When you’re addicted to drugs or alcohol, the notion of getting clean and then staying sober over the long haul can be frightening. One reason for this is the understandable and very common fear of what being sober feels like. Life in the absence of the self-medicating highs and euphoric escapes that drugs or alcohol once provided can suddenly appear very boring, uneventful, and empty. While this point of view is understandable, it’s also thankfully often misleading and entirely possible to overcome, as a member of FHE Health’s Alumni Program recently shared….
- Sobriety takes work, and much of it is not easy or pleasant to go through.
- In some cases, it’s more complicated than that.
- If you’ve spent the last umpteen years being THAT girl or guy, partying hard, struggling through the days hungover, and doing it all again – sobriety means an entirely new identity.
- This is part of our ongoing commitment to ensure FHE Health is trusted as a leader in mental health and addiction care.
- In fact, for many of us returning to use is a reality of recovery.
Getting Sober Comes with a Tidal Wave of Anxiety
These fears can keep people from seeking treatment in the first place. Fear can keep people from trying different treatments. It can keep them from going back to treatment after relapse. Because of its influence on recovery, it’s very important to understand the role of fear in the lives of people with SUD. It’s also important to understand what they’re afraid of.
Essential Tips For Staying Sober Long-Term
Anxiety can feel overwhelming and all-consuming. Understanding the possible causes and risk factors can be the first step in addressing your symptoms https://www.ristroy.ru/info/tehnicheskaja-informacija-o-kachestve-vody-tablica.html and regaining control. They all feel so liberated and empowered for navigating the situation sober and coming out stronger than ever. Start writing down ideas of what you can do instead, broaden your horizons and think about what you want to do instead of drinking.
Educate yourself about sobriety to demystify your fears
If a booked social calendar is important to you, you’ll find ways to be proactive and realign what you do to fit your https://gettags.info/h-cirquedusoleil/ new lifestyle. Sober movements are redefining what it means to have fun and challenging alcohol’s role in our social lives. 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. The truth is, you have no idea what success will look or feel like.
- When you are facing these challenges and downright fear of recovery, just focus on what is happening right now.
- Every day you go without drinking boosts your self-esteem, even if you don’t notice.
Work through your fears
- I would have classified myself as someone who loved to be around people and go out with them at night.
- It’s seen as normal to drink, and quitting that drug can feel like breaking a social pact.
- Not only because not drinking is hard, but also because we live in a society where most everyone around us drinks.
- Luckily, we offer CBT and several other forms of therapy to help with unhelpful and damaging thought patterns.
- Sometimes, people have been struggling with SUD for so long that they don’t know what life is like without that substance.
Yet, recognizing that a fear of rejection is something to overcome and not run from can be empowering. Becoming sober can ultimately lead to freedom from https://www.mix-cite.org/addiction-a-la-pornographie/ guilt. It can lead to self-acceptance, to forgiveness, and to healthy relationships.
Those early days of sobriety may leave you feeling hopeless. With friends, if they aren’t on board with your sobriety, you’ll have some tough choices ahead. The good news is that you don’t have to worry about it until you’ve got some solid, sober days under your belt. American Addiction Centers (AAC) offers treatment centers across the United States.