All day long, staying sober is the number one goal in early recovery. As you progress through the recovery stages, staying sober will likely become less of the focus and living life will become more interruptive of your everyday routine. But don’t forget why you made it this far! 

If you’re feeling blue or as if you don’t have what it takes to push forward, consider any one of the following reasons to stay sober—and take a look at your WHY!  We all have one—our kids, our loved ones, our health, our freedom—we all have a reason WHY we got sober to begin with…

As you’re fending off withdrawal symptoms or you’re just dealing with a nagging craving to walk the other way, consider your why. And then consider any of the following reasons to remain sober (We hope this helps you to stay on track!):

1. Addiction is Expensive

Think about how much money you spent on drugs or alcohol. Now think of what you would have done with that money if you hadn’t spent it all. If you used for several years, chances are you spent a LOT of money getting high. Now that you’re able to save that money, you can begin planning special trips, the purchase of a house or specialty item, and other fun stuff. Stay sober if not for anything else, to save money!

2. Be a Positive Role Model

Do you have kids? If so, you must stay sober so that you can be a positive role model to them. If you don’t have kids—what happens when you DO have kids one day? Stay sober so that you can remain positive and be a role model to others. If not to your children, to others in peer groups such as Pocket Rehab, or at your AA/NA meetings. 

3. Be a Productive Member of Society

Using drugs does not help society, it actually hurts society. So, now that you are sober—stay sober so that you can continue to be a productive member of society. If you’re feeling like you aren’t productive enough, consider the costs that society faced when you were addicted—hospital costs, risks of you dying on the street, and the fact that you couldn’t work a true job all impacted society negatively.

4. Don’t End Up Like _______

If there’s someone in your life that you lost to addiction or that doesn’t do the right things because he or she is an addict, maybe you should stay sober just so that you are not like that person. While we don’t want to encourage pointing fingers, it is okay for you to have a goal of NOT being like someone.

5. Stay out of Jail

Is your freedom what keeps you walking the sobriety line? If so, think about it the next time you consider using drugs or alcohol. Not using drugs or alcohol is almost like a “stay out of jail free” card. All you have to do is stay sober, and you stay free.

6. Be Respectful

Did people disrespect you when you used drugs or alcohol? You’ve worked so hard to get sober—staying that way is a very respectful thing to do! It is much easier to demand the respect of others if you are not using drugs or alcohol.

7. Keep Boundaries Up

Remember how you let your boundaries suffer when you use drugs or alcohol? How suddenly something that was NEVER okay to you is “okay” just this once? Keep your boundaries up. Don’t let drugs or alcohol have you saying “okay” when something is truly NOT okay!

8. Be Present

You aren’t present when you are high. It’s simple. So now that you are sober, stay sober so that you can remain present in the lives of those you love and care about. Maybe there was a friend or family member that threatened to walk away if you weren’t sober—think about that individual NOW to help you remain on the right path!

9. Your Kids need You

Being sober, for your kids, is the ultimate goal of most parents. So if you have children, and you are thinking about turning back and using drugs or alcohol, think again. Pull out that picture of your son or daughter and remind yourself WHY—there is your WHY!

10. You Are Better Sober

Remember what you were like wasted? If you can’t remember, ask a loved one! I bet they will tell you that you are an amazing individual, that is far more loved and welcomed with open arms sober than not. If you’re having trouble remaining sober today, call up a friend or family member that will attest to your greatness as a sober individual—because YOU just may be the reason WHY!

11. Physically, Addiction Sucks

If you’re considering going back to addiction, consider how bad it sucked to be physically addicted! Did you go through withdrawal? Do you remember that time? Think about it…FEEL IT. Now, do you really want to feel that way again? Physical addiction sucks and is no fun. 

12. Sober Living is more Peaceful

Remember the horrible things that happened when you were using drugs or alcohol? Remember how much terror and turmoil were present in your life? Sober living is so much more peaceful than living a life of binging and regretting the use of drugs or alcohol the night before. If you can’t remember, again, ask someone you love to remind you how horrible life was when you were NOT sober.

13. Keep your Job

If you aren’t sure whether saying sober is the right choice or not, think about your job. Did you have a good job when you were high? Most say, “no.” If you did, did you perform well? (At this point, if you are saying yes you performed well, you are likely lying to yourself!)—the truth is, you cannot perform well at your job when you are under the influence. So Staying sober can help you to keep your job, or at least keep performing well at your job!

14. What’s Your Why?

We all have a WHY. What is yours? If you’re feeling like today is an okay day to let the past several months or days or years go down the drain so that you can use drugs or alcohol, just think long and hard about your why.

Remember, you do not have to hit rock bottom in order to come back up. So if you’re feeling down and out, NOW is the time to seek support! Don’t wait until you’ve hit your lowest point—seek help now!

Apps like Pocket Rehab can connect you with others that will offer immediate support. If you’re having trouble staying sober, check your app and take a nice, long look at your WHY! Whether it is someone you love, your children or wife or husband, your parents or your freedom or something else—your WHY is the reason you stay sober today, tomorrow, and every day. 

Reach out to someone for support on Pocket Rehab through the lifeline if you are really feeling like you may relapse. Immediate support can help by providing guidance to you in this difficult time. There are many others on there that also feel like giving up on a daily basis—maybe you could support them on your way and, giving and receiving support, will help you.

Major transformations happen throughout our recovery. Perhaps you are feeling like giving up today because you are on a plateau? Think about how much better you are today than you were when you were using—do you remember? If you’re having a particularly hard time, reflect on your journal—can you find a similar time when you had trouble? Perhaps you can find what helped you then?

15. Stay Committed

Your commitment to yourself, to your friends and family, to members that you interact with through Apps like Pocket Rehab available through Google Play and the App Store and through support groups is important. If you’re feeling like giving up, consider how many people your one decision will impact? You’ll likely impact tens or even maybe hundreds of people with your decision to use. Think about how THAT impacts others!

Stay true to yourself. Stay sober no matter how hard it is. And, if you DO relapse…seek immediate support to get back on the path to recovery. You can heal, you can get sober and stay that way long-term—but it won’t always be easy. 

Sometimes you will face difficult days. If today is a difficult day, consider any one of the reasons listed above, and your own WHY, for staying sober just for today. Remember—this too shall pass!