Tool box

[on my way]

Here is a list of tools that have helped me maintain my sobriety. This is short and incomplete, help us all out and add your sobriety tools to the list.


Make a written list, write down:
The reason/s you want to be al free.
How bad physically and mentally you feel after an adventure with al. (be graphic)
A list of your favorite al free drinks.
Triggers that make you want to drink and be aware of them.

[on my way]

Tool box

Take good care of yourself:

*Get 8 hours of sleep, or at very least try

*eat 3 decent meals, have snacks too. (Educating yourself about nutrition is a good measure at this point)

*stay well hydrated

*exercise

[A Work in Progress]

Tool box

Urge surfing is an important and very helpful way to deal with cravings. Every urge, impulse, or craving has a natural progression. It starts at zero, and then suddenly we become aware that the wish, desire, craving, or impulse has arisen in our minds. It can continue to get stronger, once it has arisen. And, eventually, it will fade away (so long as we do not give in to it). This is ALWAYS true for any and every craving or impulse.

Sometimes we have the (very false) impression that cravings are SO strong and powerful, that they will never go away and we MUST give in to them. One way to deal with that is to make a conscious effort to step back (mentally) and observe the craving, as if from a slight distance. Ask yourself: what am I thinking, what are the words running through my mind? Where am I feeling this craving in my body? Observe how the sensations and thoughts become uncomfortable; observe what the messages are that you might be telling yourself; and observe how you will soon become distracted, and find that you are thinking about something else... because the craving has faded away.

Once you have done that several times, you will have a different perspective on cravings, and you will be much better able to resist them. And you can always use this method, any time you find yourself struggling, or getting into a mental argument about whether or not you should or could have a drink.

[on my way]

Tool box

i will remember this one, thanks wip

[retteacher]

Tool box

What a great thread! I'm going to read it again & again.

One thing I've been doing w/the "out of nowhere" AL thought (the type that have thrown me into a liquor store):
Instead of pushing it out of my mind & thinking of something else, I've been looking at it. I've been asking it questions:
-Why I am thinking about drinking?
-What's going on in my mind & body?
-What non-AL thing do I need to do to remove this thought?
-What would be the negative consequences of getting a bottle? (i.e. drinking & feeling awful in mind, body, & spirit...having to get rid of the bottle...hiding the drinking...etc.)

Sometimes just turning my mind away from drinking eliminates the thought, but other times I really need to examine why it's happening.

I hope this makes sense.

Mary

[retteacher]

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Procrastination: It's a good thing when it comes to giving in to that drink.

[LVT25]

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M & M's

[A Work in Progress]

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Probably my simplest technique, and one of the most effective: When I realize that I have some thoughts or urges about drinking, I just quietly say, to myself--


I don't drink.

It is as if I am just giving myself a gentle reminder, helping me to remember, and truly realize, that drinking thoughts, urges, and cravings are no longer truly relevant in my life. They are just leftovers, mental habits, from a life that I am no longer living. And that feels REALLY good.

wip

[DogLvr]

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WIP: Thanks for that tip - it helped me tonight.

[A Work in Progress]

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Repeating this for the "Tool Box" Thread


What is a plan, and how do I get one???


I can't count how many times I have made the suggestion to new folks here to "get a plan" for their recovery from alcohol abuse. The old phrase: "failing to plan is planning to fail" is very true in so many situations... and especially so in the case of those of us who are beginning (and continuing) the path of freedom from the devastation of alcohol abuse.

SO: What is a plan, and how do I get one?

The MWO book, and what we call the MWO program, discuss and recommend a number of elements that have proven very helpful to many, many people who have used them. They include (and I have added a few, based on my own experience and that of many MWO members):

• Exercise (doesn't have to be a whole lot; some brisk walking, 3 or 4 days a week, is helpful)
• Hypnotherapy (you can buy the recordings on the MWO site in the "store")
• Meditation (many of us practice meditation)
• Dietary supplements (see the MWO book, the "store" here onsite, and the threads here on "Holistic Healing")
• A healthy diet, and regular mealsMedication (preferably with help, advice, and a prescription from your physician)Spending a significant amount of time here at MWO, reading the posts of others, getting to know people, asking questions, and talking about your progress and your strugglesGoing to AA meetingsChanging our environment: Getting alcohol out of the house; not going to bars; not hanging around with "drinking buddies"

Most people do not use ALL elements in this list; but those who are successful tend to use a LOT of them. And we tend to adjust and tweak the elements, as we see what works for us (and for others).

Equally important is something we call the "mental game." This is short-hand for the process of changing our thinking and attitudes toward: alcohol, drinking, our emotions, and our behavior. We must learn a whole new approach to problems in life (we don't try to drink them away, any more), and we don't see alcohol as a "reward" for having accomplished something. We learn to tolerate distress, including the urges and impulses and cravings for drink, and we allow them to naturally pass away, without giving in to them. We learn not to engage in battles within our minds about drinking; we step away from that whole process, and choose to think about, and do, something else.

Perhaps most important: we recognize that the work of recovery truly is "work," and it takes time, effort, and sometimes it costs money. Sometimes it is costly in other ways, as well; friendships and other close relationships will be changed, when we change. And that can be painful. Making this kind of change will have an impact on all areas of our lives; that is a very, very good thing; it can also be accompanied by some pain. Again... we must learn to tolerate the discomforts involved in life changes. There will be some emotional upheaval along the way. We might want to seek counseling or psychotherapy; we certainly will benefit from coming here and talking about it.

