According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), seven in ten (72.2% or 20.9 million) adults with substance use disorder (SUD) consider themselves to be recovering or in recovery. Yet, addiction relapse is an all too common occurrence in addiction recovery. The presence of relapse has led people to view addiction as a chronic relapsing condition, which can create a skewed narrative of recovery. Therefore, fear in recovery is not a surprising challenge that many face post-treatment.
At Driftwood Recovery, we know that preventing relapse and dismantling fear in recovery starts with a strong foundation. You can build a strong foundation for sustained recovery with support found in connection and community. We are committed to providing an attachment approach that allows you to foster connections with peers and other resources to heal. Our alumni community learns from each other as everyone imparts compassion, understanding, accountability, and guidance to each other. The connections you find in alumni can give you the courage to overcome fear in recovery and thrive in your life.
Yet, you may question how connection can help you prevent relapse and squash fear in recovery. How can an alumni program support your recovery? First, understanding addiction relapse and fear in recovery can provide insight into the value of an active alumni program for lasting recovery.
What Is Addiction Relapse?
For many people, relapse is a part of the recovery process. As noted in Addiction Relapse Prevention by Nicholas Guenzel and Dennis McChargue, approximately 50% of people with SUD relapse in the first 12 weeks after an inpatient program. The thought that your treatment program can end in relapse is a clear fear in recovery. Yet, what is an addiction relapse? What does it mean to relapse when you are in recovery?
In general, many think of relapse as a return to the consumption of the substance that caused dependence. However, relapse is much more complex than consumption. In reality, relapse is a process that unfolds across three major stages: emotional, mental, and physical relapse. As the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) notes, recovery is a lifelong process in which changes across multiple life domains must occur to maintain recovery. Yet, why does relapse happen?
Several different risk factors can contribute to relapse, like exposure to triggers and poor social support. Moreover, difficulty coping with the challenges recovery and life throws at you is rooted in fear. Learning about fear in recovery is an important step toward dismantling its hold on you and supporting relapse prevention.
Understanding the Roots of Fear in Recovery
For centuries, fear has been a basic primal and adaptive emotion that impacts how you think, feel, and behave. In many cases, fear can alert you to both real and perceived physical or psychological harm. Fear can also be a source of harm to your well-being. You are harmed when fear impedes your health, relationships, and opportunities for personal growth. In the case of addiction, numerous fears can impair your recovery when left unaddressed.
Addressing Types of Fears in Recovery
Fear in recovery can be the thing that can lead to the relapse you have feared. Thus, understanding how fears like failure, success, and relapse in recovery happen can provide insight into overcoming fears to thrive. The fear of failure in recovery is rooted in the unknown. You may fear that you do not have the strength to meet the challenges recovery and life will throw at you. Will I be able to say no to a drink at the family holiday party?
Much like fear of failure, fear of success is also rooted in the unknown of change. When you have experienced so much harm in addiction, it can make it difficult to believe in yourself. You may believe you do not deserve to be successful, making it easier to engage in self-sabotaging behaviors. A fear of relapse is a reflection of your fear that you are destined to relapse and that relapse equals failure. However, relapse and recovery are more complex than the black-and-white of success and failure.
Yet, how do you demystify all these fears in recovery?
Learning How to Demystify Fear in Recovery
According to the “Demystifying Relapse” series from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, recovery is rarely brief or straightforward. Throughout your recovery, you will experience improvements and setbacks in the process of healing. Thus, your mindset is an important component in demystifying fear in recovery. Listed below are some of the things you can do to support dismantling fear:
- Journaling
- Identify and reflect on your fears
- Change the way you think about recovery
- Look for and anticipate the positive changes
- Celebrate big and small milestones
- Focus on gradual changes and growth
- A fulfilling life in recovery does not happen overnight
- Lean on your social support network
- Talking with those you trust about your fears
- Spend time with loved ones
- Make space for a well-rounded self and life
- Life in recovery is not only about recovery
- Foster passion for hobbies and interests
- Life in recovery is not only about recovery
With support, recovery does not have to be a source of fear.
Overcoming Fear in Recovery With Alumni at Driftwood Recovery
At Driftwood Recovery, we believe access to a peer-driven network gives you the tools to thrive post-treatment. With a strong, active, sober community, you are reminded that you are not alone on your journey to recovery. Although everyone’s experiences are unique to them, you and your alumni peers are united by a common challenge in addiction. Together, you can find the compassion, service, accountability, and encouragement needed to thrive in every domain of life. You are worthy of self-love, you are worthy of recovery, and you deserve space for learning and growth to lead a fulfilling life. We are dedicated to providing active alumni support to help you reintegrate and lead a courageous life in sustained recovery.
Fear in recovery can be a major obstacle to sustained recovery. Although fear is a primal and often necessary emotion for survival, it can be detrimental to well-being when it rules over you. Many of the fears associated with recovery, like success, failure, and relapse, are rooted in the uncertainty of change and negative thinking patterns. Your challenges with addiction can make it difficult for you to believe you are worthy of recovery. However, it is fear and negative thinking that can lead you to relapse. At Driftwood Recovery, we are dedicated to providing an active alumni program built on compassion, connection, community, understanding, and accountability to support lasting recovery. Call us at (512) 759-8330 to learn more today.