How to Get Sober, Stages of Change

I’m sharing a few tips for how to get started with any new habit including ditching the drink. I am starting a new habit of walking in the morning. This is something I’ve been considering for a while. For months I would say to myself “I should really get up and do that,” and then I would not get up and do that. Relatable?

I did this while drinking too. It is part of the contemplation stage of change.

The stages of change model describes the process individuals go through as they make behavioral changes. The stages of change include:

• Precontemplation or as I like to call it, blissfully unaware. In this stage you are unaware or resistive to the idea of change.
• Contemplation. This is when you are starting to think about making a change. This stage can last a long time. In my case with alcohol it was years if not decades. For my new walk routine, I’ve probably been thinking about it for 6 months. I recognize the need for change, but I still have ambivalence about it. For your sober journey this is the stage I would call sober curiosity. With alcohol I was of a conflicted mind. I wanted to quit drinking, but I didn’t want to quit drinking. I wanted to stop drinking, but right now I want a drink. Its the things that make you go hmmmm stage.
• Preparation. This is where you become more…