FAQ: What Is The Difference Between Sobriety & Freedom?

For many years the operative term for success in addiction recovery has been "sobriety" The last few decades, "freedom" has become a more common term in this arena, and for good reason. While it may appear to simply be an upgraded word that means the same thing, the reality is these two concepts are miles apart, and understanding the difference is critical for your long-term success.

Sobriety is a behavioral concept that refers to the absence of substance use or a behavioral engagement. This is where you will hear phrases like "Been sober for X number of days". As you may know, we don't count streaks here at DeepClean because we are not concerned with behavior modification.

Instead, we are more interested in freedom. The difference is that freedom deals with the internal elements of one's life. Freedom means having choices in the heat of a moment, control over yourself, a comprehensive understanding of your tendencies and patterns, and a conscious effort to make better decisions that improve your quality of life.

Many who pursue sobriety choose renegade solutions like will power, white knuckling, "just think about something else", bounce the eyes, etc. While on a suface level, one who is sober and one who is free may appear the same, on the inside, the person who has freedom will flourish much more than the one who made sobriety his goal.

In fact, we have worked with a myriad of clients over the years who have been able to go months, sometimes even years, without looking at porn. But they were miserable. There was no joy in the process because they were so obsessed with not watching porn. Imagine eliminating the act of viewing porn from your life but still daily worrying that you might fail!

Freedom is where true happiness lies. This is where identity forms, relationships solidify, and healing unfolds. It is a more daunting process for sure, but it is also more rewarding.

If porn is an issue in your life, I urge you to let go of sobriety as a goal. Pursue freedom. As your internal world starts to transform, your external world will follow suit.

Cheering you on,
Sathiya