At a time of year when love and relationships are on many people’s minds, this might also be a good time to reflect on your relationship with alcohol and how it affects your friendships, your marriage, or your romantic endeavors.
Alcohol abuse can spoil romance in more ways than one. Not only can it exacerbate existing problems in relationships, but it can also cause arguments and trust issues, lead to sexual and fertility problems, and even be a catalyst for verbal and physical abuse.
Table of contents
- 1. You’ll get to know yourself (sans alcohol).
- 2. You can finally face your fear of intimacy.
- 3. You can learn how to be happy with yourself first.
- 4. You can learn how to be honest with yourself and others.
- 5. You’ll give yourself time to discover what a healthy relationship looks like.
- 6. You won’t waste valuable time dating someone who’s not okay with your sobriety.
- 7. You’ll start to become the person you were meant to be.
If your alcohol abuse is causing these issues in your love life, it may be time to consider a breakup. Here are seven reasons why breaking up with alcohol might be the best thing for your love life (besides just being a cheap date).
1. You’ll get to know yourself (sans alcohol).
If alcohol has been a major part of your life for months or years, you may not even know who you are without it anymore. Instead of covering up your emotions and using alcohol as a daily survival tool, giving it up will force you to become vulnerable and aware of your own true self. Although this process can be scary and difficult, it’s worth it if it means not losing yourself entirely to alcohol.
2. You can finally face your fear of intimacy.
If you have a fear of intimacy, you may lack interest in socializing with others, hold back instead of fully expressing your emotions, or feel completely unworthy of love. Abusing alcohol can make it easier to cope with intimacy fears because drinking in excess can numb social anxieties and make you feel more confident. However, it’s not a healthy solution for dealing with intimacy issues and it prevents you from ever dealing with them at all. Without the influence of alcohol, you can finally face any fears of intimacy and address the root causes of it instead of simply trying to cover it up. In the long run, this will help you establish more genuine and healthy relationships with others.
3. You can learn how to be happy with yourself first.
Getting sober is a humbling experience that requires an honest assessment of your behaviors, faults, and attitudes. Often, instead of facing the harsh realities of their shortcomings, people use relationships to make them feel happy. They never feel fully satisfied with who they are, so they bury feelings of insecurity and shame with alcohol. Getting sober is about more than just giving up alcohol. It’s also about learning how to accept yourself (faults and all) and move past your mistakes.
4. You can learn how to be honest with yourself and others.
If you’re struggling with alcohol use disorder, your past relationships may have revolved around sex, alcohol, or whatever you could get from the other person. When you stop drinking alcohol, you learn how to be honest with yourself and others about your faults. You discover that being vulnerable and honest is how you grow and that a relationship should be full of trust and true honesty without fear of judgment.
5. You’ll give yourself time to discover what a healthy relationship looks like.
Relationships that revolve around alcohol are typically not healthy ones. They usually consist of lies, manipulation, emotional abuse, or even physical abuse. It takes time to discover what a healthy relationship should look like, especially if you have not yet experienced one in your own life. Getting rid of alcohol’s influence in your life is a great place to start. Having a clear mind can help you be more open to change and growth as you begin to view yourself and others differently in sobriety.
6. You won’t waste valuable time dating someone who’s not okay with your sobriety.
Unfortunately, not everyone wants to date someone who is sober, which is okay. While the initial rejection may sting for a bit, it’s actually great news for you. Instead of wasting valuable time getting to know someone who isn’t okay with your sober status or who has a dysfunctional relationship with alcohol, you could be enjoying the process of getting to know other like-minded people who are also sober and establish healthy, meaningful friendships before pursuing something more serious.
7. You’ll start to become the person you were meant to be.
Maybe you’ve been abusing alcohol to hide from certain truths in your life, to numb your pain, or to hide who you are. Regardless of your reasoning, giving up alcohol is the first step to truly discovering who you are and who you were meant to be. Getting sober can be scary, but it’s easier with the support of a professional treatment team and sober peers who have similar life experiences and struggles.
Breaking up with alcohol is a big decision, but it’s one that could change your life for the better. If you or a loved one needs help getting sober, the staff at Briarwood Detox Center is here for you. We offer an inpatient alcohol detox program to help you safely complete detox and withdrawal in a comfortable and supportive environment. We also provide an executive detox program in Houston, TX for anyone who needs additional discretion and privacy during detox.
