He talks about how drinkers are just following the herd. That when you quit drinking you are choosing not to poison yourself in the name of socialization, community, culture and relaxation. They don't have the courage to do what you are doing and if they give you are hard time tell them they are full of shit. This is courageous and intelligent. The stupid thing to do is to continue to put this shit into your body. It is insanity (not intelligent) to do the same thing over and over and over. When people talk about how good the wine is and the quality of the beer - it is all just bullshit they tell themselves to keep doing it. This drug is killing millions every day which makes it pretty stupid to do - to purposefully, consistently poison yourself. If other people don't like it - tell them to go f--- off! You are choosing not to poison your body any longer - they are the stupid ones! He says that when they feel sorry for him because he isn't drinking, he thinks "I feel sorry for you because you continue to poison yourself." When they ask if he has a drinking problem, he thinks "No, I just choose not to be so stupid to constantly poison my body."
http://alcoholmastery.com/why-are-you-ashamed-of-telling-people-you-have-quit-drinking-alcohol/
This is the kind of thinking that is helpful for me. Being able to just look at the insanity, to see through all the bullshit. It is just a drug -same as nicotine, heroine, cocaine - it is all the same. It is just that society chooses to make this one ok. Makes people who don't do it feel bad, out of place, left out.
I refuse to live under that cloud of ignorance and stupidity anymore. I choose to stop, as Chris O'Hara says "consistency and purposefully poisoning my body just to follow the herd."
I choose to be courageous and intelligent and not give a shit what others think. For every person who doesn't want to be around me bc I am not drinking, I bet there will be one who thinks I am brave and a little jealous they can't find the strength to do it themselves.
His methods are the same or very similar to Jason Vale and Allen Carr. I read both books a few years apart but I still struggled with my addiction. These methods worked temporarily but when I strongly craved a drink, I gave into temptation. I needed to deal with underlying issues or else the cycle would have continued. It is ok to seek help. Please find an addiction therapist. I did and it was very private. I desperately needed to learn other coping mechanisms. I suspect that as you were growing up,people around you coped by drinking alcohol. That was the case for me. I had to stop putting a band aid on my addiction. I had to "clean house" mentally, physically and emotionally. I do think that those aforementioned methods have value but it doesn't fix what ails you. You are worthy!!! ; )
ReplyDeleteI would definitely consider a therapist - plus I think my insurance would cover the cost.
DeleteI loved Allen carts book. It really helped me.
ReplyDeleteI hope you find that same success with this video blog.
Deciding to do what you want is extremely liberating! Yay you!
Anne
Allan Carr's book really spoke to me. I like the factual, analytical, non touchy feely aspect of his writing. Can't argue the facts...
DeleteEvery word you wrote is true and I am so glad you are not giving up your fight. I am early into sobriety myself and the most vital thing that is keeping me on the path is having support and being accountable. I am not an every weekend binge drinker but I also lack the "off" switch you speak about. At some point it simply boils down to simply not drinking, and I am not making light of the difficulty involved, but that decision means doing anything and everything it takes to not drink. I know I cannot control alcohol once it is in my system, therefore, how can I attempt to control something I cannot control? I have to have the support of someone else to basically keep me in check and remind me of my reasons. Also, I had to remove myself from friends and situations where alcohol was prevalent. My boyfriend is my biggest supporter and sometimes when I get the urge to "sneak drink" the thought of disappointing him is what keeps me going. Wishing you much peace in your spirit. This is not easy.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right. It is a simple as not opening my mouth and pouring poison down my throat.
DeleteLoved this post and I have watch alcohol mastery before but not this one.
ReplyDeleteEspecially liked the bit about not carrying around alcohol with you like a label around your neck. I think that is where I struggled with AA as the concept "I am an alcoholic" forever. It does and conceptually I know I am an addict, but I want to cut as much distance between me and that fucking stuff as I can :)
Also loved the bit about the hangover - haha how true! Imagine if we got those symptoms out of the blue, we would feel like we had something so dramatic wrong ! But because we know "oh it's only a hangover" we think fine. WTF!!!
Great post thanks so much
Michelle xx
Ya - if I got food poisoning, I wouldn't be running out to eat the same food again....so stupid.
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