WHY AM I SCARED!

Fear is one of the emotions that cannot be ignored without facing the consequences of avoidance. It ruminates and it festers when shoved in the background of the mind - even if you choose to forget the event, it doesn’t choose to leave your body’s coding unless you are able to look at it and inspect it with your mind’s eye. I feel like that is what makes it unique for an emotion in comparison to the other core feelings, as based on the movie Inside Out, which is based on the work of Paul Ekmen. His work defines 6 core emotions that are universal across all human cultures: happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise, and disgust. Fear comes from generations of survival mechanisms. Memories of fear are deeply encoded in our hippocampus so we are able to react quickly if similar situations occur - leading to behavioral changes. Our ancestors survived by being hyper-aware of threats. This means our brains are biased toward negativity, making it easier to develop fears than to unlearn them. With most humans, fear is something to be avoided, however it becomes stronger when ignored due to that ingraining. The brain never gets to learn that what is feared is not as dangerous as it seems if it is not shown by the physical body. Every time we escape a fearful situation, our brain gets rewarded with relief, reinforcing the idea that avoidance is the best response. While this assisted our more animalistic ancestors, pre civilized societies, it does not serve us at times when attempting to evolve past situations. This is especially hard for addicts due to the coping mechanisms developed in order to ‘medicate’ these feelings. Addicts typically have an event or series of events which led them down the path of self destruction via their life choices and drug of choice to be able to manage such big negative feelings - they are the embodiment of avoidance. They become slaves to their emotions and are unable to self regulate, which I don't blame them for because a lot are survivors of things that kill a lot of people. Many traumatic events include molestations and other extreme abuse situations either put upon them by addict parents or personal poor choices due to forced circumstance or poor self esteem. Due to time being linear, we cannot undo past events and even if we choose to want better, the burden of the past cannot be undone overnight along with those ingrained habits. Making the choice to change is the second hardest thing to do in life, and making that change is the hardest. To fully undergo a lifestyle change after living in the pits of hell for however long is the bravest choice someone could ever make for themselves. 

Discovering who you are and what you stand for after a life of addiction requires stepping out of your comfort zone and confidently committing to your chosen path even if you don’t know what outcome you’ll get from it. This challenging stage of healing separates the hesitant from the brave. Changing the channel and facing fear requires courage, and understanding fear is the first step to overcoming it. I have been watching a lot of My 600 Pound Life which has assisted me in understanding addiction and the effects of fear that comes with it with a bit better visual aid. The emotion is what overtakes the individual and causes them to turn to negative habits.  It is shocking how many of the patients in the show mention how they were molested or abused in other ways as children and allow the fear to succumb them well into their 30s and 40s by continuing to rely on food to calm the daily stressors of life since they never learned to manage emotions, much less face their biggest root fears. I believe fear and addiction go hand in hand, no matter the substance. It is fundamental to understand to get a full view of what exactly addiction is in order to rise above the sensations that come along with this spiritual sickness.

Fear is a fundamental human experience. Like everything, fear is on a spectrum and looks different for everyone and doesn’t always necessarily lead to addictive behaviors. It is an ancient, deeply ingrained mechanism that has shaped our survival, decision-making, and psychological well-being; it makes us human as it represents part of the range of human emotion like the rest of the core emotions do. It operates at the intersection of biology, psychology, and culture, influencing not only how we react to danger but also how we perceive the world around us. Fear is an emotion that’s characterized by a heightened state of alertness in response to a perceived threat. Psychologists define fear as a biopsychosocial reaction that encompasses cognitive, physiological, and behavioral responses. It is a survival mechanism, evolved to protect individuals from harm, but it can also manifest in maladaptive ways. Neurologically, fear is primarily processed in the amygdala, a structure deep in the limbic system that rapidly assesses threats and triggers appropriate responses. Science. This response system is largely unconscious and automatic. However, higher cognitive functions in the prefrontal cortex can modulate fear, distinguishing between real and perceived threats. The experience of fear can be acute (as in an immediate danger, like encountering a wild animal) or chronic (like persistent anxiety about financial instability). While fear serves as an adaptive mechanism, its dysregulation can lead to phobias, anxiety disorders, and chronic stress, significantly impairing an individual's well-being. This is something all too common in the recovery community. Fear of change, fear of death, fear of safety. It shapes our daily actions and when it takes the driver’s seat, we are unable to live to our full potential.

