How to Break Free from White Knuckle Recovery and Truly Thrive
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Let’s get this out of the way: white-knuckling sobriety is potentially fatal. If you are struggling with a drug or alcohol addiction, well-intended loved ones may advise you to try white-knuckle sobriety. If you’ve never heard the term, you might be asking: What does white knuckle sober mean?
White-knuckling sobriety may get you some immediate but short-lived sober days. However, it is not a sustainable recovery process. The sheer force of your will is not an adequate recovery program.
Changes Healing Center is a Phoenix-based mental health, drug, and alcohol addiction treatment center. Our Joint Commission-accredited treatment center has seen more than our fair share of clients who tried to white-knuckle sobriety only to suffer the trauma of a relapse and guilt cycle.
We invite you to continue reading to learn about white-knuckling in sobriety – and the many reasons why it’s just a bad idea.
Defining White Knuckle Sobriety in Drug or Alcohol Addiction
White knuckling describes trying to get clean and sober through sheer willpower without external support or addressing why someone drinks alcohol or uses drugs.
The term comes from a visual of gripping a handle so tightly that their knuckles turn white. The image intends to signify strength. But how long can one hang on before losing that tight grip?
Chronic Diseases Require Evidence-based Treatment
Alcohol or drug addiction is a chronic disease. Treating any pervasive ailment without the guidance of a professional is unwise.
Imagine the absurdity of attempting to manage type 2 diabetes without help from a doctor.
Would anyone suggest that a loved one or friends should try white-knuckling their way through managing blood sugar levels? Might they urge them to resist temptation and stop eating sugar? Would their friends advise them to quit all carbs cold turkey?
Of course, the answer is a resounding no.
A Cautionary Analogy to Show the Severity of Addiction
In the case of diabetes, the results of that advice would be disastrous. The person could experience everything from blood sugar spikes to organ damage or death. Alcohol and drug addiction are both chronic diseases altering the brain, just as diabetes impacts the body’s ability to regulate its insulin production.
People with diabetes need proper support and monitoring, lifestyle changes, and sometimes, prescriptions to keep them well. Those who face the prospect of addiction recovery are not that different – they need therapy sessions, professional monitoring, and sometimes, medication-assisted treatment.
Anyone who tells you otherwise probably doesn’t mean any harm; they just don’t understand the underlying factors that lead to addiction.
Other Times It Might Be a Bad Idea to Practice White Knuckling Recovery
Besides drug or alcohol recovery, some try to white-knuckle their way through other behavioral disorders. When you need to overcome any addiction or break any unhealthy habits, white-knuckling is a poor approach.
A few instances outside of the drug and alcohol rehab recovery process include weight loss, smoking cessation, or quitting vapes. You may think you’re on the way to a successful recovery from those harmful habits until you have a bad day and give up. Without professional support, you will have great difficulty maintaining sobriety.
Why Getting White Knuckle Sober Is Ineffective for Lasting Recovery
When you set out to overcome addiction, you put in much energy to resolve the underlying issues that caused substance abuse in the first place. It could be that you lacked healthy coping mechanisms for dealing with stress. Or it could be that you experienced a traumatic event and didn’t have a support system for overcoming the pain. For some, it means an underlying mental health disorder.
Overcoming addiction is hard work, and the paycheck is sustained sobriety. But it takes professional help to experience this personal growth.
For some, success comes from support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or SMART Recovery. But for others, individualized treatment options and professional therapy will give them the fulfilling life they desire.
Here are a few more reasons why relying solely on white-knuckle sobriety is not recovery at all:
The White Knuckle Recovery Process Poses Physical Health Dangers
Quitting drugs or alcohol without a dedicated team of detox professionals is extremely dangerous. Detox provides a strong foundation for the rest of the sobriety journey. Withdrawal symptoms can present quickly and become out of control.
Depending on the drug of choice and any medical factors, cold turkey quitting can be a significant risk.
In particular, opioid or alcohol withdrawal requires the supportive environment of a recovery center due to the withdrawal symptoms of convulsions and seizures.
Staff at a detox center look after clients’ physical health and mental well-being and may offer medication to handle cravings or other discomfort. Starting the recovery journey strong during detoxification sets you up for success.
