The 3 Stages of Sobriety (and How to Get Through Them)
There are 3 stages of sobriety. The first stage is the most intense, and you may find yourself white-knuckling your way through it. The second stage can feel euphoric and blissful – welcome to the pink cloud. And the third stage is where the personal growth starts to happen, and we peel back the layers on why we started drinking in the first place…
Let’s take a closer look at the 3 stages of sobriety and how to get through them.
Stage One: Getting through the first few weeks
Getting through the first few weeks of sobriety is tough. We are breaking habits, changing neural pathways, and “doing time”. Simply not drinking can take a huge amount of mental energy. It’s so consuming we can’t imagine not having to put effort into staying sober.
Many people make the mistake of thinking Stage One is what sobriety will be like forever and it can feel impossibly hard - so they start drinking again. Stage One requires recognising triggers, changing habits, learning coping strategies and some inevitable white knuckling.
How to get through Stage One:
Hang in there! Don’t think this is what long-term sobriety is like. Get through the first few weeks and months remembering the way you feel now does pass. The cravings get weaker, sleep settles and your skin will start to glow.
I’ve helped hundreds of women navigate this challenging, intense first stage with my 30-Day Alcohol-Free Program.
Stage two: Settling into an alcohol-free life
By Stage Two, we’ve collected a toolkit of resources to turn to if cravings do come but generally, they are weaker. We’ve settled into an alcohol-free life and have new, healthier habits in place. We’re more comfortable socialising without booze and we’re embracing the newfound energy, time, motivation, and mental clarity.
Stage Two is generally when we start asking ourselves the bigger questions:
What makes me happy?
How do I like spending my time?
We feel a deeper sense of connection with ourselves and can tune into our own needs – perhaps for the first time.
How to get through Stage Two:
Enjoy the pink cloud but don’t be afraid to go deeper. We feel euphoric and blissful in this stage because we’re feeling energised, clear, confident and completely chuffed with ourselves that we’re still sober.
That blissful, optimistic feeling is called The Pink Cloud – and you deserve to enjoy it! But this is also a time when the bigger life questions inevitably pop up. Don’t be afraid to dig deep for even greater personal fulfilment.
This life-changing stage is supported by my Rediscovering Me program where I help clients start to ask the big questions and remember who they were before they started drinking. You can read more about it here.
Stage Three: Peeling back the layers
After one year, or when we celebrate our ‘soberversary’, we enter the most interesting stage – Stage Three. Stage Three is when we start peeling back the layers and figuring out why we started drinking in the first place.
The self-discovery can be confronting and painful but transformative. We stop people pleasing and start to trust our inner wisdom and intuition. We start to set (and keep) boundaries because we know we’re worthy of them. We start creating a life that aligns with our values and enjoy a deep sense of peace, contentment, and alignment.
How to get through Stage Three:
Show yourself compassion. Stage Three is where we meet our deepest selves (sometimes for the first time). We meet the self who is no longer hiding behind alcohol but instead steps out proudly and confidently as the woman she is. We forgive ourselves for past mistakes because we have learned to engage in self-compassion through each stage.
My program Uplevelled is where I take clients through Stage Three with inner confidence and clarity. We start designing the lives they want to live and reignite passion and purpose. You can read more about it here.
P.S. Wherever you are on your path, I’m here to support you. If you’re curious about one of my programs, you can find more information them here. All are currently on sale until November 30.
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