An image featuring a magnifying glass and glasses resting on top of a book. This visual represents the exploration and scrutiny of myths about addiction discussed in the blog post.

Debunking Myths About Addiction And Sobriety

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All right friends, it’s myth-busting time.

I get it. There are so many ideas and thoughts and stories about sobriety floating around, and it’s hard to know what to believe. 

So many of those thoughts feed the fear that a life lived without alcohol is going to miserable, and nearly impossible. When you’re already not sure if you really want to ditch the booze, some of these ideas can be exactly what you hold onto to give yourself a reason to keep drinking.

I’ve seen too many toxic myths about sobriety – myths that anyone wanting to get sober must break away from in order to find lasting freedom from alcohol. If you’re going to set yourself up for success, you deserve to know the truth. And as with everything we really want to achieve – mindset is everything. 

Sobriety Myth #1: You need alcohol in order to have fun. 

Myth #1 might also sound like

  • Sobriety is boring
  • You’ll lose all your friends if you quit drinking
  • You’ll never be able to really have a good time anymore

This is so not true, and it drives me nuts every time I hear it. 

I’ve been sober for nearly 3 years now, and I can say in all honesty, I’ve never experienced fun the way that I have in these past three years. 

On a recent trip to Norway, while I was driving a dog sled through snowy hills, all I could think was – thank goodness I don’t feel like I have to drink anymore. The rush and the laughter and the thrill of it all – it was happiness unaltered. If I’d have done that when I was still drinking, I’d have been convinced that a few drinks prior would’ve made it even better. And I’d have ruined the whole experience with a foggy head… let alone that I’d probably forget most of it anyway.

And it’s not just epic trips like that – even simple things, like going for a hike with my dogs, going out for a night of karaoke with friends, having dinner with my family – even those things feel so much more fulfilling when I’m not half numb from alcohol. I spent a lot of years not realizing I wasn’t experiencing true joy at all.

I get why it’s easy to believe you need alcohol to have fun though. You’ve spent a lot of years teaching yourself that it’s true. If you tell yourself something is true over and over, you believe it wholeheartedly. It takes time to teach yourself differently. 

There’s also this important point: if you have to drink to feel like you’re having fun doing something… maybe you’re doing something you don’t actually think is fun. It’s common for people who get sober to find all kinds of new activities and people to spend their time with, because they realize what they used to do wasn’t actually making them happy at all. It turns out, the buzz from the alcohol was the only “fun” part.

The truth:

So yeah – fun might look different. But it’ll be better than any alcohol-induced version of fun that you’re currently accepting. 

And you get the fun of figuring out what you really enjoy doing, and finding new ways to have a great time – ultimately creating a life that doesn’t require alcohol at all.

Sobriety Myth #2: Alcohol helps with your anxiety (or stress, and/or depression)

This one might be surprising. If you suffer from anxiety, you know firsthand that drinking quiets those anxious thoughts to a dull roar. And it might seem like the best, most immediate solution to a very difficult mental health issue.

But what if I told you that alcohol might actually be causing your anxiety? At the very least, it’s only making it worse. 

The video above does an excellent job of explaining the physiological effects of alcohol, that are proven to actually make anxiety symptoms worse within a few hours of drinking. And that feeling lasts many hours – and even days – after drinking.

I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder in my early 30’s, and was prescribed medication. I always thought the medication didn’t help… but I was also drinking. Once I stopped drinking, I found my anxiety symptoms nearly went away. I still use a low dose of medication, but anxiety no longer rules my life the way it did for so many years. 

The same goes for both depression and general feelings of stress and overwhelm. People use alcohol to try to turn off the difficult feelings, but the truth is that they become much easier to cope with when alcohol is removed from the picture and is replaced with healthy coping mechanisms and proper medical/mental health treatment.

Listen to our podcast episode on coping with anxiety for real life stories about how people in long term recovery handle their anxiety without alcohol.

The truth:

Alcohol is proven to increase feelings of anxiety, depression, and stress in the long term. 

It takes real effort, but it’s possible to find healthy ways to cope with mental health challenges. And you might find that they decrease significantly just by quitting drinking. 

For more information, check out the following articles:

-How Alcohol Makes Your Depression Worse (https://clearviewtreatment.com/resources/blog/depression-symptoms-alcohol/)

-How Alcohol Can Make Stress Worse (https://wellnessretreatrecovery.com/alcohol-and-stress/)

Sobriety Myth #3: Being sober is only for “alcoholics”

First, can we just acknowledge how twisted it is that as a culture we think there is something wrong with people who choose not to drink? Ugh.

Let’s look at what we know to be true about alcohol:

  • It affects your mood in negative ways
  • It dulls your senses and ability to feel both positive and negative emotions
  • It slows cognitive ability for several hours and up to days after consumption
  • Even in small amounts, drinking alcohol can cause negative physical consequences including damage to the liver, heart and other organs; digestive problems; and multiple diseases
  • And if all that isn’t enough, let’s also remember that alcohol consumed in any quantity is a leading cause of many types of cancer.

So given what we know… why would it not be perfectly acceptable for anyone – with or without a “problem” with alcohol – to choose not to drink it?

The truth:

Anyone – for any reason – can choose to stop drinking. 

All it takes is asking the simple question, “Is alcohol serving me?” and if the answer is no, then I’d say it makes good sense to stop drinking it.

Why are these myths dangerous?

Believing in these myths can stop you from making the life-changing decision to stop drinking.

And I absolutely know you have everything it takes to live a full life without alcohol. You just need to reach out and ask for help. Otherwise, you risk facing increasingly painful consequences as alcohol steals more and more of your life away from you.

Whatever you do, don’t give up! 

I’ve seen hundreds of people create beautiful, sober lives for themselves. There’s nothing mysterious or special about them. 

They did it by finding the right tools, the right support, and the right guidance; and by being willing to put in the hard work. 

One of the most valuable things I did in early recovery was finding a community to support me and help me find my way. 

We host a free weekly sober support group on Monday nights, on Zoom. Enter your email below and we’ll send you the details.

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Julie Miller
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