My AF Brain is fatigued
Square one is never worse. Because you've come so far already. The path will be better marked if you need to traverse it again. Life is not a made-for-tv movie, and so don't hold yourself to superhuman feats.
I figured out the Prayer connection and can give some scientific underpinnings to why it works.
Alcohol gets it's hold because it hijacks a primitive part of our brain called the Amygdala, or popularly, your lizard brain. You can google up those two words to learn more. It's the part of your brain that you share with lizards. Among it's functions is a reward center for doing survival acts like finding enough food, achieving the goals of a hunt, or having a lot of children. Alcohol is probably a mistake, really. It happens to affect some neurotransmitters and receptors, to artificially create a "boost" or reward when you haven't actually accomplished anything. Some other distinctive features of the Amygdala is that it doesn't sleep (hence midnight cravings) and it doesn't use language so it can't talk. However, it can control enzymes and hormones so it will cause adrenaline rush, rapid breathing and heartbeat, sweats and other biological functions.
So how do you "talk" to a part of your brain that operates outside language? How can you logic with a part of your brain that operates on a pure emotional level? Here are some things I hit on through experimenting:
Slowing your breathing using 4-7-8 breathing (you can Google that too). The Amygdala controls your breathing, but you can control it back by steadying your breath. Calm and lower your blood pressure, and this will send a message.
Accomplish things. Do a crossword, or complete a task. Arrange socks in a drawer or clean a closet. Finishing the task issues a reward, which is what the Amygdala craves. If you start craving, go find 2-3 things you can accomplish quickly. Enough challenge to take your effort, but not something that you will "lose" at like gambling. (BTW that's why gambling is like drinking, because it's all about hijacking the reward center).
Chocolate. And love. Go figure.
And Faith. Believe in something. Believe in God. Believe in yourself. Believe that of all the really tough things you've done in your life, you can get over this current tough thing, and move on. Faith by itself routes entirely past the "logical" and "educated" part of your brain, and speaks to the lonely and attention craving child hidden inside. The more faith you have, the more you can reward this center through non-chemical means.
So I fully recommend Faith as a part of the process. There are scientific reasons for it.
Square one is never worse. Because you've come so far already. The path will be better marked if you need to traverse it again. Life is not a made-for-tv movie, and so don't hold yourself to superhuman feats.
I figured out the Prayer connection and can give some scientific underpinnings to why it works.
Alcohol gets it's hold because it hijacks a primitive part of our brain called the Amygdala, or popularly, your lizard brain. You can google up those two words to learn more. It's the part of your brain that you share with lizards. Among it's functions is a reward center for doing survival acts like finding enough food, achieving the goals of a hunt, or having a lot of children. Alcohol is probably a mistake, really. It happens to affect some neurotransmitters and receptors, to artificially create a "boost" or reward when you haven't actually accomplished anything. Some other distinctive features of the Amygdala is that it doesn't sleep (hence midnight cravings) and it doesn't use language so it can't talk. However, it can control enzymes and hormones so it will cause adrenaline rush, rapid breathing and heartbeat, sweats and other biological functions.
So how do you "talk" to a part of your brain that operates outside language? How can you logic with a part of your brain that operates on a pure emotional level? Here are some things I hit on through experimenting:
Slowing your breathing using 4-7-8 breathing (you can Google that too). The Amygdala controls your breathing, but you can control it back by steadying your breath. Calm and lower your blood pressure, and this will send a message.
Accomplish things. Do a crossword, or complete a task. Arrange socks in a drawer or clean a closet. Finishing the task issues a reward, which is what the Amygdala craves. If you start craving, go find 2-3 things you can accomplish quickly. Enough challenge to take your effort, but not something that you will "lose" at like gambling. (BTW that's why gambling is like drinking, because it's all about hijacking the reward center).
Chocolate. And love. Go figure.
And Faith. Believe in something. Believe in God. Believe in yourself. Believe that of all the really tough things you've done in your life, you can get over this current tough thing, and move on. Faith by itself routes entirely past the "logical" and "educated" part of your brain, and speaks to the lonely and attention craving child hidden inside. The more faith you have, the more you can reward this center through non-chemical means.
So I fully recommend Faith as a part of the process. There are scientific reasons for it.
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