Sober Isn’t Always Happy

A drug or alcohol addiction will significantly impact your brain’s ability to regulate your mood and the way you generally feel. Alcohol, opioids, stimulants and countless others hijack the brain’s reward system over time, releasing floods of dopamine. Eventually, the brain stops reducing these feel-good chemicals naturally.

Once the substance is removed, the brain may struggle to produce adequate levels of mood-regulating chemicals. This can lead to a permeating and dull feeling known as anhedonia, or the inability to feel pleasure. This state is generally only temporary, but its effects can be disturbing enough to leave numbness in its wake.

Post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS) refers to a set of prolonged withdrawal symptoms that can persist for weeks or even months after quitting. Research shows us that people in early recovery are at a heightened risk for symptoms of depression and anxiety, particularly in the first 90 days.

PAWS is a common part of post-rehab reality for many people. Research shows that as many as 90% of people recovering from opioid addiction have post-acute symptoms. Many people don’t expect to feel this way once reaching sobriety and quickly start to worry that something is deeply wrong. As the body and mind readjust and recalibrate, space should be given to the damaging potential of PAWS in newfound sobriety.

In some cases, a profound sadness found in sobriety isn’t just a phase but can be a signal of an underlying mental health issue that was previously masked by substance use. Depression is tragically common in people with substance use disorder and may surface more clearly during recovery. In one study, 93% of people with a substance use disorder also experienced depression symptoms, amplifying their recovery struggles.

Addiction recovery often serves to lift the curtain on a person’s partial view of their depression. Acknowledging the possibility that depression may be deeper than first thought isn’t a setback. It may open the door to deeper healing that treats both the addiction and the emotional pain that lies within.

One of the first considerations for limiting the amount of sadness you may find in sobriety may be found in therapy. Many people who have never struggled with addiction have had their lives turned around with professional therapy services. The benefits gained by speaking with a therapist are not only available for a person who has been through addiction.

Most rehab aftercare services use therapy to help you manage depression and unpack trauma. Group therapy is structured to help you connect with others who have been, or currently are, in your same situation. Individual therapy can be another valuable option to help you delve deeper into mental health problems and set the stage for positive lifestyle changes. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT) are just two of a broad spectrum of therapy modalities that help you develop long-term coping strategies.

As you enter a new state of sobriety, it may be the best time to work on the important relationships in your life. Start with the people who supported you and helped you find sobriety, as they will best recognise the new heights you’ve reached. Make efforts to continue sober activities with them and let them know how much they’ve helped you.

Connecting more deeply with the people who helped support your change can bring a profound sense of peace. However, it’s also important to remember that the recovery process itself may create a necessary distance between you and the other person. They could easily fear a potential relapse.

Your newfound sobriety will need a certain amount of diligence and commitment. For too long, you may have listened to outside forces of influence and become a yes person to taking a substance you know was harming you. In these times, marking your own lines in the sand can become a cathartic and deeply rewarding experience.

It will benefit you to understand a phrase used by psychologists and addiction experts called “People, places and things.” Although the phrase may sound simple on the surface, it is a profound and significant factor in maintaining sobriety. It refers to the often invisible influence of individual elements in your life, including the places you go and the people you spend time with. While addicted, the brain will create relationships between external stimuli and the use of a substance, from the voice of a friend you used drugs with to the tinkling of pub glasses. Recognising and working to remove these influences may become a deeply rewarding process that fortifies your newfound sobriety.

Our final recommendation may be more holistic than the others. Life in sobriety can feel so different from your addicted life that you may indeed feel like a completely new person. Some people eventually find deep solace in the acceptance of being a new person, so it may benefit you to recognise this early on.

Overcoming the challenge of addiction may be one of the greatest efforts you’ve ever made. As an abstract comparison, some artists work for years on a demanding project. Once they’ve completed it, a certain amount of sadness, or post-completion depression, may be inevitable. Think of your own journey as the completion of such a rigorous demand. Develop a journaling schedule and make room for potential future sadnesses. The fear of the unknown didn’t permanently freeze you when you felt it as a child, so do not let it freeze you into a state of sadness now.