Every one of us has made mistakes in our lives and gotten involved in things that, in hindsight, we wish we hadn’t. For the most part, these mistakes consisted of drug and alcohol abuse which brought pain and misery into the lives of each of us, as well as our loved ones. As we get older and wiser, and desire to be more healthy, we try to overcome these addictions, and yet find that some are easier to fall by the wayside than others.
When it comes to overcoming our addictions, there is a basic truth that we need start at: the more bad experiences that we have had with something, the easier it is to overcome it.
For instance, many people struggle to overcome a cigarette addiction because they haven’t really experienced enough pain by smoking. Oh, they’ve been warned a thousand times that cigarettes will eventually kill them, but it never really hits home until told they have cancer, or have such a serious coughing fit that they nearly die.
Chances are that if you’re thinking about not drinking alcohol (or cutting back to a minimum), then you’ve already had some pretty bad experiences along the way. Whether it was getting physically sick, or losing your job, or wasting thousands of dollars, or getting in fights, or even losing your family in a divorce – you’ve probably been through a lot with alcohol. And, you’re probably sick and tired of being sick and tired.That’s good. Those bad experiences can HELP you overcome your addiction to alcohol.
The secret to sobriety is to constantly remember those bad times! Remind yourself, often, of what you’ve lost due to alcohol, and feel the pain all over again. RE-LIVE the sickness and the bad feelings as best you can. Don’t let it become self-hatred for what you’ve done with your life, but let these memories become hatred towards alcohol and what it’s done to you. Also, don’t let your mind play tricks on you by occasionally thinking of a happy time involving alcohol. It’s an illusion. Instead, REFOCUS your mind on the many, many bad times and bad feelings having to do with alcohol. Those bad things are what alcohol REALLY is all about.
Think back to those bad experiences a few times a day – or, every hour of every day, if need be. The more you remember them, the angrier you will get at alcohol, and the easier it becomes to once-and-for all get it out of your life. A strong resolve will grow within you to never let alcohol destroy things in your life again. Then, when the alcohol is gone, you will finally be on the road to vibrant health and true happiness. And isn’t that all you wanted in the first place? ♦