5 Reasons to Choose Sober Living for Men

Sobriety can be very beneficial for men. With all the challenges that men face day to day, here are 5 reasons why its a healthier and safer decision to choose a sober life.

1. Stress

Men often tend to bottle stress, escaping from it into another activity (OWH). Because of this reaction, substance abuse can be very detrimental to men who begin it as a coping mechanism. Drug abuse often makes people more sensitive to stress, and a man who is coping with it by using drugs may feel stressors more strongly than before. This can cause conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure, and mental health disorders.

When leading a sober life, men can find other, healthier ways to reduce stress that won’t cause more stress later on.

2. Depression

Mens sober homes can be very positive during the transition into a sober life.

Substance addiction, whether its to alcohol, prescription antidepressants, or stimulants like cocaine, can sometimes cause depression when a man goes through withdrawal or is on the downward side of his high. All of these drugs, when abused especially, can cause longterm depression over time.

Men with depression “are more likely to die by suicide” than women with depression (NIH). Men are also less likely to seek treatment for their depression. Sobriety helps prevent this type of depression in men.

3. Health Risks

Men who abuse drugs put themselves in danger of many health risks. For example, anabolic steroids are often abused by men, and they cause testicular atrophy and “increased risk for prostate cancer” (NIDA). They also cause stunted growth in young men.

All drugs have inherent health risks, from ecstasy to codeine, and abusing them will increase a man’s chances of experiencing strong, debilitating side effects. Abuse of certain drugs can cause anything from anxiety and paranoia to memory loss, tissue damage, respiratory depression, coma, and death. Sober living takes these consequences out of the equation.

4. Relationships

When a man begins abusing drugs, his relationships become drastically strained. According to the NCBI, “people who abuse substances are likely to find themselves increasingly isolated from their families.” This can lead to time that a person may never be able to get back. Drug abuse can also cause violent behavior and “risky sexual behavior” which may lead to relationships severing completely (NCBI).

This can sometimes be the hardest consequence of abusing drugs. Men who do so often lose their significant others and children because their behaviors were out of control. It can break all the trust in a relationship and can sometimes be irreparable once the dust settles. Sobriety protects those relationships from the ravages of drug abuse and may help rebuild them afterwards.

5. Exercise

Exercise is “one of the most important thing you can do for your health” (OWH). Many men who abuse substances tend to avoid exercise. Drugs can cause weight gain or loss, confusion, bad coordination, and other effects that will make a person less likely to exercise.

Exercise may even help prevent drug abuse, as it “stimulates the brain’s reward pathway,” challenges people, and boosts mood and confidence (NIDA). Sober living makes men more likely to exercise, and exercise in turn may go a long way in preventing drug abuse.