Making a plan, and following it, is an act of mature recognition of the fact that, for nearly all of us, just wishing and hoping that we will stop drinking (or begin drinking "normally") "on our own" is not going to work. Remember: nobody ever "wished and hoped" their way through any important project. But with persistence, and support from others, following a plan can take us to the places in our lives where we really want to go.

wip

[retteacher]

Tool box

Everyone:

I love this thread & will use it to get myself through the holidays. One thing I've been doing is using visualizations.
-I see myself at holiday functions drinking up my stash of nice non-AL drinks.
-I see myself participating instead of hiding.
-I see myself concentrating on interacting instead of sneaking my next drink.
-I see myself waking up the next morning full of pep instead of hungover & shamed.
-I see myself growing internally instead of staying stuck in old patterns.

Mary

[retteacher]

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One great tool for not drinking: This thread!

[A Work in Progress]

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This is something I wrote and originally posted elsewhere; I thought it might fit into the "tool box" nicely:


Do You "Deserve" a Drink, Today?

I can't count the number of times I have seen someone come here and write a post in which s/he says that s/he has relapsed, or "slipped," because s/he had been doing well for a while, and decided that s/he "deserved" a drink.

And our alcoholic thinking does this to us. It totally bypasses the memory of the devastation, humiliation, and destruction that alcohol has brought into our lives, and it presents alcohol as a GOOD thing, a prize, a reward, something we want to give ourselves for a job well done.

I wrote a post a few days ago, about this way of thinking, but it was kind of buried in another thread. And I saw people talking about "deserving a drink," again today. What I wrote about was about changing our way of thinking from this self-destructive "Deprivation Mode" to a winning, successful, positive "Gratitude Mode." Here it is:

I don't think we can begin to truly grow into a successful, lifetime, AF plan until we have managed to make the shift in our thinking from the "Deprivation Mode" to the "Gratitude Mode."

In Deprivation Mode, we think alcohol is a good thing that we are being deprived of. We are sad, and grieve the loss of what had felt like a friend to us. We consider it a treat that we never get to give ourselves again. We are envious of others who "get to drink."

In Gratitude Mode, we recognize that alcohol is (for us, because of our brain structure, genetics, physiology, etc.) a toxin, a poison, something that nearly destroyed us. Mentally, physically, and spiritually. We recognize that we have the most amazing opportunity to rid ourselves of something that makes us very sick in all those ways. We recognize the craziness of voluntarily damaging our brains, minds, bodies, families, jobs, futures. We are really, really grateful for that opportunity, and we guard it and cultivate it carefully.

Most of us start a recovery program in deprivation mode. Some people stay there forever. Those people tend not to be able to create a consistently successful program, or life, of freedom from alcohol and its devastation. Some of us transition into gratitude mode.

For most of us, Gratitude Mode does not just happen all by itself. We have to make it happen. If we want to shift into gratitude mode, we learn to cultivate it. We cultivate it by being careful about our thoughts, and about what we notice. If we find ourselves thinking about how wonderful it would be to have a drink, we deliberately shift attention away from this train of thought, and we deliberately choose to think about how good it is to know we will never humiliate ourselves with alcohol again, never again have another horrible hangover, never disappoint our children again with the way we are when we get drunk. We notice alcohol advertising, pay attention to how it makes us feel, and detach from the message by noticing how distorted the message is.

That kind of thing is crucial. We literally can BUILD a new way of thinking and feeling about things. And I think that's something to be grateful for, in itself!

wip

[retteacher]

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WIP:

I thank you for your insights about deprivation thinking & gratitude thinking. I do think that the lapses that I have experienced were because I felt I needed a "reward." I have been realizing that the ONLY thing I will get from drinking is self-anger & extreme upset. There is no reward. That is a myth that I must work against.

I also loved what you said about changing our thinking. We can do it w/consistent effort. Every time we read one of those postcards from hell or buy into the AL advertising, we can argue against it. We can change our own thinking. We aren't automatons. We are intelligent, thinking humans who can make necessary changes.

Thank you. I'm so glad I read that post.

Mary

[mahalferty@yahoo.com]

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Brain Implant: Alcohol Seeking Device

Such wonderful posts - thank you so much.

I spoke with a friend the other day about the nature of alcoholism. He was saying it felt as though part of his brain had been taken over by an alien. I thought of the movie Alien where the Alien actually takes over Sigournie Weaver's body. I don't remember the details of the movie but I know she resisted the takeover and when realizing that she had no alternative she destroyed herself rather than allowing the alien to cause more destruction.

Okay - we have a choice - here is the gratitude. We do not have to throw ourselves into a raging hot furnace to stop the alien. That is something to be grateful for. But it is also something to think about- the alcohol seeking part of our brain can be as destructive as the Alien in the movie - a pretty graphic image - and very unattractive. I am trying to pair the image of the Alien with my urge for a drink to put the desire for alcohol in the proper perspective for myself.

We also talked about the alien implanting an alcohol seeking device in our brains that is designed to seek alcohol to the point of our destruction. Well that sounds pretty gruesome but it puts the alcohol into perspective. It is not a reward, it is a response to a destructive implanted device designed to destroy us - hmmm that makes me think twice before wanting a drink - and makes me SO happy I can say no.