It is very normal in the early days to feel like you’ve resigned yourself to a life of misery by quitting alcohol. Those early days of sobriety may leave you feeling hopeless. Second, it’s essential to reach out to a support system. If you have friends or family members who are sober, they can be a great source of support and information. 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.
Develop a routine to avoid becoming overwhelmed
Here’s the thing about the word “fail.” So long as you dust yourself off and keep trying, you haven’t failed at all. People go into these big personal https://ecosoberhouse.com/ transformations expecting a linear progression from start to goal. Eventually, you will have to decide who to keep in your life and who to let go.
Sobriety Fear #2: Everything will change.
Fear is the biggest barrier to change, even if that change is for the better and will improve our lives. There is no doubt that getting sober is a daunting prospect — it’s terrifying. Getting support doesn’t have to mean going to rehab, although that is an option. Support can also look like joining in-person and online support groups. One 2020 study found potential benefits of combining in-person and online support methods. Depending on the severity of the addiction or substance being used, a medically supervised detox may be necessary to safely help you.
- You’ve battled this far through detox and made the decision to get help.
- Additionally, the intoxicated individual rarely remembers what they did, or what they will remember is untrue.
- Now because they had to go into debt, they have to pay the debt service, which has been increasing.
You’re Afraid of Change.
Once you recognize and accept that you’re afraid, you can begin to address the underlying causes with specific strategies. Educating yourself about the benefits of sobriety and the recovery process can demystify what sobriety entails and help alleviate some of the fear. Reaching out for support — whether to friends, family, or professionals like therapists or support groups — can provide the encouragement and guidance needed to take further steps toward sobriety. However, it is important to remember that sobriety is not something to be afraid of. Sobriety can be an incredibly rewarding experience.
Such fear is nothing to be ashamed of because it is natural. 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. By Buddy TBuddy T is a writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism. Because he is a member of a support group that stresses the importance of anonymity at the public level, he does not use his photograph or his real name on this website.
Promises Behavioral Health Addiction Treatment Centers
There’s a lot of effort on advising countries or giving them resources so that they can do the right things domestically, within their borders. But what the report suggested, when it comes to addressing these challenges in which we are interdependent as an international community, we are sort of in a state of gridlock. The views lend weight to fears that gen Z and millennials are losing interest in the drink, with potentially disastrous consequences for the wine world.
- And that puts additional demands on what we often consider to be the focus of resource allocations and policies.
- We use this expression of architecture because it requires, also, allocation of resources.
- Relapse (using substances again after stopping) can and does happen, with 85% of people experiencing relapse at least once and half of them doing so within the first two weeks of sobriety.
Overcome the Fear of Eternal Sobriety
Starting a new life can feel scary and overwhelming. Going from abusing drugs to living sober often involves major changes in your lifestyle. This can include moving in a new social circle, taking up new activities and leading a healthier lifestyle. Maybe you’re afraid fear of being sober you won’t be able to make new friends. If you gained many friendships as a result of getting high or drunk with others, you may worry that you won’t be able to form close bonds with others as a sober person. Thankfully, things don’t usually turn out that way.