October 29, 2020

[How to] Overcome Fear in Recovery

Do you know how to use your fears to your advantage? Every time we experience fear, an opportunity exists, but if we wave at those opportunities as they pass us by, we will never experience growth. Fear in recovery is real and you can learn how to use it to your advantage.

These opportunities manifest as chances to change a perspective and what we can learn about ourselves or the situation we are in. Fear is a natural human emotion, that like elements in nature has equal and opposite sides.

Fear can be what keeps you away from something, or it can act as a heightened sense of awareness. Awareness of our health and surroundings identify where we need to focus our attention.

When dealing with fear in recovery, this emotion may point to a deeper origin, such as fear of failure, fear of addiction, or even fear of sobriety.

Fear in recovery keeps so many addicts outside of rehabilitation. As a result, countless people suffer or die from drug addiction. It is normal to feel fear in recovery, but that should not stop you from seeking treatment.

Call an addiction specialist at 623-263-7371 to speak with a rehabilitation professional who can guide you to the best rehab center for your health, safety, and recovery.

Failure vs Success

Nobody wants to try something that they feel will fail. When you have to address a drug addiction problem, fear and addiction are no strangers to you. Fear of failure is okay to feel, but do not allow yourself to avoid treatment because of it.

Emotions are a driving force that compels us to act in heightened situations; replacing fear with love will take you to a new level of the human experience. Embrace your fear and addiction with kindness and self-love, and you will find a new perspective.

Do not be afraid to fail, as failure may just be part of your progression. In many success stories, you will discover relapses and backward steps that might be discouraging.

How is the story a success if there was a relapse? Because relapse does not mean failure. Relapse means it is time to try again with an adjustment or new approach.

So, ask yourself, “Did I really fail? Or did I find something that needs improvement?”

RISE TO SUCCESS

“If at first, you don’t succeed, try, try again.”

We understand that choosing to engage in drug addiction rehab proactively can be scary, overwhelming, and uncomfortable. Try your best to remember; you are not alone, nor are you the first to feel scared about committing to rehab.

Treatment staff members are specially trained to help you every step of the way. Treatment plans are customizable to fit the needs of every patient. A combination of medicines, therapies, specialists, and peer groups are all on your team to help you in any way that you need to succeed.

Try to rid yourself of any preconceived notions, as they will only excite the fears that keep you from making the healthiest choice for you. Do not deny yourself the opportunity to grow because of fear and addiction.

You matter, you are worthy, and you are essential. Do not be afraid to fail. Failure is a teaching tool to guide us toward success. Learn from failure and allow professionals and staff to support you along the way.

Dependency vs Independence

Dependency is the belief that you cannot function properly without drugs. It can be incredibly scary imagining a life where drugs aren’t a part of it, especially if you have done drugs for a long time.

Drug use has become a way of life, and changing that life can feel overwhelming and intimidating. If you have gone through a dry patch where you did not have access to drugs for even a day or two, you understand what withdrawal symptoms feel like.

Withdrawal symptoms can start as early as a few hours after your last dose but can peak about two days after the previous use. In these peak hours, the craving for drugs can feel insatiable.

The intensity of these moments become memories which reinforce the need for drugs.

These thoughts and feelings are not your fault, this is a direct result of the drugs rewiring the brain to relay those craving messages throughout your body. Understand those withdrawal symptoms are temporary, and once you make it past the storm, the road becomes more comfortable to ride on.

You can have a life that is not dependent on drugs, and without fear of addiction. Start your journey inside a drug addiction rehab center for the safest way to detox and combat withdrawal symptoms.

MOVING FORWARD TO INDEPENDENCE

Are you still feeling nervous? Try changing the facts.

Instead of worrying about living without drugs, reinforce your right to a drug-free life. Imagine celebrating your success and going about your life without the drug cravings, the financial implications, and the unstable relationships.

Picture yourself the way you wished you were when you decided to free yourself from drug addiction. Picture yourself healthy, vibrant, and free.

