10 Life-Changing Quotes for Recovering Alcoholics
The Power of Inspiration
As recovering alcoholics can attest, treating alcohol use disorder (AUD) is not for the faint of heart. It is a daily battle, with the possibility of relapse right around the corner. Even with therapy, group sessions, or medication, staying sober is a challenge. Sometimes, a little inspiration can help keep us on track. The inspiration can come from a friend or loved one. Sometimes it can come from a list of quotes for recovering alcoholics, like this one.
Yes, quotes can be a little cliche at times, but there’s a reason why they still show up on your Instagram feeds or Pinterest boards. You never know at what point in your life the right words will touch your soul. Likewise, you never know when the right quote will motivate you to try one more day or even change your life. These are 10 quotes for recovering alcoholics that could help you stay on a fantastic path to freedom.
1. "Alcohol ruined me financially and morally, broke my heart and the hearts of too many others. Even though it did this to me, and it almost killed me, and I haven’t touched a drop of it in seventeen years, sometimes I wonder if I could get away with drinking some now. I totally subscribe to the notion that alcoholism is a mental illness because thinking like that is clearly insane." - Craig Furgeson, American On Purpose
Comedian, author, and former late-night host Craig Furgeson struggled with addiction for years. He, like many others, believed that alcohol use disorder is something they can switch off when they’re ready. Over time, you realize that the condition is indeed a mental illness. Some people continue to drink well aware of its ill effects but can’t stop. Even during recovery, those thoughts can seep into your mind. Treating alcoholism as a mental illness allows you to get the help you need, including counseling and medication like naltrexone.
2. "Most recovering alcoholics in early sobriety have trouble believing they’ll ever have fun again but if they hang in there, it’s amazing how good life can become." - Elizabeth Zelvin
At first, it’s challenging to have a better quality of life when alcohol is part of all your emotions. Some people drink when they’re happy, sad, inspired, disappointed, and everything in between. When it’s become a mainstay in all the fun activities adults enjoy, you feel like sobriety sucks the joy out of everything. However, recovering alcoholics soon realize that actual value comes from being present in whatever they do. That joy then moves into all other aspects of life.
3. "Being sober a long time is a gift, but watching it touch lives around us is even sweeter." - Gene O
Alcoholism damages the lives of those around us. Sobriety, on the other hand, does the opposite. Close friends and family only want what’s best for you. Through recovery, you also improve their quality of life. You become more present in the lives of your spouse, children, and coworkers. Along the way, you also encounter people on the same journey but right behind you. Your story and experience in reducing your drinking or becoming fully sober can inspire them. The intrinsic value you get from helping others gives you those feel-good endorphins which, ironically, appear with alcohol use.
4. "My recovery must come first so that everything I love in life does not have to come last" - Anonymous
Deciding to reduce or stop drinking means placing a magnifying glass on yourself. It highlights the things that you need to work on, requiring an abnormal investment of time and money to change. You come face-to-face with drinking and its effects on your physical and mental health. However, you must do this to invest in the people and things around you that you love.
5. "I am not what I’ve done. I’m what I’ve overcome" - Fireflight
It can be heartbreaking when someone recovering from alcoholism realizes the damage they’ve done. Suddenly, you define yourself by your mistakes. In two brief lines, Rock band Fireflight gives us one of the more powerful quotes for recovering alcoholics. You can’t change the number of drinks you’ve had. You can’t change past behavior. You can work on overcoming addiction and finding joy in the new you.
6. "The mentality and behavior of drug addicts and alcoholics is wholly irrational until you understand that they are completely powerless over their addiction and unless they have structured help, they have no hope." - Russel Brand
British actor and comedian Russel Brand is arguably one of the more famous celebrities who has overcome addiction. It’s what has fueled his new life’s purpose as an intellect, author, and podcaster. However, he, like many others, realizes that almost all levels of alcohol use disorder are a disease. When people reach this point, they have no control over their behavior and, therefore, need a structured medical strategy to get help.
This could be in the form of inpatient rehabilitation, AA meetings, or detox programs. Other excellent strategies, like The Sinclair Method, help people reduce their drinking with on-demand medication and coaching. Structured help will always beat an inconsistent or scattergun approach.
7. "Those who have a ‘why’ to live, can bear with almost any 'how'." - Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning
This quote is also attributed to Frederich Nietzche, who inspired Dr. Frankl. In his book, Man’s Search For Meaning, Frankl chronicles his time in a concentration camp. When all felt lost, the members survived by connecting with the reasons why they should live. These reasons allowed them to bear the inhumane conditions, treatment, and daily threat of death. As part of recovery, it’s essential to discover why you are making a change. When there is a powerful enough WHY, then dealing with the circumstances behind alcohol use and the steps to resolve it becomes easier.
8. "Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines practiced every day." - Jim Rohn
Treating alcoholism requires small wins and consistency, not sweeping changes in your life. In short, it comes down to simple daily habits. These habits will allow you to be more consistent and successful when compounded. Start small, stay consistent, and your recovery will work.
9. "Alcoholism is a well-documented pathological reaction to unresolved grief." - David Cook.
Using The Sinclair Method, you can take naltrexone in a specified way that will systematically reduce the chemical reactions that happen in the brain triggered by alcohol use. Eventually, you’ll notice a growing indifference to alcohol, and enjoy a progressive reduction in alcohol intake all the way to easily quitting if you choose. However, often there are unresolved, underlying issues that spurred excess alcohol use in the first place. Tackling these issues in combination with the Sinclair Method using coaching or, in some cases more formal therapy, will boost your results and set you up for any entirely new, buoyant lifestyle where excess drinking, mindsets and behaviors are left behind.
10. "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." - African Proverb
What does this quote have to do with alcohol recovery? Every year, thousands of men and women choose to quit alcohol. They do this by quitting cold turkey. It works at first, even if with it comes some withdrawal symptoms. But, if anything, it works quickly. Over time, most former alcoholics realize that quitting cold turkey is not sustainable.
One traumatic event, one false move, and the floodgates open again. It’s why we do not recommend quitting alcohol suddenly. As much as 60% of people who quit alcohol cold-turkey relapse. Some drink worse than before. To achieve long-term sobriety, you can’t go it alone. It would be best if you had support and strategy. It’s only then you’ll notice a long-term change.
The Path to a Mindful Future
To end with another quote, Simon Sinek, author of Start With Why, says, "There are only two ways to influence human behavior: you can manipulate it, or you can inspire it."
Quotes are a great way to inspire recovery or even get people started on the journey for a better life. If you know there’s a better life on the other side of alcohol, reach out to us. Using The Sinclair Method, we help you reduce your alcohol use under control so that it doesn’t dominate your thoughts or your life. Then, you can re-establish healthy boundaries with alcohol or quit altogether.