Fear, like many intense emotions, causes distortions in the chemistry of what makes someone human. These can cause side effects cognitively, behaviorally, and psychologically. Fear hijacks cognitive resources, impairing logical reasoning, memory recall, and decision-making. Survival mode is no joke as the human body shouldn’t be under so much stress for extended periods of time so of course it alters the general health of the individual’s mental state. It is a normal reaction to the external stimulus. When experiencing intense fear the prefrontal cortex (which is responsible for rational thought) becomes less active, while the amygdala dominates and takes hold, leading to impulsive or survival-driven behaviors. Naturally, the body then enters a survival mode. Memory encoding is altered as well. People tend to vividly remember fearful events due to the amygdala’s interaction with the hippocampus and can lead to issues such as PTSD responses to memories, which describes as to why those on My 600 Pound Life blame things from their childhood for their current eating issues how an alcoholic or any other addict blames life circumstances for their drug use. It typically stems from the inability to cope with life so ‘medicine’ is sought after. 

Traumatic experiences often lead to flashbacks and why fear-based memories are deeply ingrained in the mind. Chronic fear can contribute to paranoia, hypervigilance, and distorted risk assessment, leading to anxiety disorders. Those who are wired to seek relief from such thoughts through substances bring these fearful emotions in to perpetuate the cycle of addiction. With everything the mind endures during fearful eras, there is also huge potential for physiological effects. In the short term, this means rapid heartbeat, shallow breathing, muscle tension, and increased glucose metabolism, which provides the body immediate energy. Long-term effects of chronic exposure to fear, and the stress the emotion brings, can lead to high blood pressure, weakened immune function, gastrointestinal issues, and insomnia. Prolonged stress also elevates cortisol levels, which has been linked to cognitive decline and increased susceptibility to illnesses. These factors indicate the need to address the cause of this complex emotion in order to remain in a synergistic relationship with the body and mind to live healthily. 

There is a deep intertwine of addiction and the feeling of fear -  fear of withdrawal, fear of failure, fear of facing painful emotions, fear of success, and even fear of change. The emotion is prominent enough that addressing fears is a part of Step 4 of AA where inventories are created, which includes the fear inventory, and is essential for long term recovery. By integrating cognitive, physiological, philosophical, and social strategies, individuals can bravely overcome fear-based obstacles and reclaim their lives. Oftentimes, it is difficult to identify fears as there are times where people don’t even realize it until they initiate that change for the better. Addictions shove those fears down so deep into the subconscious that it simply goes unacknowledged for years and sometimes decades. Substances numb the mind and quiet the negative voices so fears take the back burner on the conscious mind and tend to come out as secondary emotions such as anger due to the effects holding such an emotion has on the body. Step 4 insists on creating a searching and fearless moral inventory of oneself. This inventory specifically focuses on identifying, analyzing, and understanding one's fears, alongside resentments and sexual encounters, in order to examine the impact it has on the individual alongside allowing individuals recognize how fear drives negative behaviors (including addiction) and begin the process of overcoming these fears through spiritual growth, self-awareness, and personal accountability. Some fears relate to self-reliance rather than faith in a higher power, giving the individual spiritual awareness of their current state. This step was made to help individuals reflect deeply on their own actions, behaviors, and emotions. The end goal is to uncover the root causes of their addiction, such as resentments, fears, regrets, and other issues that may have contributed to their drinking or substance abuse. By doing the actions of this step, members are encouraged to honestly assess themselves—without excuses or denial—so that they can take responsibility for their actions. This process is meant to help people identify patterns in their behavior that need to be changed, fostering self-awareness and emotional healing. Ultimately, Step 4 is about understanding oneself better, which is essential for moving forward in recovery. 

Replacing fear with hope and excitement for the future I feel is key to overcoming fears for good. This takes a plethora of effort in order to attain this goal. It is easy for me to put it into a sentence and say ‘just do it’ but this requires the capability to honestly look at your current circumstances and choose to heal points of difficulty which has led to your current belief system. It is about focusing on balancing the nervous system and finding a solution for true long term healing when it comes to the addict community. Healing from addiction requires confronting fear directly—not avoiding it. By integrating cognitive, physiological, philosophical, and social strategies, individuals can transform fear into a catalyst for recovery.