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Why 'Don't Get Your Hopes Up' is the WORST

3 Feb 2025 · 1 min

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Amber Hollingsworth (speaker/creator) argues that common external influences—like negative statistics (e.g., “only 10% of people beat addiction”) and admonitions such as “don’t get your hopes up”—discourage hope among people with loved ones who have addictions. She claims this leads to premature giving up, repeated unsuccessful tactics, and worsened outcomes for both the loved one and their supporters.

Questions this video answers

Amber Hollingsworth

February 3, 2025

"Only 10% of people beat addiction."

Chapters

For example, a lot of people who have loved ones with addiction, they hear all these terrible statistics. Only 10% of people beat addiction. They have to want it. They're going to have to go to rehab. If they're not working 12 steps, it's not going to work. We hear all these things, and then we convince ourselves not to be hopeful. And we tell ourselves little things like, well, don't get your hopes up and you won't be disappointed. And because of that, we give up. We try unsuccessful tactics the first time that your loved one tries to get sober, and then they fail. Then you're like, I knew it. And then they give up, and it's just a mess because of that external influence.