This past weekend, we woke up to the devastating news that beloved “Friends” actor Matthew Perry, who had long struggled with addiction, was found dead in the bathroom of his California home. Police quickly assured the public that there were no signs of foul play while simultaneously assuring the public that no official cause of death would be announced for quite some time. Learn that you have choices and that you can maintain control. If any area of your life is out of control, it will not help you maintain lasting sobriety. Once you do return to work, it’s important to create a budget and take steps to safeguard yourself as work stress can be a relapse trigger. Having a chaotic or disorganized lifestyle can also hinder your recovery.
Some studies find that this structure, along with a start date for sobriety and milestones, is important to some people in recovery. “Creating a safe emotional space often starts with creating a safe physical space,” says Elder. Plan to find a time and place that is comfortable, quiet, and free from distractions. According to Elders, it’s also important to consider with whom you’re speaking and whether the environment is conducive for your relationship.
- Fears about sobriety are common, even for people who desperately seek it.
- Once you do return to work, it’s important to create a budget and take steps to safeguard yourself as work stress can be a relapse trigger.
- Addicts will have to face their relationships with people again, with their families, friends, and co-workers.
- There are some general things you can expect to happen.
- We’re forced to think and analyze our problems, to come up with solutions, and in doing so we may fail or make mistakes.
Worrying about it constantly will only strengthen your fears and lessen what was eminem addicted to your resolve to do anything. It’s a convenient cop-out we’re all guilty of using. You don’t have to produce some hidden, superhuman strength to be successful at sobriety.
When the Fear of Being Sober Means Facing Emotion
More than likely, though, this meaningful journey of self-discovery will be a long, ongoing, and wonderful process. Instead of being afraid that you won’t recognize yourself, look at it as an opportunity. You get to define yourself from here on out, and there won’t be any regrettable drunk shenanigans doing that on your behalf. Drinking stunts your emotional and personal growth. It’s what you use to check out of everything else. You will have good days, hopeless days, and every other sort of in-between day on this journey.
Be proactive in seeking help to reduce fears of relapsing
When we’re sober, we may find those desires and dreams come to the surface again, prompting us to pay attention to them once again. Staying sober requires a person to analyze the reasons why they were using the substance, identify their personal triggers for relapse, and avoid falling into a pattern of use again. Getting sober is when someone stops using an intoxicating substance.
Sobriety Fear #8: People won’t like the sober you.
Their process of getting sober will depend on numerous factors, including the severity of drug or alcohol use disorder and long-term goals of sobriety. And in case it wasn’t already obvious, the only way to get to long-term sobriety is to first achieve short-term sobriety. Recognizing that fear is present is the first step in moving beyond it. The fear of being sober is often about dealing with your loss of a coping mechanism for “real” life. You’re afraid you don’t have the tools and resources to help you to maintain your sobriety. You are afraid that being sober will simply be too hard.
A 2011 study by Krentzman, Robinson, et al. sought to answer the question of why some people chose to continue going to fun addiction group activities meetings even after they achieved short-term sobriety. At The Ranch at Dove Tree, a key component of our process is to give you the tools you need to move forward. That includes talking about these fears, learning to understand what sobriety will mean to you, and facing what’s underneath it all.
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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. 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. People in recovery generally agree that abstinence is necessary but remains just a starting point for a new, sober life. The best way forward for your recovery from alcohol or substance use is to incorporate a wide variety of strategies that will help foster success.
There are common setbacks to getting and staying sober like withdrawal, craving, and pressure to use. Relapse rates for substance use addictions are around 40% to 60%. Setbacks don’t erase progress, though, and they don’t mean you’ve “failed” to stay sober. Remaining sober over time is about much more than willpower. A person who is getting sober may be getting sober from one substance or all substances.
Just keep in mind that your improvements won’t happen overnight. People in recovery from a substance use disorder frequently have problems meeting work-related responsibilities, maintaining employment, and managing money. If you were active in your addiction for a period of time, you may have developed financial problems.
There are some general things you can expect to happen. The following tips are all ways you can help yourself reach your goals. Depending on the severity of the addiction or substance being used, a medically supervised detox may be necessary to safely help you. Once again, males demonstrated no significant differences. This is a treatment that first prevents someone from using their substance of choice and then provides information about the harm of using.
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 does alcohol cause dry eyes to manage stress, family members and other challenges. Everyone has their own personal relationship to alcohol and certain substances. It’s important to remember these relationships can change, and if you’re in long-term recovery from substance misuse, you deserve support that honors your decision to abstain.
