How to Move Forward When You Don’t Want to Move On

Drinking can become a problem very quickly before you even realize it has happened. It is scary to realize you may actually have a problem with alcohol, which goes beyond having just a good time. The biggest roadblock between anyone and sobriety is the decision to even try it in the first place. There are three very common fears to overcome on the way to sobriety. Find out how to tackle those, even when you don’t feel like you’re able (or want) to move on.

Denial(ish)

Perhaps you are so caught up in how drinking behavior should look that you don’t actually know what it looks like when a problem exists. After all, you will find that media (print, social, television) have imprinted our minds with how drinking behavior looks. Sometimes we laugh when people are falling down drunk on reality shows but then we see our friends do it and it seems over-the-top. If you feel stuck in the ‘i do this, but not that’ scenario in your head, you may be comparing your drinking to others or the media concept of it and not reality. Instead, try this:

• Stop asking yourself if there is a problem. If you are asking yourself whether you have a problem, the likelihood is high you might. It is a choice of what you want out of life and what you are willing to put up with as to whether you will decide to stop drinking.
• Do a meditation on your future self. If you cast a vision of a totally different person who is not stumbling in and out of bars, drinking at parties, or waking up hungover, you may have just captured your future self in recovery.

Love/Hate Relationship

If your life is built around drinking with buddies and having alcohol present at every event you attend, you may need to check yourself. When you look around at your life and you feel like you have a love/hate relationship with it, there may be room to improve on the state of things in your life. Recovery is one step at a time, so maybe now is the time to ask yourself if you need to check in to check out of this current lifestyle.

Fear of Failure

The fear of failing at something you tried before or want to try is common for everyone, not just for people who have addiction or are in recovery. Failure stinks, but it is not the end game. The true end game is your sobriety. If you want to truly move forward with your life, you will let go of the fear of failure. If you are stuck in the fear, try this:

• Ask yourself ‘so what…’: so what if I stopped drinking for 3 months…so what if I stopped drinking for a year…so what if I never drank again. Trying these can help illuminate and deal with those underlying fears.
• Shift your perspective to one focused on life without alcohol. Imagine what else you could pursue and do with the time, energy, and money you spend drinking. It may surprise you what you have left behind to continue drinking or still want to do but haven’t had time for (until now).

Don’t discount yourself and your goals. Fear and anxiety are real concerns about coping with the present and finding ways to move forward. If you are trying to get one foot in front of the other, try Sound Recovery. Let us guide you through the steps to recovery. If you are struggling with addiction, let us help. Call us at 561-277-3088 to get started.