the ugly. And I'm so grateful for that.
 
The biggest thing that has happened was I was able to patch up the relationship with my family. I had been aloof before and I don't even want to talk to any of them because I wanted to be alone to just drink and do drugs but after I got sober it's easier to talk to my dad and be more open and honest to him.

Another thing to is I wasted so much money while I was doing these vices and I am still frustrated with it, if I didn't waste so much money on drugs/alcohol I would have saved up and have more things that are more important.
 
My experience has been I feel healthier. I have more energy. I have more focus. If I'm having a bad day, I actually think of other things I can do to decompress. Recently my fiance and I started fostering dogs in our home. I've always wanted to do something like this. We took in our first foster dog, and it's a pit bull mix rescue, and he is 5 months old and he was found on the side of the road starving to death, literally skin and bones. Nursed back to health and he is one of the happiest dogs I've ever met.
 
samboran80 said:
My experience has been I feel healthier. I have more energy. I have more focus. If I'm having a bad day, I actually think of other things I can do to decompress. Recently my fiance and I started fostering dogs in our home. I've always wanted to do something like this. We took in our first foster dog, and it's a pit bull mix rescue, and he is 5 months old and he was found on the side of the road starving to death, literally skin and bones. Nursed back to health and he is one of the happiest dogs I've ever met.
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It's great that you are discovering ways to decompress, etc that don't involve substances. I love the idea of fostering dogs but don't know how I would ever give them up!:)
 
I'm coming up on a year of sobriety, and a few things stick out for me.

1. My meditation practice is stronger, and I do it daily rather than when I remember to get around to it.
2. My skin is soft and smooth.
3. Yoga is a joy to practice and teach rather than a chore.
4. When I am out spending time with friends I am focused on our conversations rather than when we are getting shit/who has shit/do we have enough shit/shit we ran out of shit.
5. Hiking and spending time in nature happens organically and doesn't depend on whether or not I have a joint in my hand.
6. I know who my real friends are.
7. There is no underlying guilt or shame in the back of my head, because I don't have to lie anymore.
 
Zwanya said:
I'm coming up on a year of sobriety, and a few things stick out for me.

1. My meditation practice is stronger, and I do it daily rather than when I remember to get around to it.
2. My skin is soft and smooth.
3. Yoga is a joy to practice and teach rather than a chore.
4. When I am out spending time with friends I am focused on our conversations rather than when we are getting shit/who has shit/do we have enough shit/shit we ran out of shit.
5. Hiking and spending time in nature happens organically and doesn't depend on whether or not I have a joint in my hand.
6. I know who my real friends are.
7. There is no underlying guilt or shame in the back of my head, because I don't have to lie anymore.
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Wow this is a good list :) Specially no. 6. This is absolutely true.
 
herbavore said:
It's great that you are discovering ways to decompress, etc that don't involve substances. I love the idea of fostering dogs but don't know how I would ever give them up!:)
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I thought the same thing. We were weighing the pros and cons of fostering, but the thought that stuck out the most for me was "they are not in a shelter, they are home with u, and the main goal is to keep them happy and healthy until they can find a permanent home." We've had our first foster dog for a week now, and we are considering keeping him! He's just the sweetest dog i've ever met, and I've never attached myself to a dog like I have this one.
 
^^ I got a membership to 24/hour fitness and I'm gonna use it for the first time either tonight or tomorrow morning.

The fact that I even give enough of a shit to work out, period, is something good about being off drugs/sober.
 
I quit smoking a few months ago and I'm just amazed by how much my sense of smell has improved. I did laundry today and my son and I just took a shower..clean baby smell + clean clothes =heaven for the nostrils. It's something I probably wouldn't notice if I were still smoking.

The benefits of being dope-free for 2+ years (minus a very minor one-day relapse) are endless.
 
The peace of mind you have, from not hurting anyone or stealing anything, and the ability to go to bed at night worrying about the move tomorrow. Also being able to have a real relationship with my family/making them proud for once.


-Edited that for you Agnostic - in the future you can click the edit button under your post and change whatever mistake you made, rather than posting twice in a row. :) -CaseFace
 
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caseface99 said:
^^ Indeeeed! Having money, and not spending all of it in one day every time, is pretty awesome. :)
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I've been clean for quite some time and my money is still pretty much gone the day I get it.
The only difference is that it's being spent productively now.
It makes all the difference.
;)
 
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