People usually get sober for big reasons. They may realise they’re hurting their family, their career has stalled because of addiction, they get into legal trouble, or they’re just completely miserable and they know addiction has a lot to do with it. As they say in AA, when you’re in a hole, stop digging….

In recovery, one thing you definitely want to avoid is having nothing to do. You start to get restless, you have nothing better to do, so you start to think, ‘What do I normally do when I’m bored?’ Boredom gives you too much time to think. It may have something to do with why you became addicted in the first place….

There is a common narrative that goes something like this: ‘My life was terrible because of addiction. Quitting was hard at first, but now my life is amazing’. It’s a nice idea, but most people find the road a bit bumpier. Expecting life in recovery to be perfect is nearly as bad as expecting it to be worse….

One reason people find sobriety challenging is that their habits are built around drinking. Maybe you are in the habit of stopping at the pub on the way home, or maybe you open a beer when you watch television. Drinking is associated with other drugs, and people who try to quit the drugs without quitting drinking find themselves using again….

A common affirmation in AA is ‘My worst day sober Is still better than my best day drinking’. It’s a worthy sentiment but it strikes some people as disingenuous. Can your worst day sober really be better than your best day drinking? Plenty of terrible things can happen regardless of sobriety….