Sobriety

Sobriety is the condition of not having any effects from alcohol or drugs.^[1] Sobriety is also considered to be the natural state of a human being at birth. A person in a state of sobriety is considered sober. Organizations of the temperance movement have encouraged sobriety as being normative in society.^[2]

In a treatment setting, sobriety is the achieved goal of independence from consuming alcohol and/or drugs. As such, sustained abstinence is a prerequisite for sobriety. Early in abstinence, residual effects of alcohol consumption can preclude sobriety. These effects are labeled "PAWS", or "post-acute-withdrawal syndrome". Someone who abstains, but has a latent desire to resume use, may be termed a "dry drunk" and not considered truly sober. An abstainer may be subconsciously motivated to resume alcohol consumption, but for a variety of reasons, abstains (e.g. a medical or legal concern precluding use).^[3]

Sobriety has more specific meanings within specific contexts, such as the culture of many substance use recovery programs, law enforcement, and some schools of psychology. In some cases, sobriety implies the achievement of "life balance",^[4] or reflects a broader aspiration to a simpler and less material lifestyle.^[5]

^ "WHO - Lexicon of drug terms published by the World Health Organization". www.who.int. Archived from the original on 4 July 2004.
^ Sonnenstuhl, William J. (31 May 2018). Working Sober: The Transformation of an Occupational Drinking Culture. Cornell University Press. p. 8. ISBN 978-1-5017-1121-3.
^ ""Scientific grounding for sobriety: Western experience." MD Basharin K.G., Yakutsk State University" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 May 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
^ "TWELVE STEPS and TWELVE TRADITIONS" Archived 27 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
^ Pope Francis, Laudato si', paragraphs 222-223, published 24 May 2015, accessed 20 May 2024

[1] "WHO - Lexicon of drug terms published by the World Health Organization". www.who.int. Archived from the original on 4 July 2004.

[Sonnenstuhl2018-2] Sonnenstuhl, William J. (31 May 2018). Working Sober: The Transformation of an Occupational Drinking Culture. Cornell University Press. p. 8. ISBN 978-1-5017-1121-3.

[basharin-3] ""Scientific grounding for sobriety: Western experience." MD Basharin K.G., Yakutsk State University" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 May 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2011.

[4] "TWELVE STEPS and TWELVE TRADITIONS" Archived 27 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine

[5] Pope Francis, Laudato si', paragraphs 222-223, published 24 May 2015, accessed 20 May 2024

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