Overcoming the Fear of Always Being Sober

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 40-60% of people with a drug addiction will relapse after treatment. This relapse rate is similar to the relapse rates of other medical conditions with physiological and behavioral components, such as asthma and hypertension. Both of these diseases have a 50-70% chance of relapse.

After all, you were likely using drugs and alcohol to hide from the sadness and unhappiness you were feeling in the past. Making the decision to enter a treatment facility to get help with an addiction is certainly not easy. There are many common fears of entering rehab that come up when contemplating this decision. The good news is, you’re not alone in feeling this way, and there are steps you can take that will help you get on your way to overcoming common rehab fears. If you still think drugs and alcohol are what will make you happy, it’s safe to say you have some more examination of your behaviors and lifestyle to do.

Fear of Admitting You Have a Problem

For many users, they worry about their ability to function without drinking or using drugs. They may not even remember what kind of personality they have without their drug addiction. While everyone is prone to fear, overcoming fear in recovery can make all the difference.

Why am I so scared of being sober?

Why Am I Scared of Being Sober? Any big life change naturally brings a sense of fear or unease. So if you're scared of being sober, you're totally normal—and you're not alone. The key, however, is to take the next step and to muster the courage to face those fears, as doing so can be incredibly freeing.

You are scared that they used to think of you as fun when you were intoxicated and that you will have no friends left after. They will not force you to go back to old habits. If they do, these are people that you need to cut out of your life. Being sober will allow you to make lasting friendships that are real. The flipside of the fear of failure is the fear of success. Most people dont consciously self-sabotage, but they have a deeply held belief that they dont deserve to succeed and, in so believing, never really put forth their best effort.

Delirium Tremens: Your Guide to Risk Factors and Treatment for DTs

This is especially true for those who fear the addiction recovery process. One way of overcoming your fears of success in recovery is to change your thinking surrounding the experience. Instead of being afraid of the changes or anticipating negative occurrences, anticipate the positive changes that will come in recovery. The fear of failure is something that may be easy for people to understand.

  • Coping with social anxiety after addiction is just one of the many challenges of living a life in recovery.
  • Spending mental energy on things you cannot possibly know is useless.
  • If you are struggling with alcohol or drug addiction, don’t let the fear of being sober and reclaiming your life stop you.
  • Failure is a big fear for everyone whether you abuse substances or you do not.

They’ll have to feel emotions again without numbing them with drink or drug and maneuver their way through tricky family and relationship dynamics. Addiction can be a way to avoid the things we don’t want to deal with. Sobriety means having to face uncomfortable truths about ourselves and others and having https://ecosoberhouse.com/ to stand up and be who we are. We may have to face all kinds of adversities and personal challenges while we come clean. Learn the ways that you can get help for yourself or a loved one today. Next, addicts may be worried about their potential loss of identity once they stop using drugs or alcohol.

Sobriety Fear #5: You won’t know who you are anymore.

Fearing failure comes from that place of unworthiness, feeling not good enough, or that place where any past perceived failures are stored. These fears keep you “safe” from doing things outside of your comfort zone but can also paralyze you and keep you from moving forward. With the fear of sounding like your parent, we assure you that getting sober won’t make you lose any real friends. Yes, your friends might need to readjust their lives to suit the new you, but they will. Most people worry that sobriety is going to make them boring and then no one will want to be around.

Fear was given to us as a way to move us forward, but for many people, it ends up stopping progress. Then, empower yourself to move past the fear into a healthier and more vibrant lifestyle. While it isn’t possible to live a life completely void of fear, there are some options that will help us cope. Here are some tips and tricks to follow in your daily life.

Understanding Nifaliophobia: The Fear of Being Sober

Fears about sobriety are common, even for people who desperately seek it. There’s no obligation to enter treatment, and you can opt out at any time. I rarely think the sentence, “I’m scared” because I internalized long ago that only weak people thought like that.

You don’t have to produce some hidden, superhuman strength to be successful at sobriety. But you do need patience, empathy for yourself, and a firm commitment fear of being sober to meeting your goal. Being at a party or trying to find the perfect romantic partner without alcohol is the stuff of nightmares for many people.