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It Is A Courageous Act to Get Sober

If you’ve been struggling addiction for a long time, it might be difficult to even consider getting sober. And if you’ve known addiction all your life – perhaps because you were raised in home with addiction and then became addicted yourself – then it might also be incredibly challenging to consider getting sober. There’s no question that making such a change in life takes an incredible amount of courage.

Courage might be described as the ability to move forward despite feeling fearful or afraid. And there are many wonderful quotes about courage that can immediately inspire bravery:

Courage is grace under pressure – Ernest Hemingway

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go. – T.S. Eliot

Either you decide to stay in the shallow end of the pool or you go out in the ocean. – Christopher Reeve

I learned that courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear. – Nelson Mandela

In fact, some people view addiction itself as a lack of courage. Although it is a judgment and no one knows the circumstances of those who fall into an addiction, there is the opinion that those who develop an addiction did so because they couldn’t face the situation they were in. Instead of being courageous and facing whatever difficulty life presented them, they instead turned to drugs and alcohol.

However, no matter how the addiction developed, getting sober is an act of courage. In fact, even beginning to contemplate sobriety is courageous. With this, the very first courageous step is calling for help. When an addict talks to a sibling, parent, spouse, or mental health professional about their addiction, it’s indicative that something inside of them has changed. They are ready to face the unknown and the fears that come with traversing new waters.

The truth is that any kind of life change is scary – whether you’re an addict or not. The comfort and familiarity of the way it has been makes it challenging and intimidating to step into a new life.  Sometimes, even though one’s old way of life is hard, it’s common for a person to stay in the difficulty of their old life out of fear of making a change. The fear of what it might be like, the fear of losing a part of you, and the fear of not being able to make it can easily keep someone stuck in the cycle of addiction.

However, at some point, most people find that staying stuck in that harmful cycle is just too much. And so they find the courage within themselves to make a change. What’s wonderful about recovery is often there exists a wide number of people who are there to support you. Although the change might feel scary, you’re not alone.

If you’re struggling with an addiction, although it might feel intimidating, call a mental health professional for help. There’s a good chance you won’t regret it!

 

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