What Will Happen to My Social Life if I Stop Drinking?

This is a legitimate question for anyone who has grown into a life of heavy drinking. The thought of facing social situations without booze can be a bit scary. Add in even a tiny bit of anxiety and the proposition can become downright terrifying.

So what is the answer: are we doomed to become a hermit if and when we sober up? Or is there life after drunken party-going? Let’s take a look.

Everything changes

Part of the problem is that most people who are thinking about sobering up are picturing themselves in the same exact situations, at the same exact parties, but just without drinking any alcohol.

Of course recovery doesn’t work like this at all. Instead, everything changes. This is part of our denial while we are still drinking; part of our inability to see our path in sobriety. It is impossible to predict what recovery will be like for a person.

There is a cliche that is tossed around traditional 12 step meetings and it rings true: “The only thing you have to change is everything.” So why would you expect your social life to be the same in recovery (only without the booze)? You will undoubtedly end up changing up this routine quite a bit, and surely for the better. Another way to look at it is that you will probably be going to different parties in recovery.

“But wait a second,” you say, “All of my friends are going to keep going to the same parties, and I will miss out on that if I quit going.” Remember, everything changes. There are a number of possible paths that no one can necessarily predict when you are starting out in recovery. For example, perhaps you will find new friends in recovery, or find new ways to connect and socialize with your old friends in ways that do not involve drinking. You don’t have to have this all figured out in advance. In fact, you can’t possibly have it figured out in advance or you will never get sober. Instead, you must take the plunge and just stop drinking first and let these details work themselves out.

Trust in the process that your life will be meaningful in sobriety – regardless of how your social life plays out. Just about anyone with any significant time sober will agree that their social life is vastly improved on what it used to be when they were drinking.

Your idea of fun will change

Finally, keep in mind that your idea of what is fun will change in recovery. This relates to the idea of socializing in sobriety because part of why we socialize is for fun.

Now before I got sober I did not believe that this would happen to me. Someone in recovery told me that my idea of fun would change if I got sober and stuck with it but I did not believe them at the time. I really believed that I would be miserable for the rest of my life if I could not drink. Obviously I was mistaken.

It took what it took for me to take the plunge and try to sober up, in spite of the fact that I thought I would be miserable. But obviously, what I value as being “fun” in recovery has changed a lot since my drinking days, and the way that I socialize with others has changed as well…..all for the better.

If you are holding back on getting sober because of these changes then you really have no excuse…..yes, everything will change, but it will change for the better. Do you really think you’ll make poorer decisions while you are sober then when you are drinking?

Give sobriety a chance!

Recommended Reading

• Overcoming Addiction
• Stop Alcoholism and Start Creating a New Life
• The True Nature of Surrender in Quitting Booze
• Overcoming Alcoholism All By Yourself – Is it Possible?
• Holistic Addiction Treatment Center

Tagged as: alcoholic, alcoholism, stop drinking