If these concerns resonate with you, remember that sobriety doesn’t happen overnight—even if you try to rush it. Give yourself time to discover the new sober you. 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. In this sense, recovery is a bit like falling in love with yourself and then learning how to love yourself—another feel-good aspect of being sober. Sometimes, a mental health professional may prescribe medications alongside therapy and lifestyle changes.
Common Fears About Getting Sober and How To Face Them
There is no doubt that getting sober is a daunting prospect — it’s terrifying. Worrying about it constantly will only strengthen your fears and lessen your resolve to do anything. It’s a convenient cop-out we’re all guilty of using. I failed more times than I can count before I finally got it right, and I assure you there is nothing special about me that you can’t find within yourself.
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All the people you share experiences with at AA meetings or a Solana Beach sober living home are there to process fears. I’ve spent the last seven years researching and understanding alcoholism, addiction, and how people get sober. Additionally, I examine the way mental and physical health as well as our relationships with others impact the reasons people drink and their role in maintaining sobriety long-term. When we aren’t sober, we can use that as an excuse to avoid those problems. Coping mechanisms are tough—they work temporarily, and allow us to avoid and put things aside for the time being. We use alcohol to cover up our pain and our problems.
Being at a party or trying to find the perfect romantic partner without alcohol is the stuff of nightmares for many people. Even people for whom alcohol is not a problem experience this. If you’ve typically required a little social lubricant to lighten up at parties (as many of us have), navigating social scenes without liquid courage can be scary.
Develop new hobbies to find joy and fulfillment without the need for substances
- Staying sober means staying clean, and that alone can be a scary thought for many addicts and alcoholics.
- There’s the chance that they might not make it through it, they could fail, and then there’s the pressure to succeed.
- Don’t let difficult decisions and conversations with loved ones be the excuse you use to keep drinking alcohol.
- Letting other people down is a common fear even if you don’t have close bonds with others.
While some may relapse, others may not experience a slip maverick house in recovery. Acknowledging sober accomplishments in another can go a long way in promoting long-term sobriety in addiction recovery. Remember to set achievable goals that can help you build confidence in your ability to overcome your addiction. Feelings of failure and shame can act as triggers for substance use. For some, setting small goals can help keep an individual progressing by allowing them to feel the weight of each step. However, there are various goals you can set for yourself to measure your success.
How Can a Support System Help with Anxiety and Recovery?
Engagement with evidence-based addiction treatment and exposure to many therapeutic opportunities and approaches can help you create an educated approach to your developing sober lives. 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.
With proper counseling and/or a good recovery program, you’ll learn important tools for navigating these relationships. If your friends don’t want to hang out with you unless you’re drinking, then you know where you stand with each other. I don’t think it’s change that you’re so afraid of.
If you’re involved in a 12-step program, you likely already know the importance of milestones. In these programs, it’s customary to receive plastic chips as you progress to the one-year mark, at which time you receive a bronze coin. Most people who make their way into recovery have left a lot of pain and suffering in their wake. Feeling guilty or ashamed of past behavior or actions during active addiction is natural and healthy. Eight years later, those early days are kind of a blur.