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Why is the Pandemic a Great Time to Begin Sobriety?

a person refuses a drink

Are you looking for ways to improve your life and detach from your toxic habits? Have you been waiting for the right time to reach out to San Diego alcohol rehabilitation for help? If so, then there’s no better time for getting sober than during the pandemic.

Some may look at it as an inopportune time since there are more restrictions in place. However, we see it as an opportunity for growth. You can start a new season of life coming out of this time in history! How beautiful is that? 

See below for an in-depth guide listing several reasons why the pandemic is a tremendous time to start getting sober.

It’s a New Chapter of Life

Big changes tend to come in monumental moments. Life-altering moments, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, force us to change the way that we look at life and our daily activities.

For example, before the pandemic, many companies swore they’d never have remote workers on their staff. Then, once the quarantine occurred, those same owners were left with two options: either find a way to help those workers work from home or not do business at all… You can probably guess which one they chose.

Even better, statistics proved that workers were 47-percent more productive than when they worked in an office setting.

That’s the perfect representation of how the pandemic can help you with getting sober. It can help you focus on the “new normal” and hunker down on your sobriety. You’ll be able to prioritize more time towards building healthier habits that eliminate your temptations (more on that in a moment). 

Better yet, you can pair this with receiving help from alcohol treatment centers in San Diego to create more accountability for yourself in this process. No more fighting this fight alone, you need a strong support system!

Build Healthier Habits

Believe it or not, your alcoholism, or any other variation of substance abuse, is first and foremost a habit. You’ve repeated the same routine over and over again that it’s become embedded in your brain.

In his book The Power of Habit, author Charles Duhigg uncovers something called a “Habit Loop” that causes habits to imprint themselves in the brain. Each habit loop contains three key stages: a cue, a routine, and a reward.

When done in order, this habit loop will develop a string of events that becomes as second nature as brushing your teeth or backing your car out from the driveway. 

For example, let’s say you’re a social drinker. Every time you’re hanging with friends, regardless of where you are, you have a drink. Let’s dive into the habit loop of that scenario.

  • The Cue: Meeting with your friends at a restaurant, bar, your house, etc.
  • The Routine: Reaching for a beer or hard liquor to sip on while you talk with your friends
  • The “Reward”: Getting drunk, feeling like you have more “confidence” in social settings

During the pandemic, you’ll have more time to focus on correcting this loop via altering the routine or avoiding the situation entirely. As a result, you’ll find getting sober to be a much easier task. As we mentioned before, though, it’s important to find rehab centers in San Diego to build accountability as you go on this journey!

You Can Eliminate Triggers

This goes hand in hand-in-hand with the previous point. If you take the time to identify your triggers (what causes you to drink), then you can create more awareness in your everyday life. After knowing what makes you tick, you can avoid those situations.

There are many San Diego rehab centers with alcohol therapy programs to help you. If you find the right one, then they can help you pinpoint your biggest triggers and how to avoid them moving forward.

The triggers might surprise you. This can be anything from certain friends you hang out with, different social settings, or even certain TV shows that you watch.

Technology Has Never Been Better

Earlier we mentioned how remote workers are thriving during the pandemic, a big part of that is thanks to the evolution of technology over the years.

Technology can benefit your efforts of getting sober in the same way. Thanks to the cutting-edge technology, you can have an outpatient program that holds a lot of the same value as an inpatient program.

You’ll have just as much accountability and feel more of a personal touch. You’ll build connections with like-minded individuals and hear about their success stories along the way.

You Can Control Your Environment

Learning to control your environment is a big part of getting sober. However, most people aren’t able to prioritize taking the time to do so when they try to sober up.

If the pandemic is good for anything, it’s giving you an environment that you control. You’ll be able to call the shots as you work towards complete sobriety.

This will help you have a gradual transition back to the real world. No more wasting precious time going to the same settings or being tempted by the same drinks; this is your time to take control!

Use the Pandemic for Getting Sober and Turning Your Life Around

Now that you have seen an in-depth guide on how the pandemic can be a tremendous time for getting sober, be sure to use this information to your advantage.

Take the time to read this article and learn more about the connection between low self-esteem and addiction. You might notice a lot of parallels in your own life. To get started, please call us at 877-798-3521 and we will be happy to assist you further.

Call Our Toll-Free Hotline 24/7 at 877.881.2689