Some people manage to get there faster than others, but it’s not a competition. You’re not obligated to drink just to make others feel good about their drinking. You will have strong days when you feel like you can take on the world. And you will have days when every minute feels like a struggle. For years, I worried about the impact of sobriety on my social life.

Dealing with Cravings

While you know that being clean and sober is the right choice, you may fear the process of recovery. You may have AA fear, or you may fear losing family and friends. Free from the grip of drugs and alcohol, you are able to start a new chapter. The possibilities are endless as you grow into a healthy, happy, and confident person.

• I continue to suffer from anxiety and have to manage it, but it doesn’t ruin my life like before.
• It focuses on challenging and modifying negative thought patterns and beliefs that contribute to fear and anxiety.
• Depending on how deeply ingrained alcohol is in your life, you may be staring down an entire life makeover.

Fears About Sobriety That Will Sabotage Your Recovery

• Now that you are sober, you may have discovered that some of your past relationships were not only unhealthy but downright toxic.
• One common mistake for those who are new to alcohol and drug recovery is substituting a new compulsive behavior for their old one.
• All of which are just some of the many reasons why being sober far outweighs being addicted to drugs or alcohol.
• Cognitive therapy can help you recognize and shift negative thought patterns and behaviors, empowering you to take control of your mental health.
• These social hurdles can significantly impact an individual’s recovery journey and require careful navigation.

Equipped with accredited staff, our rehabs practice evidence-based treatment strategies and provide healing for a host of substance use disorders and co-occurring conditions. To alleviate your fears about admissions, treatment, insurance coverage, and more, talk to an AAC admissions navigator today. A journey can begin with community mutual-help groups, inpatient treatment, residential rehab, outpatient programs, and more. Depending on the severity of addiction and readiness to change, different options may be beneficial for different people.

The Most Common Fears in Recovery

• Once you can figure out that you need help with recovery and what your loved ones can’t provide you, it can be easier to seek out others.
• We turned to the experts for their insight on how one can best support their loved one.
• The truth is, you have no idea what success will look or feel like.

The types of professional help available include therapy, counseling, and outpatient treatment programs to help you achieve your desired outcomes. The flipside of the fear of failure is the fear of success. Most people dont consciously self-sabotage, but they have a deeply held belief that they dont deserve to succeed and, in so believing, never really put forth their best effort. Feeling doomed from the start, many allow self-doubt and fear of being sober fears of what others think to keep them from trying. Change can be painful and scary and many people truly believe they will dislike sobriety. I thought being sober was lame and I couldn’t understand why anyone would want to do it.

Depending on the type of dependency, PAWS can last from six months to two years after you stop using drugs or alcohol. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of Sober Recovery’s “Terms of Use”, “Privacy Policy”, “Cookie Policy”, and “Health Disclaimer”. The material on this site is for informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment provided by a qualified health care provider. Sobriety fatigue can last for a few weeks to a few months, and in rare cases of post-acute withdrawal, it can even extend up to two years. Worried that they may be abandoned by the people they love or judged by others, some people refuse to admit that they have a drug problem or reach out to others for support. Whether you have one day sober or 10 years, recovery presents challenges.

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. A structured routine will help you achieve other goals in your life, whether they are short-term (like being on time for work) or long-term (like going back to school and changing careers). If PAWS is severe or if you’re experiencing prolonged symptoms, a medical professional can help you work through them and remain in recovery without relapse. The symptoms involved in PAWS can be a barrier to recovery if you’re not careful.