Learning to live without drugs and alcohol is more than learning to live without drugs and alcohol. Those who believe quitting addiction is simple are often the people in treatment who relapse the fastest. Addiction isn’t just about using drug and alcohol. Addiction is a disorder which controls how the brain thinks and the body functions. Most people who come to treatment are surprised by the depth of the effect addiction was having on their lives. It isn’t until they finally get sober and start navigating the new waters of living without drugs and alcohol that they are able to recognize it. Everything from waking up in the morning, remembering to practice personal hygiene, going to the grocery store, managing a bank account, interacting with coworkers, having a job or keeping a job, driving the car, choosing an outfit in the morning…all of the small actions which make us who we are and our lives what they are exists in the brain. Addiction and alcoholism live in the brain. Therefore, every part of our lives, that is, every part of our brain, is affected by drug and alcohol addiction. Thus, living sober requires more skills than simply abstaining form drugs and alcohol. Every area of life that was affected by addiction has to be re-learned and given life skills so that area of life never has to include drugs and alcohol again.