Addiction recovery is a scary process. You’ve got to face those feelings of anxiety and fear that cause you to abuse your addiction. They keep you stuck in recovery.

So how can you handle your fears?

First, you’ve got to identify what you are fearful about. Here are some examples:

• I’m afraid I won’t be able to handle the emotional pain
• I’m afraid I’ll make a promise not to do my addiction, and fail again
• I’m afraid life will be boring if I don’t do my addiction
• I’m afraid I won’t be good enough to ... [you fill in the blank]
• I’ve failed so many times, I’m afraid I’ll never be able to do what I know I need to do
• I’m afraid I’ll have panic attacks if I don’t calm myself through my addiction
• I’m afraid if I go see this person, they’ll push my hot buttons again and I’ll erupt in anger
• I’m afraid that my past is so bad that I’ll never be able to change, so why try?
• I’m afraid my secret of my addiction is going to get out
• I’m afraid I won’t be able to handle the stress in my life or my job if I don’t have my addiction to get me through
• I’m afraid that even God is mad at me
• I’m afraid I won’t be accepted by my friends if I stop my addiction
• I’m afraid nobody will love me again because I’ve screwed up my life so bad
• I’m afraid my life doesn’t count for anything. My dreams are dead.

I want you to write down your fears. Putting things on paper brings clarity to your situation. It’s not all up in your head swimming around, causing confusion.

Second, I want you to learn a simple technique that will help you eliminate these fears. It’s called Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) or Meridian Tapping. It’s like psychological acupuncture. And it works – on everything – and almost immediately.

This technique can be learned in a few minutes. Then you can use it whenever and wherever you are. You don’t have to depend upon your sponsor being available to talk to at your moment of crisis.

You can find several website links to learn about this technique through my website if you click here - “EFT” .

Third, you must discover what it is you are moving toward in life. Yes, you want to get away from your addiction. But what do you want to do instead? What are your dreams? What kind of relationships do you want to have? Write all these things down so you can obtain clarity.

And as you’re writing down your dreams, write down what your fears are that pop up. Then once you learn EFT, you’ll have specific fears and concerns ready to work on right away.

Fourth, start taking action today. Not sure what to do first? I invite you to listen to my free mp3 audio on “8 Immediate Action Steps To Take!” You can download it at my website . Kathy Williamson, The Addictions Coach.