Our sobriety can bring with it all kinds of emotions, some that are entirely new to us, and some that have been a part of our struggle with addiction all along. Sometimes our fear of recovery is so overwhelming that we assume our sobriety will be difficult, depressing and hard to maintain. Sometimes our withdrawal process is so intense we fear the rest of our recovery will be just as painful. As we know all too well, our fears can keep us from taking the steps needed to recover. We can keep ourselves locked in recurring patterns of relapse because we fear the discomfort of sobriety and all the new emotions it might bring up for us. How we feel when we do finally quit can be a relief for many of us, and it can also bring up many difficult emotions we’ve been suppressing for much of our lives.
The Emotional Lows of Recovery
Our drugs of choice have been our way of escaping our emotional pain, distracting ourselves from it, and burying it so deeply within us that we don’t allow ourselves to think about it. When we finally get sober, all of these emotions can come rushing up to the surface. We can feel entirely flooded with emotion. This can be overwhelming to say the least. We can find ourselves crying much more than we normally do. We can feel depressed, anxious, irritable and panicked. We’re now having to contend with all of our difficult thoughts and feelings without anything to numb them, without anything to self-medicate ourselves with. Sometimes we question if we’ll be able to stay sober. We doubt ourselves and our strength. We can be filled with self-doubt, nervousness and insecurity. Many of us continue to believe the limiting beliefs we’ve fed into all along, that we can’t stay sober, that we can’t be happy, that we can’t live successful lives. We can feel deeply sad and afraid.
Newfound Freedom and Peace
On the other hand, our sobriety can very often come with a newfound sense of freedom. We finally feel liberated from the clutches of our dependence. Our drug of choice has literally had a stranglehold over us and over our lives, over our minds and hearts, for as long as many of us can remember. We haven’t been able to go a day without thinking about it, obsessing about it, needing it, craving it. Now we feel free. We feel empowered. We feel strong, brave and capable. We feel proud of ourselves. We feel we can finally be at peace within ourselves and allow ourselves to be happy.
At The Guest House Ocala, our experience with addiction and recovery makes us uniquely equipped to be able to understand the struggles you’re experiencing. We’re here to help. Call 855-483-7800 today for more information on our treatment programs. theguesthouseocala.com 3230 Northeast 55th Avenue Silver Springs, FL 34488