Family therapy sessions can also be beneficial, helping to improve communication and resolve any underlying issues that may impact your sobriety. 💙 Start this simple 30-day program on Mindfulness for Beginners to build this supportive habit into your daily life. Techniques such as meditation, yoga, and deep-breathing exercises can help you manage stress and the anxiety that may fear of being sober come with sobriety. These practices encourage focusing on the present moment, which helps alleviate worries about the future. 💙 Explore the importance of Embracing Fears and how accepting what you’re afraid of can help you make changes. While removing substances from your routine can seem challenging, taking it step by step may help you regain control and even feel empowered.

How Sobriety Can Look Boring

Just keep in mind that your improvements won’t happen overnight. A structured routine will help you achieve other goals in your life, whether they are short-term (like being on time for work) or long-term (like going back to school and changing careers). If PAWS is severe or if you’re experiencing prolonged symptoms, a medical professional can help you work through them and remain in recovery without relapse. Depending on the type of dependency, PAWS can last from six months to two years after you stop using drugs or alcohol. Educate your family about your challenges and what you need from them so they know how to support you.

Is it possible to be afraid of recovering from addiction?

What is the point of sobriety if you let yourself wallow in self-doubt and pity? I don’t believe you really feel that way because otherwise, you wouldn’t be here. You know, deep down, that you can and should have a better life. Besides, allowing the fear of failure to completely influence big decisions like this is a cop-out. It’s a dysfunctional version of “playing it safe.” You deserve better than that.

Substance Abuse Treatment Programs

It will be present, but you can learn to deal with it, overcome it, and never let it stop you. The key here is not just to know that fear is common, but to know what to look for so you can take steps to avoid a relapse spurred by fear. Every person faces fear at various times in their lives. The type of response we have to situations differs from one person to the next. It is quite common for some to worry significantly about a therapy session while others worry about not opening up. If you’ve developed an identity tied closely to the drug scene, you might fear losing yourself outside that world.

• For some people, sobriety has a very narrow definition and refers to complete abstinence from all substances considered to be addictive, though this typically excludes both nicotine and caffeine.
• It sounds like a weird thing to be afraid of, but it’s very real.
• Some people experience horrible withdrawal symptoms (such as nausea, shaking, or sweating), whereas others experience very little withdrawals, if any.
• Yet, at the same time, it may feel better just to give in and use because that’s what they expect from you.
• Above all, she recommends folks find their own balance of offering support while also supporting themselves.

Are You Afraid to Be Sober? Common Fears You’ll Face Through Recovery

You always rush to get that next drink or hit before withdrawal really sets in. When you stop using drugs or alcohol, you will experience a range of withdrawal symptoms. This can include physical withdrawal symptoms (e.g. aches and pains) and psychological withdrawals (e.g. strong cravings). Many addicts worry that withdrawals will be too painful to cope with. You may also doubt your ability to resist the urge to use again. If that’s you, no matter your level of addiction, you should consider doing an inpatient medical detox.

Sobriety Fear #9: You won’t be able to handle your feelings without alcohol.

Our brains are hard-wired to become uncomfortable in the face of the unknown. Simply the anticipation of a potentially unpleasant or stressful circumstance causes the brain to go into flight or fight mode. And since fear is always about something that might or could happen but hasn’t happened yet, it is a reaction to an imagined, rather than a real, event. One thing that all addicts have in common when starting recovery is that they are often afraid of the process.

• Those early days of sobriety may leave you feeling hopeless.
• I got out of debt, started a company that provides digital recovery, launched a podcast, and am in the middle of writing a book.
• Develop a daily or weekly routine that includes check-ins with your support network, attendance at support group meetings, and dedicated time for self-care practices.
• Many individuals facing drug and alcohol addiction have developed a lifestyle around their addiction.
• But you do need patience, empathy for yourself, and a firm commitment to meeting your goal.
• By exploring healthy living during rehab, you will find it much easier to carry on with these positive habits in your regular life.

It wasn’t until she found a packed meeting on a Friday night, with peers she’d typically be parting with, that she hoped she’d found her place. What’s going to happen when you step out of the residential rehab center and into life again? You may no longer be in some people’s lives because of your actions. However, another fear is the worry of not belonging anywhere. You may feel as though you don’t belong in a place of employment because you screwed up so badly.

What Being Sober Feels Like

At the same time, come to grips with the fact that this is the reality you are living with and there’s no way to turn back the clock. With that understood, you can begin to move forward with working towards recovery again. Take a closer look at these feelings you may be having and what you can do about https://ecosoberhouse.com/ them right now. By Michelle PugleMichelle Pugle, MA is a freelance writer and reporter focusing on mental health and chronic conditions. As seen in Verywell, Healthline, Psych Central, Everyday Health, and Health.com, among others. To begin, it can take several hours to sober up from alcohol.

• Within the safety and supports of a trusted rehab program and sober peer community, many people come to like and love the person they are when drugs and alcohol aren’t in the picture.
• Fear in recovery isn’t something you can avoid, but it is something you can overcome and work through every day in your journey towards recovery.
• That includes talking about these fears, learning to understand what sobriety will mean to you, and facing what’s underneath it all.
• Over time, our ability to cope and come up with solutions that work for us becomes easier and easier.
• People will assume you drink and will be very curious about why you don’t have a drink in your hand when they do.

Celebrating these achievements can boost your morale and reinforce the value of your efforts toward sobriety. Many people like to drink occasionally as a way to relax or socialize, but for others, the habit is rooted in anxiety and fear. If this is the case for you, you may want to dig deeper. 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.