Understanding and Overcoming the Hesitation to Seek Help

You might be thinking: Overcoming fear of seeking help? No! It can not be done. Yes it can. Let our expert addictions clinicians explain how.

Deciding to get help for addiction is a bold step. While you know the risks of continuing to use, you know what it has done to your relationships, career, finances, etc, while you are caught up in it you know where you are.

For Free 24 Hour Addiction Advice, call or email Find Me a Rehab. We provide Free Clinician Drug Advice to all.

Abstinence and recovery will be a whole new world. You will worry how you will cope without being able to use. You know all the bad memories you are blotting out with drugs and alcohol will start to surface.

How will you deal with withdrawals? Cravings? Being around people who use if you don’t? All seems very scary: But it does not need to be.

Overcoming Fear of Seeking Help

Reaching out and asking for help really is the start of a trajectory of recovery. One of the challenges is that you may have misconceptions: The internet is awash with nonsense and snake oil salesman. Let our in-house addictions clinicians give you the benefit of their experience and expertise.

What Stops Addicts Asking For Help?

Fear of shame. Feelings of guilt. Embarrassment. Being judged: You name it. There are plenty of reasons why people don’t come forward. Society has not always been kind to those caught up in the madness of addiction. In some quarters the stigma is still alive.

It is not just these external factors that stop people asking for help. A desire not to have to rely on others can also be an important element. By coming forward, they might feel that others see them as inadequate or weak.

While paying for drugs and alcohol may be difficult, the thought of having to pay for rehab can put people off seeking help. Despite what many companies advertise on the internet, there aren’t rehab centres all over the UK. Indeed, you may need to travel to get to one.

Often, addiction is the result of trying to self medicate for anxiety and depression. When you stop using drugs and alcohol these conditions will re-emerge. This can be very off putting.

Overcoming Fear of Seeking Help

How do you overcome fear in addiction recovery?

Fear is perfectly normal. It may seem overwhelming but knowing that everyone who is in the same boat will also have fears puts things into perspective. When you start to understand that fear is part of recovery you can make the initial steps to get help. If you share your concerns with someone who is not going to judge you: Even better.

One of the biggest fears is the fear that you might relapse. This is very common. People do relapse: it happens but that doesn’t mean you will go back to full blown addiction. In treatment, you will learn how to process situations where you feel like using as well as what to do if you do relapse.

You will develop a mental tool kit as well as a recovery network so you know where to go for help, should relapse happens. It doesn’t happen to everyone but it doesn’t have to be the end of the world, either.

It might seem a cliché, but a setback is a learning opportunity. You will develop patience and new ways of navigating around problems when you have to face them. Instead of turning to drugs and alcohol to solve the problem, you will actually do something positive.

What is the biggest fear in recovery?

As Tevye the milkman said in Fiddler on the Roof: That I can answer in one word: Relapse! This is the one central fear that most people have when approaching getting help. It is perfectly normal to worry that you can’t do it, it is too much and that it isn’t worth trying to get into recovery.

Relapse is not the only thing people worry about. Not being occupied, being alone, remembering past relationships: All these factors can really play on a mind now free of alcohol.

These fears and difficult emotions can be managed. Rehab will give you the skills you need to manage them. You will learn how to care for yourself and develop a resilience to process difficult emotions.

How to Manage Fears and Develop Resilience

There is an old phrase, but a good one: Live one day at a time. Focus on very small goals. It could be to get out of bed, brush your teeth, get dressed, have a shower. When setting goals it is vital that they are realistic.

It is important to stay active and engaged in social pursuits, especially if your old habits were around your alcohol/drug use. Also, do not be afraid to ask for professional help when you need it.

In recovery you will have aspirations, hopes, fears, dreams and memories of the past. Fearing something allows you the opportunity to work a way through it: Without going back to the substance you used to rely on. Use your new found skills.

Overcoming Fear of Seeking Help

Practical Approaches

Start small and build confidence

If you make small requests of others it will not over burden them and there is less risk of you feeling guilty when asking. Ask a colleague to help with something minor: It breaks down barriers and they can get to know you.

In time, if you do this, you will make new connections and others will give you positive support. If you use these situations to ask for assistance with small tasks, if you need to ask for more intense support, you are more likely to receive it.

