Understanding Nifaliophobia: The Fear of Being Sober

It’s not okay to be dishonest with yourself about where you’re headed.

They worry they will never get to the point of recovery. They may worry about what’s on the other side of rehab. During your individual counseling and group sessions, your emotions may feel overwhelming. That is because you may fear of being sober need to cleanse and purge yourself of years of piled-up negative emotions, memories, and past bad behavior. This emotional cleansing is a necessary part of healing, just as detox is a physical elimination of toxic substances.

Evoke Wellness – Begin Your Sobriety Journey

Our hopes and dreams may have gotten stuffed down along the way during our descent into drugs or alcohol, too. It can be scary to confront ourselves and our dreams, and putting them off or procrastinating on them is a way to avoid putting the work in or fear of failure. 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. If you’re scared of becoming sober, there are a few things that you can do to ease your fears. First, it’s important to educate yourself about sobriety.

You might also think that the people you meet will not want to be around you because you do not engage in the same activities they do. This fear is rooted in the insecurity and feelings of worthlessness that addiction causes an individual. Part of the treatment you will receive will be to help https://ecosoberhouse.com/ you discover what is good and loveable about yourself. If you haven’t felt what sobriety feels like, you can. The promise of sobriety is that “the way I feel stone-cold sober, even on my worst days ever … I would never trade to feel the effects of a drug and drink again,” our alumna said.

When I stopped drinking, I kept my sobriety a secret for months. Alcohol had always been a big part of my identity.

It will be much better, and it won’t even be close. Again, any fear you may have about sobriety rooted in self-loathing will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Some people manage to get there faster than others, but it’s not a competition. 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. Being at a party or trying to find the perfect romantic partner without alcohol is the stuff of nightmares for many people.

• These people know that the days are hard right now, but they endure because they also know that, eventually, they will come out on top.
• The truth is, you have no idea what success will look or feel like.
• Some people use alcohol or drugs to help them sleep.
• What is the point of sobriety if you let yourself wallow in self-doubt and pity?
• If your friends don’t want to hang out with you unless you’re drinking, then you know where you stand with each other.
• These are thoughts that run through every addict’s mind.
• I remembered all the music I saw and remembered that sober fun, at its best, can feel like having your Bounty bar and eating it.

What you need to do is give yourself a chance. The first step is to admit you have a problem with alcohol or drugs and then genuinely commit to seeking treatment. Do not worry about how much bravery you need.

Are You Afraid to Be Sober? Common Fears You’ll Face Through Recovery

Staying stuck in this fear generally means staying stuck in addiction. It is common for people to have a fear of sobriety, especially if they have been struggling with addiction for a long time. Are you ready to take a leap of faith and live a life of recovery? Healing Pines Recovery is a men’s Colorado drug rehab. Our evidence-based programs help treat substance abuse, dual diagnosis, and unresolved trauma that leads to addiction.

• Being afraid to improve your own life because you don’t want people to think bad of you is a common, but silly, fear.
• Feeling doomed from the start, many allow self-doubt and fears of what others think to keep them from trying.
• However, it’s important to remember that sobriety is not something to be afraid of.
• And a lot of the time, it’s all I have to remember to do.
• But that’s how we grow and learn, and how we learn to cope better when the next challenge presents itself.
• You’re afraid you don’t have the tools and resources to help you to maintain your sobriety.

And, to be frank, many times that reality is downright hard to swallow. If you are afraid of being sober, the first step in overcoming that fear is stepping outside of your comfort zone and doing something that you don’t necessarily want to do. If you are ready to begin your sobriety journey, Evoke Wellness is available to help. We understand how scary it can be to commit to long-term sobriety, especially if you have never been sober before and you have no idea what to expect. The good news is that the majority of our staff members have been exactly where you are now, and they know exactly what you are going through.

Sobriety Fear #3: You’re going to fail.

That’s why at Gateway we provide a continuum of care for each individual that tracks success over time. We want to guide you through the period after initial treatment to ensure you can deal with fear in addiction recovery with ongoing support and understanding. If these concerns resonate with you, remember that sobriety doesn’t happen overnight—even if you try to rush it. Give yourself time to discover the new sober you. Within the safety and supports of a trusted rehab program and sober peer community, many people come to like and love the person they are when drugs and alcohol aren’t in the picture.

• However, fear can also be harmful to you–and this is especially true in both addiction and recovery.
• The hitch is you have to do it—as in get sober.
• 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.
• A life of drugs and alcohol feels normal because that’s what you’ve focused on for so long.
• It can include a medically supervised detox, various forms of treatment including therapy and 12-step programs, and calling upon family, friends, and professionals for additional support.

But that’s how we grow and learn, and how we learn to cope better when the next challenge presents itself. Over time, our ability to cope and come up with solutions that work for us becomes easier and easier. The professional staff at your rehab center will minimize whatever pain you may feel during detox or the cravings you will experience during treatment. Some pain in the process will be necessary in order to overcome and understand the reason for your addiction. You cannot get better if you do not recognize and learn to overcome the reasons that have kept you from being the self-actualized person you are meant to be.