If there’s one thing I’ve learned since quitting drinking, it’s that beliefs can become self-fulfilling prophecies.
If you believe that alcohol is the only path to pleasure, then you’re bound to become hooked on alcohol again eventually.
Why? Because human beings can’t survive without pleasure. The pleasure-pain mechanism embedded in each of us is many millions of years older than our rational minds.
On the other hand, if you believe (correctly) that alcohol is a body-poisoning substance that robs tomorrow’s feel-good brain chemicals in exchange for 10 minutes of bliss today, then you’re far less likely to waste your life missing alcohol.
There’s no better feeling in the world than liberation from something that once tortured you.
That’s not to say that you should feel ashamed for missing alcohol in early recovery. This is totally normal, and it takes some time to rewire your brain away from alcohol addiction.
I’m just here to tell you that there’s light at the end of the tunnel, provided you do two very important things:
- Take control of your biochemistry
- Take control of your psychology
Eliminate any and all limiting beliefs about why you think you need alcohol in your life.
Don’t become one of those people who never stops talking about how being a nondrinker is such a struggle.
Millions of nondrinkers don’t think it’s a struggle.
Assuming you take care of your body-brain system, being a nondrinker is only a struggle if you allow yourself to harbor alcohol-worshipping thoughts.
In the video below, I describe how I started taking control of my psychology after quitting drinking.
(Click here to watch the video on YouTube)
Poison Doesn’t Deserve Second-Guessing
In my online course, Total Alcohol Recovery 2.0, one of the first sections is entitled: Transcending The Cult Of Silent Destruction.
I really believe that our culture’s obsession with heavy drinking is a cult of silent destruction. No one is at fault directly, but when a culture revolves in large part around the consumption of a toxin, something isn’t quite right.
I can’t tell you how many emails I’ve gotten from “secret alcoholics” and “borderline alcoholics” who don’t fit the typical molds of problem drinkers, but who nonetheless have escalating problems with heavy drinking and withdrawal.
Alcohol is an inherently addictive poison, and vast swaths of the population are biochemically susceptible to becoming dependent on it.
With that said, I’m far from a prohibitionist.
I don’t judge anyone who drinks, or who uses anything to enhance their experience of life. Nearly all of my family and friends drink, and I make fun of them when they’re hung over.
As far as mind-alteration goes, I believe that there are much better options out there. Kava, kratom, coffee, yoga, and intense exercise are among my preferred forms – they never make me feel worse for wear.
If you want to transcend the heavy drinking lifestyle and start building an exciting and FULL life, you can devise your plan with the help of my online course, Total Alcohol Recovery 2.0.
I hope you enjoyed this article and video! Be sure to subscribe to the Fit Recovery channel on YouTube.
Leave a Reply