How can you tell whether or not sobriety is for you?

Dee Johnson, psychotherapist and senior addiction therapist at Priory Hospital, Chelmsford, suggests considering these points when assessing your relationship with alcohol.

Ask yourself the right questions

When it comes to alcohol and sobriety, every individual is different. But some useful questions to ask yourself include:

Is alcohol preoccupying my thoughts more than it used to?
Am I becoming more conscious of how much alcohol I am consuming?
Do I have to make a conscious effort to control my alcohol consumption levels?

If your answer to any of these questions is ‘yes’, it may indicate that your relationship with alcohol is not always relaxed, purely recreational and enjoyable. Reflect on whether, in reality, your drinking is sometimes more about ‘effect and need’, rather than taste and pleasure.

Explore your ‘wine o’clock’ feelings

Another question to consider is: do you start to feel a bit better in the late afternoon, when you know in a couple of hours you will be reaching out for that daily after-work drink? This may suggest a psychological dependency is already building: you’re starting to feel excited as a ‘reward’ is coming. ‘Wine o’clock’ thinking can be a red flag. If you are feeling self-conscious, resentful, uncomfortable or fearful of missing out by not drinking, these are indicators that sobriety could be an option.

Think about social engagements

Some people may stop socialising when trying out sobriety, as they don’t see the point unless they can consume alcohol. This might be a sign alcohol is more embedded in your psyche than you realised. Though you might not be fully ready to ‘break up’ with alcohol yet, heed this as a red flag for a potentially progressive toxic relationship with it.

Take note of low moods

Alcohol as a chemical can cause feelings of anxiety and lower our moods into a depressive state. If you are experiencing this frequently, are drinking more than the clinically recommended amount of 14 units per week, or are on antidepressants (the efficacy of which can be inhibited by alcohol), sobriety is definitely worth considering.

“How going from binge drinking to 2 years of sobriety changed my relationship with alcohol forever”