We have facilities for sober living in Austin, Houston, and Colorado Springs ready to assist you in living your sober lifestyle. Call Eudaimonia Sober Living Homes at (888) 424 – 4029 for more information on the admissions process and current room availability. Our long-term treatment approach ensures that you are equipped with the tools and support necessary to maintain sobriety and thrive.
Impact of Sobriety on Physical and Mental Health
Though the intensity and specificity of these effects can vary wildly from drug to drug, it’s important to understand that these effects are normal, and they’ll get better over time. Most people who sober up have some sort of difficulty with sleeping, https://ecosoberhouse.com/ eating, or concentrating. For example, why are some people afraid of scary movies or roller coasters? In the mind, there is a negative, high-risk situation here. Scary movies often involve gore and death – both topics most people fear.
Avoid Old Habits and Toxic Relationships
AA currently offers meetings all over the United States and in many countries around the world. Frequent and chronic substance use can have significant negative effects on an individual’s physical well-being and in some cases can even lead to overdose or fatal conditions. Fortunately, much of the physical damage caused by substance use can be improved or even reversed with abstinence. An individual who abstains from alcohol may notice improvement in their liver function, for example. Maintaining a sober state can be difficult for many people who have previously abused substances for a number of reasons. Relapse, or the return to substance use following a period of abstinence, is common—an estimated 60% of people who receive substance abuse treatment relapse within a year.
What Is Sobriety?
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. Facing the fear of sobriety can be daunting, but you’re not alone.
A person who is getting sober may be getting sober from one substance or all substances. 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. 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. Remember to care for yourself, seek supportive relationships, and consider seeking help from a therapist.
Taking Suboxone (buprenorphine/naloxone) with other opioid medicines, benzodiazepines, alcohol, or other central nervous system depressants can cause breathing problems that can lead to coma and death. For more information about Suboxone (buprenorphine/naloxone) see Suboxone.com, the full Prescribing Information, and Medication Guide, or talk to your healthcare provider. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of drugs fear of being sober to the FDA. I lost my brother, I moved to another country, I left AA, I bought a house, and I started a new career as a writer working for myself — all incredibly stressful events and circumstances. But I coped and I feel infinitely stronger for doing it on my own without drugs and alcohol to inhibit my progress. People you love will die, you will move, you may experience the end of a relationship, and you may even lose your job.
Sobriety Fear #1: Never Drinking Again.
- 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.
- Fear arises when there is a conflict between what you want, need or love and what might happen if that want, need, or love is not fulfilled.
- In this situation, it’s important to be truthful with yourself.
- Consider reaching out to a vocational rehabilitation counselor or career coach to help you update your resume, practice job interview skills, and locate jobs that match your skills and experience.
- Substance use affects mental health as well as physical health.
If you experience a setback, take the time to analyze what led to the relapse and discuss it with your support network or therapist to understand the triggers involved. Strengthening your coping strategies and possibly adjusting your recovery plan can help prevent future setbacks. Most importantly, maintain a compassionate attitude toward yourself and recognize that recovery is a journey with ups and downs.
Steps for Managing a Fearful Mind
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. If you’ve spent the last umpteen years being THAT girl or guy, partying hard, struggling through the days hungover, and doing it all again – sobriety means an entirely new identity. It sounds like a weird thing to be afraid of, but it’s very real. First, it is normal to be afraid when you first get sober. However, if you don’t learn to manage those fears and put them into perspective, they will drive you right back to the bottle. The fear of getting sober is more common than we may think.
Begin Your Journey & Escape Addiction
This is also when people experience the most intense cravings and withdrawal symptoms. If you are just starting out on your journey to sobriety, you may be wondering what to expect in the coming weeks and months. Naltrexone can halt the cycle of binge drinking by reducing the drive to drink and supporting the brain. However, he is clear that the long-term solution to alcohol use disorder is working on a recovery program and finding healthy sources of endorphins that can replace the endorphins derived from alcohol. Many people drink and do drugs precisely because they don’t like who they are and want to dull the sensation of their shame, self-loathing—even self-hatred. The prospect of being without the one thing that relieves their sense of low self-esteem and lack of self-love can be very scary.
- Perhaps you’ve relapsed before, and now you’re worried it will happen again.
- Having an accountability partner or gaining a stronger sense of trust with friends and family.
- There’s the chance that they might not make it through it, they could fail, and then there’s the pressure to succeed.
- These practices focus on bringing your attention to the present moment, which can help reduce worries about future sobriety and decrease your overall anxiety levels.
- The truth is, you have been using drugs or alcohol to cope with your feelings and maybe even symptoms of mental illness.
Staying sober means staying clean, and that alone can be a scary thought for many addicts and alcoholics. The life I had before I quit drinking was a lot like Groundhog Day; I was always waiting for it to begin and always reliving the same stuff, day after day, year after year. When I finally walked away from booze at 34, my life opened up.