The Real and Imagined Problems With Sobriety

Are you overwhelmed by hypothetical challenges?

Photo by Samantha Sophia on Unsplash

I came to a tough realization yesterday: Since getting sober, I’ve wasted far too much time and energy worrying about potential problems.

I’ve stayed up late at night wondering:

• “What if sobriety ruins my friendships?”

• “What if a family member pressures me to drink?”

• “What if I accidentally drink alcohol, thinking it was something else?”

The “what ifs” are endless. It’s embarrassing to admit, but I’ve even run through entire imagined conversations, planning out how I’d respond if people reacted badly to me being sober.

However, despite spending endless nights thinking about these scenarios, they rarely occur, and when they do, they’re never as bad as I imagined.

I wish I could say that this was a habit I’ve grown out of, but even after six and a half years sober, I still sometimes catch myself worrying about these things at night.