Understanding How Alcohol and Loneliness Interact

It can cause people to withdraw from friends and family. It may also be helpful to get to know yourself on your own, first. Spending sober time becoming familiar with your body intimately can help you better communicate your needs to someone else when you feel ready for that step.

• Perhaps it’s worth expanding your social circle in any event; try going online and finding a hiking group or even a language, photography, or cooking class (or whatever moves you).
• Yet, the patient reported that having at least one other supportive “abstainer” with him made him feel better and more comfortable.
• So, in GDS2021 , which runs until mid-February, we are exploring alcohol-related regret during COVID times, and how people sought help for their drinking and mental health worries.

So with the three-fold trilogy of the holiday season upon us, as many reach for a drink, let’s also remember to reach out to each other, especially those in recovery. The key to all this, is whenever possible, to have an open, respectful, and direct conversation with the individual in recovery, and simply ask them how they feel about alcohol being present and/or other guests drinking. As awkward as it may be to have this conversation, leaving this conversation unsaid can potentially put the individual’s health and safety at risk, or lead to a worrisome and unenjoyable night for you. Such a conversation is best conducted well in advance of the gathering, allowing clear expectations to be set for all attendees, and giving you the time to balance different wants and needs that will surely arise. I can share with you some personal experience, which parallels others’ experience, though my situation is slightly different than yours. It was something of a revelation that they were happy to see me and not the bottle.

Authentic Relationships: Practice May Not Make It Perfect, but Don’t Give Up on All of Your Friends

They do not see a problem with their drinking, so they continue to pursue it. You might find that you get to know each other much better when you’re creating new memories—rather than standing around in the same old bars. They might have fun exploring new places and trying new things with you.

These can range widely and are often dependent on how long alcohol is in the body, and how much you consume. Mark Willenbring, MD, former director, division of treatment and recovery
research, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Although it may seem intimidating to face a familiar social situation without the comforting familiarity of a cocktail in your hand, you can survive. American Addiction Centers (AAC) is committed to delivering original, truthful, accurate, unbiased, and medically current information. We strive to create content that is clear, concise, and easy to understand.

If you want to practice a sober lifestyle

Any information published on this website or by this brand is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional. I don’t have that much sex, and that’s more like me saying, I no longer lower my standards and sleep with just anyone because of beer goggles. There’s no easy pass for me anymore, no more getting drunk and slipping past being sober around drinkers the part where you get to know each other. There’s no more not caring if they see your cellulite or whatever you’re hiding under there; and you will, once and for all, discover that sex is never like in the movies. It is an awkward, vulnerable dance between two awkward, vulnerable humans. When you walk into a situation believing that you can’t have fun sober, this is likely to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.