Your pills, your needles, or anything that has kept you prisoner can release its grasp on you. If you are fearful of living without drugs, start looking past the finish line, without fear of addiction, and see the reward that is on the horizon.

Judgment vs Acceptance

Refraining from judging others is easier said than done. All of us, at one point, have been judgmental towards another person, it is an instinct we fight in civilized societies.

Fear of judgment from your family, friends, rehab peers, or even yourself can bind you from what serves you best. If you rely on the opinions of others to dictate your actions, you may never progress forward. Most importantly, remember that above all else your view of yourself is the only one that matters.

Try not to live in fear of others’ judgments or opinions. People will always have their decisions and opinions about you no matter what you do. So, be true to yourself and honor your needs, regardless of what others think. When dealing with your fear in recovery, you will have enough on your plate without their criticisms.

Besides, anyone who will judge you, look down on you, belittle you or demoralize you is not someone you want on your team. Rehabilitation for the body is detox and treatment, but your life’s rehabilitation requires identifying and ending toxic relationships.

Haters are gonna hate, do right by you.

SELF-ACCEPTANCE

Once you discover how to tune out everyone else’s opinion of you, you can begin to quiet the internal voice that tries to sabotage progress. These sabotaging thoughts come from feelings of guilt, shame, embarrassment, or anything that branches out from the tree of fear.

Part of honoring yourself is self-acceptance. Self-acceptance is an internal perspective that identifies and acknowledges personal needs. Identify that you have a drug addiction and acknowledge that you need help to recover. Admitting that you need help is how you can start to receive it.

If you do not raise your hand in a school setting, you will not be called upon. In the same sense, if you do not express to someone that you need help, no one will help you.

Accept yourself for your imperfections and strengths, and you will be ready to speak your truth.

Sobriety vs Addiction

What about what happens after rehab? Yes, you will be healthy and off drugs, but what else?

Depending on your addiction’s severity, you may have lost a considerable amount of your assets and finances.

Sober living is the goal, but you might be facing a newfound set of responsibilities and accountability that your drug use stripped from you.

You might have to get a new job and find a new place to live. Parents suffering from drug addiction may have lost custody of their children, and now are faced with a whirlwind of tasks to complete and instructions to follow.

As intimidating and overwhelming as dealing with fear in recovery is, it’s only scary because the process is imagined as one giant stack of paperwork to complete. Fear of sobriety is valid and shared by many. You are not alone.

These things take time, and your diagnosis will be a well-documented tool for establishing your future. Proof of drug addiction treatment will open up opportunities for you that you may not be aware of. Some employment places do not mind a drug record, as long as proof of program completion is provided.

One step at a time with help every step of the way will give you all the tools you need to succeed. Do not fear sobriety; celebrate that you can have a second chance.

THE NEGATIVES OF ADDICTION LEFT BEHIND

If the fear of sobriety is a bit much to think about right now, that is okay. Instead, think of all the negative things that addiction brought to your life that you can now leave behind.

Parents who had their children removed from their homes due to drug use can think about how they never want to miss their kids that much again.

A vow to leave the drugs behind and reclaim your power is the appropriate energy for this journey. Rid yourself of that which no longer serves you, including anything that does not bring you happiness or joy.

Moreover, anything that brings negative feelings can be left behind. Decide that you refuse to accept anything that is not for your greatest good any longer and rise above this chapter of your life.

Surrender to Healing

So, what can you learn from your fears? If emotions are equal and opposite, then there are bad things to good feelings and good things from bad feelings. Fear is a powerful emotion, but love is a stronger emotion.

Self-love and self-acceptance are how you honor and love yourself to tend to your needs. It is okay to have made mistakes, as long as you learned something from them. Accept that you have a drug addiction and acknowledge the need for help.

Treatment is available to provide a safe space that is adaptive and customizable to fit your needs. Speak your truth by calling an addiction specialist at 623-263-7371 and acknowledge your need for help.

There is no shame in asking for help, for it is the one who asks that shall receive. Honor yourself, your needs, your health, and your future. Too many drug addicts do not seek treatment due to fear, which causes unnecessary suffering and overdose deaths.

Start your evolution today.