While we all know that there are specific and delineated goals in the context of addiction treatment such as physical detoxification, interventions for relapse prevention, and the learning and implementation of new coping strategies, treatment can also be a time to address the fear associated with a plethora of other aspects in our lives. It is often stated correctly that addiction is merely the manifestation of symptoms that are associated with a deeper problem. If we had to choose one word to boil down the precondition to addiction it would fear. Fear operates on the body through our central nervous system, the release of cortisol, and manifests itself in our moods in the form of anxiety and eventually depression. We can think of drugs and alcohol as a pseudo-panacea in the sense that it is a false antidote that “cures” us from the fear that may be enveloping us on a day to day basis. Fear itself is found in all shapes and forms; we can experience a fear of failure, fear of not living up to potential, fear of interpersonal interactions, fear of individual responsibility, fear of lacking purpose, and an array of other forms as well. Fear can, but doesn’t have to be, the schema that organizes and drives most, if not all, behavior. Anyone who has suffered the pangs of addiction can tell us this.
Now that we have identified the universal nature of fear, the question posed, incidentally, is what do we do about it? The answer, in short, is walk directly through it. As all religions and philosophies throughout time have wisely told us, life is suffering, and there is no circumventing that fact. Treatment is a perfect environment to begin to cultivate courage in the face of fear. It allows us the time away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life in order to begin to start formulating and applying new perspectives and approaches to help us better navigate through the intrinsic difficulty’s life has had and will have in store for us all. While treatment can be a time to recuperate, relax, and rest our bodies in the aftermath of an addictive “run”, it can, more importantly, become a home base in which we begin to plan ahead for how we can combat the fear that accompanies everyone in and outside of the addictive disease. The earlier we begin to learn to embrace our fears and combat them with courage, the more likely we are to thrice within long-term recovery, and in life in general. To quote Zach De La Rocha, “What better place than here? What better time than now?”
Tree House Recovery of Orange County, California is a premier men’s addiction treatment facility that uses eight different modalities to help our men become the best versions of themselves they can be. We teach our men that every day of their journey is something to celebrate, and that recovery isn’t a sprint– it’s a marathon. By showing our men how to celebrate each day’s victories, we show them that self love isn’t about what we have or haven’t done. It’s about getting a little closer to where we want to be. To get started with Tree House Recovery, call us today at (855) 202-2138.
