You make it up to everyone you ever hurt by never being that person again. Don’t expect to accomplish any big self-realizations in the beginning. More than likely, though, this meaningful journey of self-discovery will be a long, ongoing, and wonderful process. Instead of being afraid that you won’t recognize yourself, look at it as an opportunity. You get to define yourself from here on out, and there won’t be any regrettable drunk shenanigans doing that on your behalf. Here’s the thing about the word “fail.” So long as you dust yourself off and keep trying, you haven’t failed at all.

Evoke Wellness – Begin Your Sobriety Journey

Knowing in advance how to decline alcoholic drinks or drug use in social situations can make it easier to stick to your sobriety. Practice and plan your responses so that you feel confident and prepared in these environments. Techniques such as meditation, yoga, and deep-breathing exercises can help you manage stress and the anxiety that may come with sobriety. These practices encourage focusing on the present moment, which helps alleviate worries about the future. CBT and exposure therapy help most people manage specific phobic disorders. Medications may be helpful while you work on other therapies.

The Ranch at Dove Tree: Your Drug and Alcohol Rehab Center in Texas

” Lifestyle modifications can be uncomfortable and perhaps even generate anger and resentment. Everybody is a little scared when they first get sober. Your job is to recognize the fears for what they are – little lies we tell ourselves to keep from changing. Sometimes our fears are logical, but mostly they are not. You’ll have some tough days, but they are temporary.

Moving Forward Is One Step

Consider a few examples of what may be holding you back. But I coped and I feel infinitely stronger for doing it on my own without drugs and alcohol to inhibit my progress. People you love will die, you will move, you may experience the end of a relationship, and you may even lose your job. fear of being sober Drinking or using drugs doesn’t make the pain of any of this go away — at best you may numb your feelings, but they’re still there when you sober up. Grief and loss are painful, but using doesn’t help it just prolongs the agony. So understanding and addressing these fears is paramount.

A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder that causes overwhelming fear of an object, event or situation. To others, the fear may seem irrational or silly, but the person with the phobia feels genuinely threatened and afraid. Recognizing that fear is present is the first step in moving beyond it. The fear of being sober is often about dealing with your loss of a coping mechanism for “real” life. 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.

• With all of this chaos surrounding you at that moment, you’re just starting to acknowledge what’s happening to you.
• The flipside of the fear of failure is the fear of success.
• Their own addictions may prevent them from being excited about your change of lifestyle.
• That’s not going to be easy, but the alternative is to continue slowly destroying the one life you’re given.

The FHE Health team is committed to providing accurate information that adheres to the highest standards of writing. This is part of our ongoing commitment to ensure FHE Health is trusted as a leader in mental health and addiction care. After detox, it’s easy to come to the realization that there are people who are still standing by your side that probably should not be. You recognize what you’ve put them through, you’re ashamed of it and you wish you could take it back.

Overcoming Fear in Addiction and Recovery

What I know from this side of the fence is that life in recovery gives us everything that we had looking for at the bottom of a bottle. Fear of recovery not working and that you will return to use is real. In fact, for many of us returning to use is a reality of recovery. By its very nature, substance use disorder is referred to as a relapsing condition. I would much rather fail and keep trying than stay stuck on a one-way path to destruction.

• This is the hard part, but it’s also the most rewarding.
• Yet, with the help of your team of professionals, you can work through them and find yourself in a much better place.
• Aside from identifying triggers and practicing coping mechanisms, it also means having people to reach out to in times of temptation.
• Fear arises when there is a conflict between what you want, need or love and what might happen if that want, need, or love is not fulfilled.
• The good news is that you don’t have to worry about it until you’ve got some solid, sober days under your belt.

What are Some of the Most Common Recovery Fears?

First of all, you have to learn how to get and remain comfortable in your skin. Secondly, you have to learn how to function at a basic human level. It is not uncommon for men and women who struggle with addiction to lose the ability to take care of their basic needs. You will have to learn how to pay bills on time and how to work towards your long-term goals.

Learning to cope with common fears in recovery is one of the most important skills. It’s the period after treatment that poses the most challenges for a person facing drug and alcohol addiction and substance abuse. That’s why at Gateway we provide a continuum of care for each individual that tracks success over time.