Individuals suffering from phobias often go to tremendous lengths to avoid coming into contact with the source of their phobia. Phobias are irrational fears, a type of anxiety disorder in which an individual has a relentless dread of a particular situation, living creature, place or thing. Often times when confronted with the phobia, individuals suffers from a tremendous amount of distress, which can interfere with their daily activities and lead to a total panic. Phobias are initiated when an individual starts to organize his life around avoiding the source of his fear. However, phobias are much more serious than a simple fear, sufferers have almost an overpowering need to avoid anything that could trigger their anxiety.
For some, this may include items in the treatment facility, activities they may have to engage in while in treatment, or being in an unfamiliar environment. An individual who desires treatment must be able to overcome certain phobias to enter treatment. Informing the facility of one’s phobias can also help them make the transition for the addict easier and less stressful.
How Addressing Phobias to Enter Rehab Can Improve One’s Quality of Life
Addressing one’s phobias for a chance at sobriety can seem like a huge leap of faith and it is. Facing a phobia should not be taken light heartedly and should be thoroughly discussed before enrolling in a treatment program. Although an individual may not be able to avoid all her phobias, treatment facilities will be equipped with the knowledge to help the individual overcome her phobias while receiving treatment for her addiction. Included in the following are some examples of how addressing one’s phobias to enter rehab can greatly improve quality of life:
- Sobriety
- Sense of empowerment
- Brings joy back into life
- Initiative to tackle other problematic issues
Addiction leads to a lifestyle that addicted individuals once saw as undesirable and destructive. This lifestyle deteriorates relationships, the individual’s health and financial security. This destructive and devastating lifestyle can cause an individual to feel even more isolated despite the fact that his phobias have stopped him from living the quality of life he wants. By facing one’s debilitating fears and entering rehab, one is able to take back the control of his life and achieve sobriety. The process is not easy but by being able to not only achieve sobriety but also overcome his phobias, the addict is giving himself even more freedom to enjoy his new life in recovery.
Phobias often make an individual feel powerless, conquered and defeated because they change how an individual lives their daily life. Because of this lack of control, one can easily can slip into depression, suffer from intense anxiety and look for alternative methods of coping, such as drugs and alcohol. When a sufferer conquers a phobia, she will feel a sense of empowerment and that she is worthy of living a better life. She will begin to believe that if she can overcome a phobia she can overcome her addiction too.
Feeling stuck in a situation and feeling a total loss of control can lead an individual to lose all sense of joy and happiness in her life. This loss, just like feeling powerless, can almost worsen one’s phobias and add to one’s anxiety. Although tackling a phobia may not seem as though it will bring joy back to one’s life, it can definitely start the process. If an individual had a fear of leaving home, he must overcome this by going to treatment. Once treatment is completed and the individual has returned home, he will feel more capable of venturing to a loved one’s home, ultimately improving relationships which were once impacted by both the phobia and the addiction.
When an individual sees that he is able to overcome a phobia, he might be more open to broadening his life and start tackling problematic issues he had. For an individual who had a phobia of going to the doctor, once in treatment he may have to see a physician frequently to monitor his health. Once this phobia is conquered, he might be more willing to seek medical help when needed. This could drastically improve his physical health along with his mental health.