{"id":131330,"date":"2023-06-01T13:13:26","date_gmt":"2023-06-01T17:13:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/?post_type=article&#038;p=131330"},"modified":"2025-11-17T15:05:18","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T20:05:18","slug":"i-dont-know-how-to-be-around-drinking-people-sober","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/es\/content\/i-dont-know-how-to-be-around-drinking-people-sober\/","title":{"rendered":"No s\u00e9 c\u00f3mo comportarme con gente que bebe estando sobrio."},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote><p>I felt really disrespected. It felt like a slap in the face when people were drinking around me, and I was trying to stay sober.<\/p>\n<footer>Allie, New York<\/footer>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>When you get into recovery, it\u2019s like you are doing everything for the first time. This includes <a href=\"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/es\/content\/how-can-i-identify-triggers-that-make-me-want-to-use\/\">being around others who are drinking<\/a> at bars, parties, and events. And it might be uncomfortable because you haven\u2019t been in these situations without drinking. You may start to wonder: <em>How can I still be a part of everything without feeling left out?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The truth is that figuring out your normal isn\u2019t easy. But it\u2019s better than <a href=\"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/es\/content\/i-drink-because-im-anxious\/\">drinking to fit in<\/a> and risking your recovery. Others aren\u2019t always going to understand, but your recovery and healing are important. It\u2019s OK to put yourself and your recovery first. Finding your \u201cnormal\u201d in recovery can take years.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>This is a tricky thing in early sobriety. I have an anxiety disorder, so I feel my alcohol use is related to that. This is very risky and slippery behavior\u2026<\/p>\n<footer>Robin, California<\/footer>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2>Putting yourself first<\/h2>\n<blockquote><p>There were so many people I had to \u201cleave behind\u201d in the beginning of my recovery.\u00a0 The beauty of recovery is that as you walk your walk, many of those you\u2019ve \u201cleft behind\u201d are watching and may eventually join you in recovery. Even in my mental health journey, I often have to remind myself, \u201cme first!\u201d<\/p>\n<footer>Keshia, Indiana<\/footer>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Sometimes people feel like they are abandoning their family, friends, and loved ones when they begin their recovery journey. And this part of the process is difficult. It\u2019s ok to miss these people and grieve the loss of these relationships.<\/p>\n<p>But if putting yourself in a healthy place means walking away from others, then that\u2019s OK too. This will change who is in your life. Unfortunately, not everyone will support you or respect your sobriety. So you might find yourself redefining your friendships, relationships, and boundaries. Accepting that putting yourself first will change who you surround yourself with is an important part of recovery.<\/p>\n<h2>Removing yourself from the environment<\/h2>\n<blockquote><p>I live on a campus where it is very normalized to party, but my normal is to stay away from those spaces and stay home.<\/p>\n<footer>Daphne, 22<\/footer>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>If it feels uncomfortable to be around friends, family, or drinking people sober, then it\u2019s OK to <a href=\"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/es\/content\/everything-around-me-makes-me-want-to-use\/\">remove yourself from those environments<\/a>. For example, it\u2019s OK to leave a party if you feel anxious or if you feel that you are risking your recovery. Here are some strategies you can use if you need to leave or are looking for new environments:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Feel your feelings<\/strong>. You may feel anxious, ashamed, or less than because you can\u2019t drink at first. But you may also feel relieved that you don&#8217;t have to participate. This is all normal to feel. Using <a href=\"https:\/\/mhanational.org\/building-your-coping-toolbox\">your coping strategies<\/a> will help you work through these feelings. Learning to address through your feelings will take time, but it\u2019s crucial to healing. And therapy helps with this as well.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Have a plan.<\/strong>\u00a0 Don&#8217;t just go by yourself.\u00a0 Stick with friends in recovery. Don&#8217;t go around people who are drinking for a while, and have an exit strategy for leaving if things become too overwhelming. For example, you can keep a soft drink or water in your hand so you don&#8217;t pick up a drink by mistake, so if someone asks if you need a drink, you already have one<\/li>\n<li><strong>Choose a new sober environment with friends. <\/strong>Bars, parties, and social gatherings are not the only places where people have fun. Consider hanging out with <a href=\"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/es\/content\/what-does-peer-support-look-like\/\">friends in recovery or from meetings<\/a>. You can also suggest activities that don\u2019t include drinking, like physical activities, crafting, video games, and other hobbies. Other activities may include getting out in nature, bowling, ax throwing, etc. You can find sober places and events online or using apps like MeetUp.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In the beginning of your recovery, you have to be mindful of what you interact with. You are learning how to deal with a chronic illness. It\u2019s important to accept that there is no normal that is better or worse. And remember it\u2019s OK to leave social events\u2014you don\u2019t have to stay, be the last one to leave, or the life of the party.<\/p>\n<h2>Give yourself permission to need support<\/h2>\n<p>Give yourself permission to need support in this situation. You&#8217;re not alone, and there&#8217;s support for you. You don&#8217;t have to be around people who are using and drinking when you are trying not to. Give yourself permission to leave the environment if you feel pressured to drink. Give yourself permission to <a href=\"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/es\/content\/how-can-connecting-with-others-help-my-mental-health\/\">find and build connections with others<\/a> who are going through the same thing. And there are many recovery groups like <a href=\"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/es\/content\/alcoholics-anonymous\/\">Alcoh\u00f3licos An\u00f3nimos<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/es\/content\/narcotics-anonymous\/\">Narc\u00f3ticos An\u00f3nimos<\/a>, and others that you can associate yourself with so you don&#8217;t have to be alone. You cannot recover alone.\u00a0 Accepting support is a HUGE part of recovery.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Los art\u00edculos sobre adicciones, nuestro programa y las herramientas para autoayuda de MHA han sido posibles gracias a la generosa financiaci\u00f3n de Elevance Health Foundation.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-250650 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Elevance_Health_Institute_Foundation_horizontal-color-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"292\" height=\"65\" srcset=\"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Elevance_Health_Institute_Foundation_horizontal-color-1.png 2286w, https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Elevance_Health_Institute_Foundation_horizontal-color-1-768x171.png 768w, https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Elevance_Health_Institute_Foundation_horizontal-color-1-1536x343.png 1536w, https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Elevance_Health_Institute_Foundation_horizontal-color-1-2048x457.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 292px) 100vw, 292px\" \/><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I felt really disrespected. It felt like a slap in the face when people were drinking around me, and I was trying to stay sober. Allie, New York When you get into recovery, it\u2019s like you are doing everything for the first time. This includes being around others who are drinking at bars, parties, and &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/es\/content\/i-dont-know-how-to-be-around-drinking-people-sober\/\" class=\"more-link\">Seguir leyendo<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;I don&#8217;t know how to be around drinking people sober&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":23904,"featured_media":0,"template":"","age_group":[23,100,19],"condition":[90],"class_list":["post-131330","article","type-article","status-publish","hentry","age_group-11-17","age_group-over-18","age_group-under-11","condition-addiction"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<title>I don&#039;t know how to be around drinking people sober<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/es\/content\/i-dont-know-how-to-be-around-drinking-people-sober\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"es_MX\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"I don&#039;t know how to be around drinking people sober\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I felt really disrespected. It felt like a slap in the face when people were drinking around me, and I was trying to stay sober. Allie, New York When you get into recovery, it\u2019s like you are doing everything for the first time. 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