It hurts to think of what you have given up or lost for drugs and alcohol. Getting sober means replacing your primary coping mechanism – drugs and alcohol – with new, unfamiliar ones. The process can be uncomfortable, particularly for someone who is afraid of feeling in general. Staying stuck in this fear generally means staying stuck in addiction. If you’re addicted to drugs or alcohol, you’ve likely used them to cope with difficult situations in your life.
Removing the thing that they believe gives them more charisma or self-confidence around other people can trigger the very real worry that they won’t like their sober self. Finding happiness in sobriety is a process that takes time but is totally achievable with the right daily supports, priorities, and commitments. Healthy relationships, a regular practice of gratitude, finding your purpose, and living in the moment are some of the components of recovery that enrich the good feelings of sobriety. Thankfully, there have only been a few times when someone at the table hasn’t pointed it out on my behalf and adjusted accordingly.
Do You Want to Get Sober?
Spending mental energy on things you cannot possibly know is useless. Every time you (or I) do that, we choose to suffer. The more you scratch it, the worse it’s going to get. Leave it alone, give it time, and it will go away on its own.
If you’re scared of becoming sober because you’re afraid of change, it’s important to remember that change is a necessary part of recovery. Without change, you won’t https://ecosoberhouse.com/ be able to achieve sobriety. The stress-induced mechanisms that cause our brain to produce feelings of fear in the absence of threats have been mostly a mystery.
It’s Time to Talk About Your Worries
We just tried to capture as much of the experience as we could of being on this plane, inside and out,” Whittaker said. Having microphoned about 60 different positions, they also ran the plane on the ground at the RPM it would have hit in flight to get the frequency and pitch of the engines right. A similar glutamate-to-GABA neurotransmitter switch was confirmed in their brains as well.
Alcohol lowers your inhibitions, but it also makes you say things and do things you may regret. Concentrate on learning new coping and communication skills. They cover up all of that “stuff” fear of being sober that happened that you don’t want to deal with. But, being sober commonly causes people to fear that pain coming back. But you can deal with it and prevent it from hurting you any longer.
Dealing With Fear in Addiction Recovery
This fear is rooted in the insecurity and feelings of worthlessness that addiction causes an individual. Part of the treatment you will receive will be to help you discover what is good and loveable about yourself. If you haven’t felt what sobriety feels like, you can. The promise of sobriety is that “the way I feel stone-cold sober, even on my worst days ever … I would never trade to feel the effects of a drug and drink again,” our alumna said.
- Research drug and alcohol treatment centers in your area, and be sure to ask questions, so you will be able to find a treatment center that meets your needs.
- These professionals can help you understand your fears and provide the tools you need to overcome them.
- Getting sober is by far the thing I would identify as the hardest thing I’ve done, and once I did it, I knew I could do anything.
- Your job is to recognize the fears for what they are – little lies we tell ourselves to keep from changing.