Many clients have told us that they felt more confident after detoxing. They knew that if they could make it through detox, then they could handle the emotional ups and downs during the rest of their recovery program.
The White Knuckling Approach Is Not Good for Maintaining Sobriety
Getting sober is only half the battle. Depending on the strength of one’s addiction, staying sober can be an equal challenge. Personal resolve is an admirable trait, but it’s not a substitute for science-backed recovery programs when it’s time to maintain sobriety.
Comprehensive alcohol and drug treatment centers help you stop using substances. But they go even further and root out the source of your addiction and help you confront it. In the next step, they help you master effective coping mechanisms so you can avoid it and have long-term sobriety.
White Knuckling in Sobriety May Worsen Other Mental Health Challenges
If you have other mental health concerns, you will find it harder to stay sober without addressing both the substance abuse and the other condition. Working on healing both at the same time is called dual diagnosis treatment, an evidence-based treatment.
Healing one without the other doesn’t make much sense.
Let’s revisit our diabetes example.
Imagine now that the person trying to manage type 2 diabetes also has high blood pressure. These conditions often occur together as they share risk factors. The physician treating this patient knows that untreated hypertension can make diabetes worse and vice versa.
So, she designs a structured treatment plan that encompasses better nutrition, exercise, and medication for both medical conditions. If she treats one without the other, the chances her patient might heal completely becomes less likely.
Similarly, the addiction recovery journey requires treatment of the substance use disorder and the underlying issues that co-occur to set the client up for long-term recovery.
You Miss Out on the Encouragement of Peer Support Groups
Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous are wonderful groups for navigating sobriety. But if you white knuckle sobriety, you may not learn more about these local resources.
A 2020 comprehensive analysis by Stanford University School of Medicine evaluated 35 studies and reviewed the work of 145 scientists involving 10,080 study participants. The Stanford scientists were impressed by the positive results of AA, which proved 60% more effective than no help at all.
What did the Stanford team think was the mechanism behind its tremendous ability to help so many others achieve sobriety? The personal responsibility and self-reflection required to work through the Twelve Steps, as listed in the AA Big Book, turns out to be only part of their success. The rest of the Stanford team chalked up to the personal relationships formed in the program.
These peer support groups are valuable. Members share personal strategies and develop healthy coping mechanisms together. Many participants may have felt more comfortable in social situations like AA or NA than in formal counseling.
You May Miss the Root Cause Without Professional Support
White knuckle sobriety offers little opportunity to stay sober. That’s because using sheer force to avoid using does not help you heal the root cause of addiction.
We mentioned dual-diagnosis treatment options earlier. But underlying factors may exist other than a second mental health disorder. Addiction can happen for many reasons.
For example, someone might have had adverse childhood experiences (ACES), where they never had a chance to develop strategies for overcoming obstacles. As a result, they turned to drinking or using drugs to calm the hurt child trapped inside.
Addressing Underlying Causes at the Root of Addictive Behavior
Another root cause is a traumatic event, such as a severe injury or natural disaster. Without proper coping strategies or professional help to manage the emotional aftermath, some rely on substances to calm the memories.
Let’s look a final time at our diabetes and high blood pressure patients as an example. The doctor can provide a prescription to manage the symptoms. But the key to giving that person a new life, free of her chronic disease, is to help them develop healthy habits.
The same things most often cause both hypertension and type 2 diabetes – certain genetic factors or poor eating habits. Working with a nutritionist could give the patient the self-confidence to take charge of their physical well-being and experience the freedom of long-term recovery.
Again, nobody expects this person to white knuckle away their health issues. So why do some well-intended folks still suggest white knuckle sobriety instead of proven addiction treatment?
Get Help for Drug or Alcohol Abuse at Changes Healing Center
The Changes Healing Center staff is here to support you by discovering why you abuse substances, treating underlying factors, and teaching you coping strategies. We know that white knuckling does not work.
In fact, the white knuckle sobriety technique can often do more harm than good when it comes to successful, lasting recovery.
If you are ready to experience the joy of fulfilling, long-term recovery, call Changes Healing Center today. We are here to answer all your questions and help you start your recovery journey.