7 Things That Inevitably Happen to Your Personal Life When You Get Sober
Milestones in sobriety (e.g., 24 hours, a month, three months) are celebrated to recognize the incredible hard work that’s been accomplished through staying sober for a certain length of time. They can help motivate a person to remain sober to reach the next milestone. Getting sober may seem difficult, but there are strategies you can use to get and maintain sobriety. Some are structured in programs, such as the 12-step approach used by Alcoholics Anonymous and similar addiction recovery programs. Sobriety is a general term for staying away from mood- and mind-altering substances, though there is no commonly agreed-upon medical definition in terms of what sobriety means.
Involve family in your recovery process to improve communication
You probably feel ashamed about your struggles with addiction. One of your fears in recovery may also relate to thoughts about being judged when you enter a residential treatment facility. This is especially true if you’ve been able to hide your addiction up until now.
More in Signs of Addiction
Any big life change naturally brings a sense of fear or unease. So understanding and addressing these fears fear of being sober is paramount. According to Merriam-Webster, being sober simply means abstaining from alcohol and drugs.
Sobriety Fear #9: You won’t be able to handle your feelings without alcohol.
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 https://ecosoberhouse.com/ to ensure FHE Health is trusted as a leader in mental health and addiction care. It’s a disease that needs ongoing treatment to keep it at bay.
Common Fears in Addiction Recovery – and How to Face Them
Eventually, other people will know you have a problem. Rather than waiting for them to find out after a terrible accident or losing your job, seek help now. You can choose how much to tell them about where you’re going and why.
- These substances can temporarily subside any emotional pain and bring about a sense of happiness.
- You can also remain furious that she’s made this so difficult, and exhale all of that after you get home.
- Because he is a member of a support group that stresses the importance of anonymity at the public level, he does not use his photograph or his real name on this website.
- This isn’t to say that all of your friends will be threatened, or that all of your friendships will change.
- You have to interact with someone you don’t like and who doesn’t like you, and that’s just life.
Fear of the dark is a type of specific phobia called nyctophobia. Having nyctophobia means you have an irrational and extreme fear of the dark. If left untreated, a fear of the dark can impact your sleep and quality of life. Becoming sober isn’t just about abstaining from alcohol. It’s a subversive, hardcore choice to take your life into your own hands.
- There are treatment options for people who have nyctophobia.
- However, some people support a more flexible definition of sobriety, suggesting moderate substance use, when it does not interfere with function, may be part of sobriety.
- Realizing that sobriety means you’ll have to find new ways to handle your “stuff” is frightening.
- Now, before you enter drug and alcohol treatment, you worry about what rehab will be like.
- You’ll find your way, and you’ll be even more you without substances controlling your mind.
Steps for Managing a Fearful Mind
- In addition, having a support network once treatment is over can ease the transition from rehab back to daily living.
- Those aren’t the friends you need to be spending time with right now.
- That’s six hard, beautiful, glorious years during which I not only stopped drinking, but also finally moved on from all recreational drugs as well as a history of bulimia.
- A reputable treatment program provides these specialists.
- With friends, if they aren’t on board with your sobriety, you’ll have some tough choices ahead.
If your friends don’t want to hang out with you unless you’re drinking, then you know where you stand with each other. If all of your friends abuse alcohol and/or your spouse abuses alcohol, it makes a lot of sense to fear what will happen next. I don’t think it’s change that you’re so afraid of. If you didn’t want to change, you wouldn’t bother to get sober. The fear of getting sober is more common than we may think. Of course, on the surface, asking if there is such a thing as a fear of being sober might seem like a rhetorical question.
In a medical detox, a specialized drug team will be with you all of the way. They will provide you with round-the-clock care and supervision, ensuring that your physical and mental health is in good shape. Also, your treatment center’s team will be able to provide you with the most effective medication to help you manage your withdrawal symptoms.