Making a connection with a colleague and getting their assistance with a minor task may seem small but it demonstrates how far you have come in your recovery.

Overcoming Fear of Seeking Help

For Free 24 Hour Addiction Advice, call or email Find Me a Rehab. We provide Free Clinician Drug Advice to all.

Asking For Help is a Strength

It is not a weakness to ask for help. It shows self awareness, courage and insight. If you view asking for help as being proactive you will not feel so conscious when doing so. When you ask for help you are taking responsibility and demonstrating you are open to help. Everyone needs help at some point: you are no different.

Challenging Barriers to Asking For Help

Why do Some People Find It Difficult To Ask For Help?

People fear being judged. They do not want to be a burden. They might feel that asking for help is a weakness and then embarrassed. People with low self esteem or who want everything to be perfect will find asking for help a massive challenge. Pride can be a big problem.

If you are clear about what help you need and tell people why you need help, you are more likely to get it. Asking for help is natural.

Rethink Past Negative Events

You may have asked for help in the past and not got it. This can make you hesitant. Therapy or self reflection can help you to process these thoughts. What happened in the past does not have to dictate your future.

If you asked for help when you were caught up in the madness of addiction people may have been angry, not known what to do or felt overburdened. Things are different now. You are in recovery and you will find that most people will want to support and celebrate your success.

Have a Support Network

If you have a circle of people who you can rely on when the going gets tough, you have a far better chance of success in your recovery. If you are able to approach your support network before you reach a crisis point (and , hopefully, you won’t) you stand a much better chance of averting a relapse.

Family, friends, your GP, the after care service at your rehab: Professionals and loved ones can all play a part.

Professional Help

Addiction professionals are there to help, not just while you are in rehab. They are not going to judge you and have the skills and expertise to assist you navigate recovery, especially when the going is tough.

A professional can give you evidence based guidance and help you deal with your fears and emotions. All rehab centres offer a minimum of a years aftercare. Many people continue to use the therapist they saw at rehab after treatment.

Overcoming Fear of Seeking Help

Treatment and Support Groups

Overcoming Fear

If you can channel your fear into something positive, you can make lasting change. When you recognize that fear is normal, you really can make progress. It is normal , indeed healthy, to share these concerns. When you share with others, it reminds you that you are not alone. When you share with others it provides clarity. You learn that you are not alone.

Use the skills you learned in rehab: Deep breathing, mindfulness, keeping a journal. They don’t cost, they work and may well make you feel better. If you use your new found skills you can reduce your anxiety. Live day to day. The future is in front but today is now.

Fearing you may relapse is perfectly normal. Just because you are worried it might happen does not mean it will. Everyone experiences setbacks: That is life. What you learn from it is the important thing. Be compassionate to yourself.

Overcoming Fear of Seeking Help

Failure is Not Final

What if I Fail?

Setbacks happen: To everyone. A relapse is not a total disaster: You can learn from it. Explore what led to it and think about how you got to that point and how you navigated your way out of it. Everything that does not go well gives you an insight into what you can do to avoid the pitfall in the future.

How Can I Be Kind to Myself?

Everyone makes mistakes: You are no different. The madness of addiction that you were caught up in is now in the past. You got yourself out of it: Many do not. Celebrate your success. Whatever has happened in the past can not be changed. Sure, you can make amends but you do not have a time machine.

Recovery is a lifelong trajectory. There will be bumps along the way. Some days will be good, some will be very difficult. However, those difficult days don’t have to determine your whole future.

How can I build resilience to tough times?

Building resilience encompasses developing mental and emotional strength to face challenges. Start by setting realistic goals and focusing on small achievements to boost confidence. Use mindfulness practices like meditation and deep breathing to manage stress. Establish a supportive network—friends, family, or support groups—that can provide encouragement and perspective.

Overcoming Fear of Seeking Help

How Can Find Me a Rehab Help?

Our experienced addictions clinicians have treated hundreds of patients in private rehabs, private hospitals, NHS commissioned services, local authority services, GP shared care surgeries and prisons. They will provide you with free advice and guidance in total confidence. They also provide a free referral service.

For Free 24 Hour Addiction Advice, call or email Find Me a Rehab. We provide Free Clinician Drug Advice to all.

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