And it’s a reason you may be resisting the idea of going to rehab. A common misconception of rehab is that by following the rules and going along with the program, you will be abandoning yourself and turning into a mindless drone. You will change in rehab, but only for the better.
- Similarly, there are many people who drink and use drugs because they feel more fun, daring, likable, and interesting when under the influence.
- Addiction can be a way to avoid the things we don’t want to deal with.
- It’s time now to find what makes you feel alive again, because that’s where your passions exist.
- With friends, if they aren’t on board with your sobriety, you’ll have some tough choices ahead.
- My life was a juggling act and alcohol was the boss.
- You are afraid that being sober will simply be too hard.
This can include physical withdrawal symptoms (e.g. aches and pains) and psychological withdrawals (e.g. strong cravings). Many addicts worry that withdrawals will be too painful to cope with. You may also doubt your ability to resist the urge to use again. If that’s you, no matter your level of addiction, you should consider doing an inpatient medical detox.
Relationships with Family and Friends
It’s understandable that you might feel fear of withdrawal. After all, you’ve probably spent months or years avoiding the first hint of withdrawal symptoms. You always rush to get that next drink or hit before withdrawal really sets in. When you stop using drugs or alcohol, you will experience a range of withdrawal symptoms.
In fact, sobriety can help you to learn new and healthier ways to deal with difficult situations. Most of the time, people become addicted to drugs or alcohol because they have a lot of pain inside. In some cases, addiction can be linked to trauma or a co-occurring mental disorder, but it can also be used as a way to deal with stress or emotions. A drink of wine or a joint won’t make you feel better, so you have to get sober instead. If you’re scared of becoming sober, that’s okay. Feeling scared is normal when you’re making such a significant life change.
What’s stopping you from getting sober? Is it fear of failure? Fear of being judged?
And since fear is always about something that might or could happen but hasn’t happened yet, it is a reaction to an imagined, rather than a real, event. The researchers observed that when the sound played over and over without the shock, the mice who were in the no alcohol group eventually stopped being scared of the tone. 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. Choosing sobriety and sticking with it gives you the confidence to pursue anything.
Rediscovering your personality in sobriety can be scary—but it can equally be a beautiful and exciting thing. Utilize your journal as you try out new things to reflect on how the experiences made you feel. Once you find something that you enjoy, make special time for it and do it to the best of your ability.
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The most effective addiction treatment requires compassion, warmth and empathy. And this is the approach that your rehab team will take. Drug addiction specialists will always try to instill your recovery process with optimism and hope. They https://accountingcoaching.online/how-to-build-alcohol-tolerance-the-best-tips-from/ will help you to build self-confidence and allow you to realize the power you have to maintain sobriety. Remember, an untreated substance addiction will grow. So if you’ve hidden your addiction well up until now, that’s not going to last.
The prospect of changing your habits completely can, indeed, seem quite daunting. However, addiction treatment involves support in this respect. During rehab, you can take up fitness classes, as well as engage in meditation, yoga, cooking, nutrition classes and art. By exploring healthy living during rehab, you will find it much easier to carry on with these positive habits in your regular life. Maybe you’re ready—you’re practically desperate—to get sober and to change your life.
Every time you (or I) do that, we choose to suffer. 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 4 Ways to Make Amends in Recovery down, that you can and should have a better life. 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.