Fear of Being Sober: How the NA Steps Help You Say Goodbye to a Life of Drugs

While alcoholism treatment this point of view is understandable, it’s also thankfully often misleading and entirely possible to overcome, as a member of FHE Health’s Alumni Program recently shared…. For many people in recovery, this fear can be overwhelming and trigger a feeling of hopelessness. This can relate to picking up the pieces after detox, but it also has to do with what you know and feel comfortable with in your daily life. A life of drugs and alcohol feels normal because that’s what you’ve focused on for so long. It’s not uncommon, then, to be afraid of what life will be like without these substances to help you to manage stress, family members and other challenges.

Top Common Fears in Recovery

Here are some common fears in sobriety and what you can do to manage them. First, it is normal to be afraid when you first get sober. However, if you don’t learn to manage those fears and put them into perspective, they will drive you right back to the bottle. On the one hand, you hate what your life has become due to drinking.

The Experience Blog

People you love will die, you will move, you may experience the end of a relationship, and you may even lose your job. Drinking or using drugs doesn’t make the pain of any of this go away — at best you may numb your feelings, but they’re still there when you sober up. Grief and loss are painful, but using doesn’t help it just prolongs the agony. Most fears that we faced were about our relationships and how they’d change, how we’d cope, fear of failure, and the fear of change itself. Surround yourself with supportive people, set personal goals, track progress, and engage in activities that bring joy and fulfillment. Joining a sober support network can also be incredibly motivating.

• With your motivation clear, it’s time to set concrete goals.
• Whether it’s fear of relapse, being judged, or handling sober life, these feelings can be hard to manage.
• So do your best to turn this thought from fear into excitement.

Avoiding recovery sabotage and setbacks

Every treatment plan is personalized, ensuring individuals receive the care they need. Building healthy habits helps replace destructive behaviors and supports emotional well-being. Substances often serve as an escape from stress, trauma, anxiety, or depression. Without them, individuals may fear experiencing their emotions fully, without numbing or avoidance. This subreddit is a place to motivate each other to control or stop drinking. We welcome anyone fear of being sober who wishes to join in by asking for support, sharing our experiences and stories, or just encouraging someone who is trying to quit.

• Face Everything and Recover means that while it can be difficult, uncomfortable, or scary to confront your addiction while sober, you can do so as you recover.
• Don’t let difficult decisions and conversations with loved ones be the excuse you use to keep drinking alcohol.
• Knowing that these feelings are a normal part of recovery can lessen their power and help individuals move forward with confidence.
• They may need to end the association until the other person is ready to make changes.
• It says that a phobia is ‘an overwhelming and debilitating fear of an object, place, situation, feeling or animal’.

A Series to Help You Break Through Those Fears

If you’ve spent the last umpteen years being THAT girl or guy, partying hard, struggling through the days hungover, and doing it all again – sobriety means an entirely new identity. 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. Leave it alone, give it time, and it will go away on its own. Besides, allowing the fear of failure to completely influence big decisions like this is a cop-out.

At Eudaimonia Recovery Homes, we help clients set simple goals that are both challenging and possible. This personal approach, therefore, helps them build a life of stability and purpose. Besides that, family and friends also play a key role in the recovery journey. However, setting limits ensures these interactions stay positive. Meditation is part of evidence-based care at Eudaimonia Recovery Homes, as it supports emotional balance and a healthy lifestyle. A drug’s ability to become the be-all and end-all in a person’s life is one of the most dangerous features of drug addiction.

• As a result, this allows you to separate yourself from your fear.
• Some people may be afraid of getting sober and having to deal with these relationship troubles and or with their overwhelming guilt over bad decisions.
• One of the most helpful approaches is to accept that experiencing fear is normal and part of the healing process.
• As your committed online sober coach, I am here to walk you through practical, doable daily habits for sobriety that make sobriety empowering and long-lasting.
• Don’t hesitate –  contact us today to find out how you can begin making the necessary changes.

How Do You Stay Consistent With Sobriety?

In fact, 40 to 60 percent of individuals who have received treatment for substance abuse relapse sometime in their lives. Instead of dwelling on their failure, those people got back up, dusted themselves off, and tried again. One major fear in recovery is the fear of actually being sober.

It’s only by pushing through these fears that real growth happens. In Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she was part of a psycho-social research lab. She is the Content Manager and Editor at Recovery.com, creating informational video resources on behavioral health. If you’re looking for treatment, please browse the site to reach out to treatment centers directly. Keep your profile updated with photos, videos, services, and contact details to connect with the right people.