Fear is a normal emotion during any stage of the recovery process. Fear is what helps guide our decision-making processes.

Every addict enters a rehab program with some form of trepidation, even those who have been in treatment before. This is also the reason most addicts leave rehab feeling worried.

Common Fears about Addiction Recovery

They’re fearful that they are leaving a place they know helps keep them sober, and they worry about what they’ll be faced with when they’re on their own in a world that has flooding memories and temptations around every corner—things that factored into addition to begin with.

Common Fears about Addiction Recovery

There are some common factors that go into why addicts are fearful of recovery. Let’s break down a few of those reasons now.

    • Fear of sobriety: Unfamiliar coping mechanisms will replace those that drugs and alcohol fueled. It can be a process that is very uncomfortable.
    • Fear of rejection: Addicts sometimes feel that they may be abandoned by people they love or may be judged by others.
    • Fear of success: Sobriety pushes addicts out of their comfort zones and makes them doubt themselves. Recovery has many challenges, and oftentimes addicts are perfectionists who have a hard time accepting mistakes.
    • Fear of a stigma: Addicts are fearful of the possible negative effects their addictions may have on employers, neighbors, friends, and even family members.
    • Fear of not having health coverage and not being able to afford treatment
    • Fear that they will be cut off from supply: Some people don’t want to enter rehab for fear they won’t have access to their supply of drugs or alcohol.
    • Denial: Some people believe the problem will fix itself.

How Do I Help? Where Do I Begin?

The resistance to treatment list can be long and extensive as the situations surrounding an addict are very complex and diverse. There is no single reason why someone becomes an addict and then is unwilling to seek help. Fear is a largely dynamic challenge that is common.

Nelson Mandela once said, “The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), part of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has treatment facility locators for those of you who may be seeking treatment outside of our New Mexico treatment center area.

They offer a searchable directory of more than eleven thousand programs, including residential centers, inpatient hospitals, and outpatient treatment programs.

In Albuquerque, Turning Point Recovery Center can get you on your way to recovery or help get you back on track after a relapse. We can work together so that you are on the path to a clean, healthy, purpose-driven life. Contact us if you are in need of help.

~Paul


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