Hi there,
What worked for me wont necessarily work for you and pretty much goes against the grain of what everyone else here says but here goes. Prepare for some profanity and
- Accept you’re an asshole when you drink. You are not special, you are not funny, you are not clever, you do not drive better and your decision making ability is not better. I mean, seriously, what good are you when you’re staring at the bottom of your 15th pint glass or waking up with a searing hangover.
- Accept that the reason everyone else thinks you’re an asshole when you drink because when you drink, you are an asshole. If you dont believe me, check your sent messages the next time you get drunk.
- Accept the fact that everything is your own fault, the fact that everyone thinks your an asshole is your own fault and the fact you continue to drink means you are actively choosing to continue to be an asshole.
Alright… Now you know you’re an asshole and it’s your own fault, lets focus on the recovery part.
- Stop being an asshole
- Accept the fact that regardless of what you may or may not have been told, it is actually you that is in control. Dont blame anything or anyone else for your asshole behaviour - Own it, accept it, reconcile yourself to the fact that the reason you were drinking was because it was fulfilling you in the areas that you werent fulfilling yourself.
- When you set your alarm to wake up in the morning, plan to get up at that time. Dont hit the snooze button when it goes off, get the fuck out of bed.
- Make your bed when you get out of it so you dont have to make it later.
- Plan your day - Plan your week. Foresee where it is you want to be and head in that direction.
- Take care of now, focus in the horizon. If you drive around a racetrack always looking at the wall, I guarantee you are going to hit the wall…pretend the wall is made of delicious bottles of Jack Daniel’s. Stay away from the wall, keep clear of the wall - Dont look at the fucking wall. Keep your eyes on the road ahead.
- Go to work, pay your taxes, eat some asparagus and get a good nights sleep. Dont make a nuisance out yourself and basically, just start behaving like an all-around good egg. Stop pissing people off and people will eventually gravitate back towards you.
- Take credit for your successes. Spend some money. Go on holiday. Treat yourself. Allow yourself to actually feel the benefit of being sober - Dont sit there just doing nothing hoping you dont relapse - Get out there and DO. More Doing = Less fart-arsing around.
- Dont get complacent. You may have heard “You got this” and “One day at a time” but if you’re hearing those statements what it actually means is “You havent got this.” And “What the fuck are you doing? Get your shit together”. The best way to “You got this” and “One day at a time” is to actually do it. The less you hear these statements, the more ass you’re kicking.
Accept the fact that alcohol isnt going away. It’s going to be in every shop window, every TV ad, every soap opera, every alleyway, every wedding, birthday and christening you ever attend.
Practice saying to yourself “I dont drink” so that when the time comes, you can say it with confidence.
Dont pussyfoot around your addiction. It’s a pretty big deal and if you dont grab by it the scruff of the neck and beat the fuck out of it, its going to beat the fuck out of you.
When you go to the beach and see a gorgeous sunset, you dont get a better view of it by looking at your feet. You look towards the horizon because that’s where the target is. Keep your feet on the ground, your shoulders back and your head up.
Oh… and, because no motivational speech is complete without them, heres a few of my favourite cliches!
“It doesnt matter if you are the lion or the gazelle, when the sun comes up, you better be running”
“More of the same will get you the same”
“Maps can tell you were to go - they cant get you there”
“Be the change you want to see in your life”
So there you go. It’s not pretty and its certainly not sugar coated but I promise you, that literally is as bad it gets.
Keep on keepin on!
