A hurdle that has interutped the flow of staying sober has been the lack of controlling the impulses faced day after day! As we through our journey face so i thought it relative to open the floor to all. In the hope of an universal network of thoughts, ideas and methodolgy to share and lesrn from.
I believe my recovery can only work with a better understanding of the why!!! And how to control that thirst and constant reminder, that the choice to use can be my next thought. So educating myself on old and hopfully new ways to counter the urges.
As i tell myself as i wake, " im only as strong in each present moment " so staying present and accepting where i am and why i arrived here keeps me focused for the most part but as i know that isnt enough.
But for now i appreciate this community and thank the creaters and users for their efforts and honesty…
I get you…im the same…if i can understand the why then i can move forward… heres something ive learned…
impulses/cravings- through our addictions we actually created these ourselves…soon as something comes up be it stress, sadness, anger etc we reach for the booze (or drugs) to numb feelings, escape or soothe ourselves which creates pathways in our brain to be triggered into using whatever…as addicts we do this regularly thus reinforcing the pathway over and over again. So its no surprise that once we stop the drug/booze we get the impulses/cravings…now i know why the craving comes. …so to combat this nowadays when i get a craving instead of doing what my brain wants i ask myself what is going on in my life that i must be feeling the need to comfort, escape or soothe over and i go about sorting that out if i can, most things can be sorted or sat with but if not i distract with something else until i can come up with either a solution or accept it for what it is and feel better about things.
I don’t have much to write for advice wise, I relapsed recently after a nice amount of sober time. Day 10 today and I just wanted to say thank you. Your post has given me a nice extra tool to get through today
This is really helped me today as I have woke with temptation and I thank you for helping me with another tool to help me on my journey
Staying mindful and present today is just what I needed to be reminded of because temptation is me sitting in the thoughts of the future.
I get them here and there now, and it sounds cliche, but picturing exactly what it’s gonna turn into is what I’m doing now. I could very easily go grab a half case of beer and just get through whatever I’m going through today. But I know myself and tomorrows a case, then it’s a case with a bottle of whiskey, then morning drinking just to feel normal and drunk driving cause at that point I’m outta my mind and don’t give a shit. Then there’s the marriage which is great right now. Just everything will fuckin crumble over trying to numb just for a few hours.
Impulses/urges cause little dopamine spikes and crashes. People feel inclined to lift dopamine back up/give in. Recognizing what is going on biologically will probably help combat the situation. Lots of good videos on YouTube from doctors/experts. You got this
Yes. Dr. Anna Lembke is one to check out. She explains the whole dopamine cycle very well on several you tube videos. Has a book out called Dopamine Nation.
Wow that is really amazing!! Absolutely it helps to unferstand the reason gives you a chance to correct the mind set or action rather than do what would fome natural…
Thank you very much i will use that appoach for sure very wise words
Im glad it touched the right nerves to make a different choice i can relate to everything you said so good for you to want to get back up and strive for a different path gob bless and keep on keeping on!
Thank you its good to be here learning from you all i have gained ground in leaps and jumps just listening to you all as we all know the cycle from thought to action as using has always won that battle for me so its important to be kinder to self on every way
Similar to @Jasty2 , I’ve changed my perception of alcohol from positive to negative. Totally reconditioning my brain. Every single time the thought of alcohol came up, I would immediately say “No!” without fail. I’d force myself to think of all the bad situations that alcohol created, which was easy bc it was all bad. I didn’t allow for that bargaining, back and forth inner monolog. I just told myself no every time. Over and over and over if I had to. It was a lot in the beginning, but it only got easier. The more I associated alcohol with negative experiences, the less I’d think drinking was a good idea.
Consistency. The part of me that wanted to quit stuck to my guns no matter what. As soon as you let that other voice talk, you’re already in trouble.
Here’s an association we rarely think of - smoking and drinking. I used to have a beer in one hand and a cig in the other.
When I gave up the beer, I still had the cig, so my mind used to tell me something was missing (the booze) as I smoked away.
Appreciate everyone sharing, this helps. I definitely suffer from the inner monolog and have been giving in. A very slippery slope and all it takes is a split sec decision to get “1” drink to feel like shit and full of shame. It doesn’t feel good anymore after i drink. In the moment it does. But i do still have guilt. At this point im starting day one back on my sober journey and can use any tips on managing my impulses and that inner battle with myself.
