were you scared too?
 

Were you scared of sobriety because I am...

Were you scared of admitting you had a problem?

Were you scared of the withdrawal?

Were you scared of the depression?

Were you scared of sleepless nights?

Were you scared of minutes that feel like hours? Hours that feel like days?

Were you scared of failing? succeeding?

Were you scared of boredom or becoming a boring person?

Were you afraid of losing people?

Were you afraid of the outside world because temptation is everywhere?

Were you afraid of never finding the "real" you?

Were you afraid of the "real" you?

Were you afraid of the thought of never drinking again?

Were you scared of people not believing in you? Not supporting you?

Were you afraid of ridding one addiction only to find another?

Were you afraid of life?

Were you afraid of being happy?

Hi soarin, always good to see a new member on SR, glad you're here.

Of course I was scared. Very scared, frightened, fearful. I didn't know how I would live without alcohol.

I sat at AA meetings for months, shaking and spilling coffee all over myself, wanting the fear to go away. But I learned that it didn't go away when I put the bottle down, I had to work on my recovery and take the steps necessary to have a clean and sober life. So I held on tight to my chair at those meetings and didn't leave. Eventually I found a sponsor and starting taking the 12 Steps.

3 1/2 years later, here's where it led me.........

The AA Promises

If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are half way through.

We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness.

We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.

We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace.

No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others.

That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear.

We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows.

Self-seeking will slip away.

Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change.

Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us.

We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us.

We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.



Are these extravagant promises? We think not.

They are being fulfilled among us - sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly.

They will always materialize if we work for them.

Alcoholics Anonymous p83-84

I tried to admit I had a problem intellectually, but it took another year for me to admit it in my heart. I was scared of the emotional withdrawal and what it meant for my creativity, motivation/energy levels, and my ability to go out and do things in the world. I was very scared of boredom and becoming a boring person! Sometimes the way I deal with fear is to approach the situation with fascination, so I became very fascinated by the way that alcohol ****** with my sleep since I never used to have insomnia before, and by the strange thoughts I would have upon waking up, still slightly intoxicated...I was afraid of quitting, because I was socially anxious and wanted people to know the "real me."

And I was embarrassed to admit that I was an alcoholic to the man that I was attracted to, even though he had been in recovery for two years!

Welcome soarinhigh.

Thank you for reminding me of all my excuses for not getting help and finding a new better way of life.

The answer to your questions:

Absolutely yes!

Today, 78 days sober the answer is:

Look at me! Look what I can do! I love sobriety! :bounce

Alcohol kept me in fear. Sobriety has set me free from those fears.

Welcome to SR, we are glad you are here.

Boy was I!
I was so scared that I had to wait until I crashed my car and got my first DUI to admit it to myself and others. Don't be as hard headed as I was.
Today, six months sober, the only thing that I am truly fearful of, is that first drink!
Come along with us, sobriety is so wonderful that I can not begin to describe life today thanks to my support system and the 12 steps of AA.

Welcome!!!!!

I was scared to DEATH!!!!!
With time my fear was replaced with gratitude, self love, happiness..you name it...give it time. Sobriety Rocks!!!


CAthy

I was most of all....scared I was losing my mind
from excessive drinking. Depression was edgeing
me into insanity.

I was actually beginning to feel
comfortable in mental hospitals..:eek:

Finally...in desparation to save my mind
I took my scared shakey self to AA.

It's been an awesome adventure
and I have my mine intact.

Welcome to our recovery community
:wave:

I was afraid of everything, but most of all I was afraid of myself, of what I had become.

Scared of sobriety - a "little." Scared, as Least said, more of what alcoholism had done to me and my life and my family and everything else.

Welcome to SR and thanks for this post. Very helpful.

:)

Petrified!!!

now, Un-Petrified!

welcome to the family SH

Yes.

Yes. Scared beyond belief. How would I get through the evenings? The weekends? The holidays?

And now.......it feels GREAT!

Scared of dying alone, scared of becoming a mushy brain mess and landing in a nursing home, scared and angry that I have this "family disease", and there's nothing that I can do to change that fact.

I think fear is possibly the biggest issue for all addicts, in one way or another.

Honu

i was afraid of all the things you listed...but when i became more afraid of what was happening to me and what i was doing to myself and others..i wasnt afraid anymore to seek and get help.i was afraid not to.

I was scared of all those things too - but in the end I was scared of living another year like I was more - if I even made another year.

18 months on and I have a *life* - it's not sitcom perfect, but's it's *mine* and I can look back and know I deserve it cos I worked for it.

If I can get it, anyone can, soaringhigh :)

welcome!
D

I was scared of the bordom, scared of the awkwardness not drinking, scared for the future. What do I tell my buddies at events such as football, basketball all that jazz. I just told them up front what I want to do and if they don't do that then they aren't friends anymore. I am also afraid of death, deaths of family or friends, or girls breaking up with me, but whatever. Lets get sober and handle that later.

I am scared of working breaking my butt to the point where I break down and have a drink, but I am putting not drinking above work at this point.

All of the above.

Most of all I was scared of me. I couldn't be ok at all drunk and I could not get sober. I was sad, depressed and so lonley. I wanted to die and then I didn't, but I didn't want to live the way I was living.

I am only sober thirty days, and I know I have a long, long way to go. Meetings every day, being around people, getting and using a sponsor and coming here are what started my journey out of he11.