You’re afraid you don’t have the tools and resources to help you to maintain your sobriety. You are afraid that being sober will simply be too hard. Finally, it’s important to remember that you don’t have to do this alone.
Fear of Facing Emotional Pain
It can cause serious issues in everyday life, which is why it’s so important to identify and manage it. Relapse is always a possibility, but it does not mean that recovery is not possible. If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, please reach out for help. There are many resources available to help you on your journey to recovery and for dealing with fear in recovery. However, they can be overcome by taking things one step at a time and focusing on your goals. For example, why are some people afraid of scary movies or roller coasters?
Visualization techniques to support sobriety
It’s important to remember that while the future is uncertain, recovery offers the opportunity for a better, healthier life. Embracing this uncertainty with an open mind and focusing on the positives of sobriety can help mitigate this fear. Losing friends is another common reason people are afraid to get sober that appears to come true. There is no denying that upon getting sober you will see some of your friends leave. But what you will also notice is that those people who are your friends – beyond just partying, drinking and taking drugs – will never leave.
Honoring Black Balloon Day: Remembering Lives Lost to Overdose
Additionally, there are many different sober support groups that you can join. These groups can give you the support and encouragement needed to overcome your fears. Adding these behaviors into your daily schedule will enable you to lead an ongoing and happy sober life. They offer the strength, determination, and organization required to overcome obstacles and grow in sobriety. Consistent use of these techniques can help you realize that sobriety is about enjoying a dynamic, empowered lifestyle rather than only about avoiding alcohol.
- Sobriety is a constant journey of change, which can feel overwhelming at times.
- It’s important to choose people who are nonjudgmental and encouraging, rather than those who might inadvertently lead you back into old habits.
- Fear of recovery not working and that you will return to use is real.
- This is the hard part, but it’s also the most rewarding.
Sustained Recovery
However, fear can also be harmful to you–and this is especially true in both addiction and recovery. Eudaimonia Recovery Homes offers an environment where support is always available. With our long-term treatment approach, you’ll have access to peers who share similar experiences, as well as professionals who can guide you through difficult moments. By building this network, you’ll feel more confident in your ability to handle the ups and downs of recovery. Once identified, you can start addressing these concerns one by one. By the time full-blown addiction takes hold, the drug’s effects become the only thing that makes day-to-day living bearable or worthwhile.
Fear is the biggest barrier to change, even if that change is for the better and will improve our lives.
Discovering new activities and ways to enjoy life that do not rely on substances can shift your mindset from one of deprivation to one of discovery. This could mean exploring creative outlets like painting, engaging in physical activities like hiking, and spending quality time with supportive friends and family. Reducing the fear that sobriety equals drug addiction treatment boredom and replacing it with the joy of a life in recovery can be extremely fulfilling. When you get proper care from an effective addiction treatment provider, you can learn to manage your symptoms and control your behaviors. This will empower you to resist the compulsion to use alcohol or other addictive substances.
Fear of a Life Without Drugs or Alcohol
- If you try to stop using and fail, you’re disappointing them all over again.
- Drug addiction and alcohol abuse can affect anyone at any time, and sobriety looks different for everyone who experiences it.
- With almost 60 percent of sober people experiencing relapse, it’s no wonder that people are afraid of getting sober.
- When you look at it this way, it is clear that giving sobriety a try, even if you do not succeed at first, is the best option.
I would much rather fail and keep trying than stay stuck on a one-way path to destruction. And worrying about what others may think if you return to use is outside of your control. You focus on you and the people who are supposed to be in your life will support you along the way. But I coped and I feel infinitely stronger for doing it on my own without drugs and alcohol to inhibit my progress.
The fear of confronting these feelings without the crutch of drugs or alcohol can be overwhelming. However, recovery provides the tools and support necessary to face and heal from these fear of being sober emotional wounds. Therapy, support groups, and other resources can help individuals process their emotions in a healthy way, ultimately leading to greater emotional resilience and well-being.