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rch. Turns out that receiving unconditional love is one of the main arguments for emotional support pets, which are not just a fad, but <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27931210/">scientifically proven</a>.</p><h1 id="5020">#2 Pets can fix your messed-up brain.</h1><p id="7233">When you see that ball of cuteness who is just so happy to see you, it actually releases the feel-good chemicals serotonin and <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2015/04/how-dogs-stole-our-hearts">oxytocin</a>. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-having-dog-affects-your-body-brain-pet-oxytocin-animal-baby-2018-5">Meg Olmert</a> explains that this is the same process that parents experience when bonding with their child.</p><h1 id="3b01">#3 Pets reduce stress levels.</h1><p id="eda7">Cuddling your pet makes you <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12271103/">less stressed</a>. Furthermore, in those diagnosed with <a href="https://brill.com/view/journals/soan/21/6/article-p568_4.xml">PTSD</a> or <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19388863/">chronic fatigue</a>, pet ownership actually reduces symptoms and induces calmness.</p><h1 id="d056">#4 They get you up and out and keep you busy.</h1><p id="0810">It’s easy to sit around moping and indulging in a pity party when you get sober. Getting a pet gives you something to leave your home for. Before you went to the supermarket for wine, now you go for kitty litter.</p><p id="7b7d">Also, there’s nothing worse than feeling like you have nothing to do, particularly if you are new to recovery. If you get a dog, that pooch needs walking three times a day.</p><h1 id="de7c">#5 Pets keep you in the present moment.</h1><p id="0297">Early in recovery, it’s easy to get caught up thinking about what you should be doing or should have done and all the ways you messed up. But you can’t think about all those shoulds when you have this ridiculou

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sly cute thing crying for some love.</p><p id="43ed">Pets are demanding. They want someone to play with them, cuddle them, feed them, or they got stuck somewhere and they need you to rescue them. Interruptions from your ball of fluff can be the perfect distraction from overthinking and worrying.</p><h1 id="6d66">#6 Pets give you responsibility.</h1><p id="7389">When you were rolling in at 5 a.m. there was no way you could have been a good pet owner. Now you can. Having someone that needs you can give you <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19839680/">purpose in life</a>.</p><h1 id="6c40">#7 New interest = new life.</h1><p id="3507">Getting a pet is like a watershed moment. A change between the previous life of addiction and this one of recovery.</p><p id="7ab8">Owning a pet can also open up new friendship groups with other owners. I used to meet a group of other women to walk our dogs every morning and after adopting from the local shelter, I got involved with the charity that helps strays.</p><p id="f084">Also, pet owners love other pet owners, every time I take my dog out at least two people strike up a conversation. It feels good and definitely helps with loneliness.</p><p id="6279">Getting a pet won’t help you get sober but they can help you stay sober. They offer companionship, unconditional love, and unlimited cute cuddles. They love you no matter what and there is nothing that the newly sober need more than love without the fear of judgment.</p><p id="c5b3"><i>Doran Lamb is a freelance writer on addiction and mental health. She writes to challenge the stigma that exists as a result of mental health and through her writing wants the world to know that individual difference makes the world dynamic, sexy and beautiful. She is proudly an addict in recovery, a mother, and an opinionated woman, who has learned not to give a f**k what anyone thinks.</i></p></article></body>

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7 Reasons Why a Sobriety Pet Will Be the Best Decision You Make

Want some serotonin and oxytocin?

My first sobriety pet came from a Christmas market in Shanghai. There she was, petrified by the bright lights, the tiniest kitten, waiting among hundreds of hopefuls for someone to adopt her.

I had been told not to make any big changes, and definitely not to increase my responsibility in my first year of sobriety. But I just couldn't resist this mewing ball of cuteness.

A month later, we adopted Millie, a bison frise, and then later our blind stray cats Juniper Hallows and Freddie Lunar.

Pets have been a big part of my sobriety journey. I always was a pet lover, but I recommend them to anyone new to sobriety. Here’s why…

#1 Pets make you feel happy.

I’d like to say that adopting a stray was all about me doing a good thing. And sure I wanted to save her, but it was really all about me. I wanted cute cuddles, and someone to love who wouldn’t ask me difficult questions like, how’s sobriety going? or, how are you managing cravings?

I needed the pure, uncomplicated love of a pet. Someone who would love me just because I gave them pieces of dried meat laced with MSG. Someone to cuddle on a Friday night.

Needless to say, this is also supported by research. Turns out that receiving unconditional love is one of the main arguments for emotional support pets, which are not just a fad, but scientifically proven.

#2 Pets can fix your messed-up brain.

When you see that ball of cuteness who is just so happy to see you, it actually releases the feel-good chemicals serotonin and oxytocin. Meg Olmert explains that this is the same process that parents experience when bonding with their child.

#3 Pets reduce stress levels.

Cuddling your pet makes you less stressed. Furthermore, in those diagnosed with PTSD or chronic fatigue, pet ownership actually reduces symptoms and induces calmness.

#4 They get you up and out and keep you busy.

It’s easy to sit around moping and indulging in a pity party when you get sober. Getting a pet gives you something to leave your home for. Before you went to the supermarket for wine, now you go for kitty litter.

Also, there’s nothing worse than feeling like you have nothing to do, particularly if you are new to recovery. If you get a dog, that pooch needs walking three times a day.

#5 Pets keep you in the present moment.

Early in recovery, it’s easy to get caught up thinking about what you should be doing or should have done and all the ways you messed up. But you can’t think about all those shoulds when you have this ridiculously cute thing crying for some love.

Pets are demanding. They want someone to play with them, cuddle them, feed them, or they got stuck somewhere and they need you to rescue them. Interruptions from your ball of fluff can be the perfect distraction from overthinking and worrying.

#6 Pets give you responsibility.

When you were rolling in at 5 a.m. there was no way you could have been a good pet owner. Now you can. Having someone that needs you can give you purpose in life.

#7 New interest = new life.

Getting a pet is like a watershed moment. A change between the previous life of addiction and this one of recovery.

Owning a pet can also open up new friendship groups with other owners. I used to meet a group of other women to walk our dogs every morning and after adopting from the local shelter, I got involved with the charity that helps strays.

Also, pet owners love other pet owners, every time I take my dog out at least two people strike up a conversation. It feels good and definitely helps with loneliness.

Getting a pet won’t help you get sober but they can help you stay sober. They offer companionship, unconditional love, and unlimited cute cuddles. They love you no matter what and there is nothing that the newly sober need more than love without the fear of judgment.

Doran Lamb is a freelance writer on addiction and mental health. She writes to challenge the stigma that exists as a result of mental health and through her writing wants the world to know that individual difference makes the world dynamic, sexy and beautiful. She is proudly an addict in recovery, a mother, and an opinionated woman, who has learned not to give a f**k what anyone thinks.