How to Tell People you’re Sober

One of the biggest things a person has to deal with while living sober in Recovery, is how to tell people you’re sober. Especially in situations where no one truly knew about you’re drinking. Opening up about it can be a challenging thing to do.

If an intervention-like confrontation catapulted you into acknowledging you needed help, you may not have to tell anyone. In fact, chances are everyone knew. Interventions tend to occur when family and friend’s watch you hit rock bottom, and step in to get you help when you can’t or won’t help yourself.

How to Tell Them I’m Sober
There are 2 sets of friends which could prove to be a problem.

Less Intimate Friendships
Friends and colleagues that fall into this category only know the functional side of you and your addiction. With this group of people you could go with honesty, or you could offer it as a health choice. A lot of people give up booze for a while to live a little healthier. Once they understand you will no longer drink, they won’t care anymore.

Old Drinking Friends
Every drinker has drinking buddies. You get together with these friends just to drink and get drunk. They will prove to be the hardest to talk to because they enabled and justified your addiction. With this group, the truth is key. Maybe even bluntness in some situations, because your goal is to remain sober… not compromise it.

This group of friends will disapprove, and even push back, when you tell them you are sober. They will not take your sobriety seriously because they will see your decision as sort of a betrayal. Your decision exposes their excessive drinking.

Be prepared. Being truthful about your sobriety with this group has its own risks. You could be met with defensiveness or even hostility. They are not all this way, but some are.

At the end of the day, friends who get angry, defensive, or attempt to influence you to drink are wicked news. Living a healthy life in recovery hinges on a strong support system and positive influences. In other words, you may have to drop a few friends in order to live a long, healthy and lucid life.
No, I Don’t Drink …Ever.

Living in recovery is a journey. It has its own ups and downs. When it comes to telling people you don’t drink, it can cause some anxiety. Will they laugh, will they understand? Will they think I’m boring now? Etc.…

Many thoughts may go through you head. But, honestly, you have to work out how you want the world to know and when.

Telling people that you don’t drink isn’t always a problem. It shines light on your real friends and exposes the ones that only liked the drunk you. It also establishes that you can live a fulfilled life without drinking. You can go through life clear headed and alert. Alcohol dulls the senses and slows down the mind and body.

Some people will even admire the strength you possess for living sober. After all, it ain’t easy. It takes a certain amount of courage to fight each day to remain alcohol free.
So, go forth, tell the world.