Will I Ever Be Happy Without Alcohol?
How sobriety transformed my emotional health.
Sobriety and Depression
“Will I ever be happy without alcohol?”
It sounds like a silly question now, but when I quit drinking it was a very serious concern of mine.
During my late twenties, I was not a happy person. Even when my life was going well, very little brought me joy.
I was suffering from depression, which made it very difficult for me to enjoy anything. I have a few happy memories from those years, but they really are few and far between. For the most part, my emotions ranged from miserable to apathetic.
My one consistent escape from all of this depression and gloom was alcohol. When I got drunk, I’d find myself smiling, even laughing. When I was at my most wasted was when I felt the most hopeful about life.
So, I turned to alcohol with alarming regularity. I drank every night, often going years without a single day off. I developed a severe and dangerous addiction.
When I decided to get sober, I knew it would for the best, but I couldn’t help worrying about my happiness. Could I experience joy without alcohol? By getting sober, would I be dooming myself to a life of misery?
