Track how long you’ve been sober for using a sobriety calculator. The marking of time has great significance when you’re in recovery, especially if you’re part of a 12-step program. A sobriety calculator, also known as a sobriety counter, sobriety tracker, or sobriety calendar, can give you a better idea of how long you’ve abstained from any substances. It’s a way to demonstrate how successful you’ve been in your journey to recovery.
Dealing with alcoholism can take some time. It takes many heavy drinkers years to fully abstain from alcohol and control their cravings. Managing an alcohol addiction is a lifelong journey. Cravings will pop up from time to time. This is the case with any type of alcohol or drug addiction. Many alcoholics rely on a sober calculator to keep track of how long they’ve stopped drinking. All that’s needed for the calculation need is the date of sobriety and from there you can track your sober days.. Keeping an eye on the dates may encourage them to keep going, especially during difficult times. Those who have abstained from drinking for a long time will feel more pressured to continue on the same road.
This article will look at how you can use a sobriety calculator and important milestones of sobriety, among other types of information. This sober day counter is useful for anyone with a drug or alcohol addiction.
What Is a Sobriety Calculator?
A sobriety calculator is basically a tool used to track how long you’ve abstained from drinking. You input the exact date and time that you stopped drinking alcohol, and the calculator will give you the years, months, weeks, days, and even hours that you’ve been sober. It’s extremely useful for tracking one’s progress. You can easily find a sobriety calculator tool online.
The sobriety calculator can calculate various events. It’s not only used to calculate the day that you’ve stopped drinking but also many other important milestones. With one click, calculate:
- The days that you admitted yourself into alcohol detox or alcohol rehab
- The amount of time that you’ve spent taking a certain medication or drug
- The days that you got out of alcohol rehab and started to work on your own life
- The amount of time that’s passed since you stopped experiencing withdrawal symptoms
- The days that you started a new job after getting sober
- The number of days that’s passed since your sobriety date
- The number of days passed since you made up your mind to treat the substance abuse
Having access to a sober calculator can help you remember everything that you’ve accomplished. It’s easy to forget just how far you’ve come in your sober living. Alcohol use disorders are difficult to treat and every step that you take in the addiction recovery process deserves to be celebrated. You can keep your celebrations to yourself or share them with loved ones who have helped you in your journey.
How Long Does it Take to Get Sober?
Here is some information regarding how long alcohol stays in your system:
- Alcohol withdrawal symptoms tend to subside within 7 to 14 days
- The body clears 0.25 to 0.50 ounces of alcohol each hour
- EtG tests can detect alcohol for up to 80 hours after the last drink
Important Milestones
A sobriety calculator will help you keep track of the important milestones that happen when quitting. The more you drink, the more you damage your body. Alcohol damages your liver, your brain, and other essential organs. This is why many alcoholics end up getting hospitalized or needing medical attention. If a chronic addiction or alcohol use is not stopped, the alcohol may cause irreversible damage. As you abstain from drinking alcohol, your body will begin to heal. As long as you’re not a chronic drinker, most damages are not permanent. Here’s how much your body heals after you stop drinking.
12 to 24 Hours After Quitting
Although alcohol withdrawal symptoms will begin to kick in, your blood sugar levels will start to normalize after you stop drinking. Alcohol has a complicated relationship with blood sugar levels. Moderate amounts of alcohol will cause blood sugar to rise, while excess alcohol will decrease blood sugar levels. Most alcoholic beverages don’t contain any sugars, but beer and sweet wine may contain carbohydrates.
To combat the withdrawal symptoms, drink plenty of water and stay away from as much refined sugar as possible. Stick to a healthy diet with fruits and vegetables.
48 Hours to 72 Hours After Quitting
More withdrawal symptoms will start to kick in, but that’s just because your body’s blood pressure and blood sugar levels are becoming more stable. Your body will also start to normalize your body temperature at this point.
Unfortunately, the withdrawal symptoms associated with this process can be quite intense. Most recovering alcoholics often feel tired, nauseated, and sick. This is why it’s a good idea to get addiction treatment at a rehab facility. Medical detox can be especially useful at this time.
One Week After Quitting
The neurochemical levels in your brain will start to normalize. Your organs will start to heal themselves. In most cases, the alcoholics will start to have more of a glow on their skin. They will feel as if they have more energy during the day. This is a welcome change.
One Month After Quitting
This is when the effects of alcohol cessation really kick in. Liver function will begin to improve, and liver fat can be reduced as much as 15% to 20% [1] at this point. Blood glucose levels drop an average of 16%. Many recovering addicts also find that they have less belly fat and feel as if they’re a new person. Their energy levels rise and their skin condition improves greatly.Most rehab centers for alcoholism last 28 days. During this time, patients receive behavioral therapy and counseling at the treatment center. Paired with the lack of alcohol, most recovering addicts often have better mental health. Those who are seeking treatment should continue therapy, especially if they struggle with a dual diagnosis. The dual diagnosis may include eating disorders, personality disorders, and depression. This is also a good time to look for an emotional support group. 12-Step programs, like Alcoholics Anonymous [2], can be extremely useful in preventing relapses. Relapses often occur within the first 6 months of sobriety
One Year After Quitting
If you’ve made it to one year, you should be proud of yourself. If you are able to abstain from drinking for a whole year, you’ll likely have lost a significant amount of weight. Your risk of mouth, liver, and breast cancer is also reduced greatly. On another positive note, your liver is almost completely healed. Its overall health and function will have mostly returned to normal.
5 Years After Drinking
A major milestone of sobriety is the 5-year mark. Not only is this an impressive feat, but it’s also a day worth celebrating. Studies show that those who abstain from alcohol for 5 years or more will be less likely to relapse. In fact, the risk of relapse hovers at around 15%. This is an important date. Celebrate the fact that you’ve been sober for so long!
Using an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) Sobriety Calculator
If you attend AA meetings, you’ll also usually get AA chips at milestones in your sobriety journey. These chips first emerged in 1942 in Indianapolis, and are given out at both AA and NA meetings. They’ve long become an important part of AA history, serving as sobriety day counters. These chips or tokens give alcoholics a sense of pride and achievement. Having a physical medallion can keep them away from alcohol. The medallions serve as a reminder of the struggles and success of sobriety. A sober calculator can help you keep track of when you’ve reached another AA or NA milestone.
AA distributes a white chip for 24 hours of sobriety; These chips are often called “desire” or “clean” chips. They’re meant to symbolize hope for sobriety. Different AA and NA groups may also give chips out at various times. Some meetings celebrate each month of sobriety. There’s a different color for each length of time.
Chips that celebrate over a year of sobriety tend to be more special. They are usually bronze or tri-plated. They also tend to be more intricate. Recovering addicts who have celebrated over 5 to 10 years of sobriety are often more than happy to show off their achievements and provide words of wisdom to newcomers.
With a Sobriety Calender or Without, Get Started on Recovery
Sobriety is a lifelong journey. You need to take it one step at a time. It’s not something that can be rushed. You’ll also be more likely to succeed if you have a true desire to get sober. It’s difficult to force sobriety on someone who doesn’t want it. They’re much more likely to give in to their temptations.
If you think that you’re ready to start your journey to recovery, don’t hesitate to contact us here at Avenues Recovery . Pioneers in addiction rehabilitation, we can walk you through the various detox and treatment programs available. We’ll come up with a tailored plan that will help you face your demons.
Sources
[1] www.eatthis.com
[2] www.aa.org