That little voice in my head

That little voice in my head is saying have that drink, you have been doing great a month and 5 days no drink. You can have just one!

That voice is so strong! Been fighting it for two days now. I have been trying everything to get my head off of it. But it’s still there today.

What does everyone do when that little voice starts talking, I need some more ideas!

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I remind myself that it’s never just one. Weeks, even months go by before I recognize once again that I need to stop completely, because I’m literally killing myself slowly with alcohol.

Walks, cooking, and watching YouTube are some distractions for me. Keeping myself busy so I forget about that voice for a bit is key. Spending more time on here helps me too.

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I remember the reason I quit , I think long and hard about it and how it made me feel. I remember the torturous hangovers and Anxiety that once again iv made a fool of myself. If that isn’t kicking the urge I go for a run and put all my feeling into the run and try run it off which usually im so exhausted after running I go have a shower and try relaxe.

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I call my sponsor and talk through it. Had to do that yesterday. I’m probably at about the same point as you - 36 days sober. The cravings now are harder for me than when I very first quit.

I’m trying to ask myself in the moment, “What do I really need now?”. Yesterday, I needed some quiet. My children were making me crazy. I couldn’t get that quiet for a little while, so I called my sponsor.

Know that you are not alone in this. I’m on here multiple times a day if you ever want to read out when the cravings hit hard.

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I tell it to STFU…and it does.

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For me, I ask myself, “what good will that drink do”? It’s an honest question. Then, I listen to myself and come up with nothing good. It won’t help me relax. It won’t solve my problems. It won’t lower my stress level. It will actually do the opposite of all of that! Then I think about restarting my counter, the fact that one will lead to many more, then I wonder how long my relapse will last and how it effects everything and everyone around me and I think screw all of that. I’m good. And the thoughts go away for a while until the next event happens where I want one and then I repeat these same steps.

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I can say no to the first drink, but I can’t say no to the second one. That is my mantra. When I have a craving I go for a walk, watch netflix or read here. I don’t negotiate with that :smiling_imp: voice. He doesn’t know what’s best for me. I do!

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I struggle with that stupid voice too! It really sucks. Someone on here said “Play the tape to the end” and it has really stuck with me. Anytime I get the urge or that damn voice tells me to drink I play it out in my head. I think it all through. What I would drink, how and when I would get it, what I’d do while I’m drinking, and then of course how I’ll feel afterwards. I think about the hangover and the guilt, having to reset my counter and how disappointed I’ll be with myself. That stops the voice and the urge to drink. It’s something I never did before, if I wanted a drink I was having one and I didn’t think about the repercussions. I find it really helpful to think it all through now and I’m definitely in a better place for it!

Good luck to you!

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Playing the tape till the end has worked for me many times. My addiction wants to be fed NOW and a short term fix is what it wants. Once I focus on what will happen after that drink, how I will feel, the promises I would have broken, the guilt and remorse I would feel, the damage done to my mind and body I can say to myself “well that’s totally not worth it. STFU!”

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Maybe just think about how giving in to that drink just means that voice is going to keep on going on and on but if you don’t give in the voice will eventually start to subside!!:slight_smile:
Feeding cravings will never get rid of them.

Remind yourself (as I often do, and I’m paraphrasing from Alan Carr here), that doing without alcohol is NOT depriving yourself of anything, but rather FREEING yourself from years of propaganda and BS and lies from alcohol / tobacco / drug companies and (often) well-meaning friends and family members.
If alcohol is so great, why is it that drinking 250 ml of PURE alcohol would kill you (just like drinking 250 ml of gasoline or drain opener), whereas drinking 250 ml of PURE water, apple juice, or even Coca Cola certainly wouldn’t do that !! Even drinking 250 ml of saltwater wouldn’t kill you (though it might make you throw up), but 250 ml of PURE alcohol… do THAT, and you’re toast…

I had that little voice in my head today too (see the page under Checking in Daily), and when I repeated my little “mantra” to myself, it made it a lot easier to walk past that grocery store aisle with all of the wine and beer and “pastis” (very French drink) that I used to indulge in to excess !

You can do it, we all can.

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