I feared failure. I feared the person that I would be if I quit drinking. And worse yet, I feared that I wouldn’t like that person. I feared I would lose my friends. I feared that I wouldn’t be able to process that last death call without a drink. I feared that I wouldn’t know how to act in a social setting without a drink in my hand. I feared that my spouse wouldn’t support me.
Fear can keep us from doing some truly incredible things, can’t it?
One of the most common fears of quitting drinking is the fear of losing sleep. This was certainly one of my biggest fears - I would be on call for a week straight and afterward, I thought the only way to go to sleep was passing out. When I was drinking, I had no trouble falling asleep. I just could not STAY asleep. I would wake up around 3 a.m. every single night, beat myself up and wrestling with myself about why it is I kept doing this to myself. Anyone else out there?
Fear Of The Unknown underlines all of the above mentioned fears. When I made the choice to quit drinking, I didn’t know how my friends would react, how I would handle my job, if or how my sex life would change, or how I would deal with my kids.
But I can promise you that I have gained so much more than I have lost once I gave up alcohol.
What have I lost? Headaches, bloating, broken promises, self-loathing, purple teeth and tongue, spending tons of money on drinking, spending all day thinking about drinking, unprocessed stress….
So...maybe I have lost a lot? Byeeee!
Making the decision to quit drinking can provoke some crazy fears and emotions....but one of the super maddening things about this fact is that once again....alcohol is demanding control of our thoughts and our minds. Don’t let alcohol have that much power! The truth is....it’s powerless compared to the power of our minds. Stay focused on this power and those fears will be held at bay. Our minds are CRAZY powerful! Let’s tap into this gift and take back the control of our mind, life, and our drinking!
And go forth knowing this - we all have fears. You are not alone. Whatever your fear is of going sober....I can promise you, someone out there has that same fear.
HOMEWORK
Get some sleep. Your sleep should be sacred to you. Sleep provides healing. We work crazy hours so grab it while you can - even working it into your call/shift work routine. Try a night with no drinks before bed and see how you feel in the morning as compared to a night of three, four, or five glasses of wine before bed.