You’ll know you will be taught the tools to prevent a relapse and to deal with one if you do relapse. Addiction still involves a high degree of stigma. You probably feel ashamed about your struggles with addiction.
- What you’re really afraid of is the unknown and that you may be unable to handle it.
- It just means that you have to get up and try again.
- It makes you feel at ease, gives you more courage and bravery.
This is particularly true for the introverted among us. You have to do what is best for you, and you can’t let your anxiety about a sober future prevent you from doing what you need to do. If a booked social calendar is important to you, you’ll find ways to be proactive and realign what you do to fit your new lifestyle.
How To Stay Sober When Everyone Is Drinking
I’ve spent the last seven years researching and understanding alcoholism, addiction, and how people get sober. With friends, if they aren’t on board with your sobriety, you’ll have some tough choices ahead. The good news is that you don’t have to worry about it until you’ve got some solid, sober days under your belt. A lot of folks start to drink at a young age to impress their friends or bond with them over a glass of wine.
The truth is, you have no idea what success will look or feel like. Spending mental energy on things you cannot possibly know is useless. Every time you (or I) do that, we choose to suffer. It sounds like a weird thing to be afraid of, but it’s very real. Besides, allowing the fear of failure to completely influence big decisions like this is a cop-out. It’s a dysfunctional version of “playing it safe.” You deserve better than that.
When we asked our alumna to describe what being sober feels like, she gave a detailed and inviting description that captured these key points. Take the time to work with us over adhd medication mistakes and dosage myths the next few weeks. The Ranch at Dove Tree offers the resources you need no matter what your current fears and concerns are. You’re ready to take that step towards recovery.
With proper counseling and/or a good recovery program, you’ll learn important tools for navigating these relationships. There are plenty of things people do that do not involve or center around alcohol. You might be a little bored at first, but with time, you’ll discover new and more fulfilling things to do with your time. In my mind, sobriety meant Friday nights alone on my couch, watching Netflix and hiding from the rest of the world who was definitely out drinking.
In fact, here’s a little secret – anyone who is charming drunk can be charming sober. After you’re more secure in your sobriety, you’ll find that you’re actually MORE charming than “drunk you” could ever be. Navigating your existing relationships in sobriety is a huge challenge. The good thing is that you don’t have to worry about that in the beginning.
Sobriety Fear #12: Sobriety will always be hard.
Don’t expect to accomplish any big self-realizations in the beginning. More than likely, though, this meaningful journey of self-discovery will be a long, ongoing, and wonderful process. Drinking stunts your emotional and personal growth.
Losing these great experiences is a bit sad, but you should remember they aren’t very healthy. Sobriety is not just the loss of alcohol, but also the clearness of mind and knowing what you’re doing. Knowing what you’re doing at all times is the key to success and prosperity. So, it’s very important to quit these adventures sooner than later. Our hopes and dreams may have gotten stuffed down along the way during our descent into drugs or alcohol, too.
By drinking, you actually establish this connection and condition yourself into craving more alcohol. You’re not alone in this journey – we are here to support you every step of the way. Take back control of your life and start on the road to recovery now.
Fear in Recovery Isn’t Insurmountable
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. Again, any fear you may have about sobriety rooted in self-loathing will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Some people manage to get there faster than others, but it’s not a competition. Depending on the severity of your drinking problem and resulting behavior, some bridges may be forever burned. Some people may want nothing to do with you, no matter how much you change.
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 to meeting your goal. Being at a party or trying to find the perfect romantic partner without alcohol is the cbt for alcoholism and drug addiction 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.
Sobriety Fear #6: You’ll be bored.
Staying sober means staying clean, and that alone can be a scary thought for many addicts and alcoholics. While everyone is prone to fear, overcoming fear in recovery can make all the difference. In 2015, an estimated 8.1 percent of the U.S. population aged 52 ways to identify a covert narcissist 12 or older needed substance abuse treatment. Yet 19.3 million people over the age of 12 who were classified as needing substance use treatment did not attend a treatment center. Since 1999, over 770,000 Americans have died from drug overdoses.
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