Guide To Stop Drinking

There are no quick fixes for the disease of addiction, which is why addicts deserve sympathy and support, even when they lapse. We don't condem a diabetic for having a sugary dessert or forgetting to take his or her medicine. Instead, we sympathize with and understand the inner urges that caused them to "oops" and we encourage them to take their medicines regularly. Begging, pleading, nagging, and bullying? Have you had a loved one do these things to try to get you to quit? It doesn't work right? A big part is because even when we want to quit so badly the damage that has been caused to our brain needs to be repaired in order for some things to take place. Alcohol Causes Brain Damage! A great deal of the damage takes place in the prefrontal cortex-- where planning, abstract thinking, and the regulation of impulsive behavior, drives, and compulsive repetitive behaviors occur-- and in the limbic region, an area deep inside the brain that is responsible for powerful, primal drives such as hunger, thirst, the need to bond, and the need for sexual contact. Talking therapy (12 steps) can help correct problems in the cortex, but it cannot influence the limbic system or other structures found deeper within the brain. This is why relapse sometimes takes place. We want to change and we want to do better but our brain has been damaged and it needs to "recover."

In order to correct some of this thinking you first need to identify it. It is a great idea and very important for you to track your daily thoughts. Get a notebook (your "Thought Notebook") and set aside 15 to 30 minutes each day and write down any thoughts you have had within the last 24 hours, especially those that brought up uncomfortable emotions or preceded cravings for drugs or alcohol. Don't try to keep track of these thoughts in your head-- putting them on paper will make it much easier to find any logical flaws in your thinking. As you add to your thought notebook overtime, coninually review what you've written during days past to see if you can gain insight into the ways that your thoughts affect your feelings and behaviors.
Once you have begun to zero in on your thoughts with the notebook, you can start to look for inaccuracies in your reasoning. People tend to experience the same kinds of thought inaccuracies over and over. Once you have identified your own specific types og distortions, you can be on the lookout for them.Just increasing your awareness will make it easier for you to recognize such thoughts and replace them with healthier mor accurate thoughts.

Listed below are some well-known thought inaccuracies that affect many people with addictions. Read through the following catagories, and see which ones apply to you.
All-or-Nothing Thinking
Thought: "Either I'm perfect or I'm a failure. Either I'm good or I'm bad. Either I'm really wonderful or completely terrible."
Truth: People are naturally imperfect, which is why thinking these thoughts sets you up for failure. Those with this mindset often go on a binge when they make the tiniest mistake.
Need For Distraction Or Comfort
Thought: "If I have a drink (or a hit), I'll feel better."
Truth: Addictive behaviors only mask trouble and are poor substitutes for dealing with life directly. Not only do they distract you from what you should be focusing on, they destroy your mental and physical health, relationships, career, and financial status.
Need For Instatant Gratification
Thought: " I have to change the way I feel right now. I can't wait another second."
Truth: Drinking or using may be a short term solution for bad feelings, but the bad feelings it causes in the long run are much, much worse. Waiting out an urge or a craving is the BEST way to weaken the power of future cravings.
Overgeneralizing
Thought: " I really tied one on last night. I'll never be able to control my addiction."
Truth: This is a broad conclusion based on one incident. One event does not predict the outcome.
Catastrophizing
Thought: " I got drunk last night and yelled at my kids. Now they'll hate me forever."
Truth: You're focusing on the worst-case scenario. The chances of this happening are less than zero, so don't automatically assume the worst.
Rationalizing
Thought: " I use drugs because I was an abused child"
Truth: Your background may have had something to do with the reason you developed an addiction, but it is no excuse for keeping the addiction in play.
Personal Ineffectiveness
Thought: "I know I should give up drinking/drugs. I just can't make myself do it."
Truth: You can do more than you think you can. Try harder and congratulate yourself for each tiny success.
Confusing Your Behavior With Your Worth
Thought: "I use drugs, therefore I am worthless scum."
Truth: Your actions and your worth as a human being are two different things. You are not what you do. However, you can change your behavior and your life for the better.
Healthy, accurate thoughts help you refrain from drinking or using.
You are the only one who puts thoughts into your head, which means that You are in control of your thinking, which in turn helps you control any bad emotions that may come up from your thoughts and any bad behaviors that may happen because of those emotions. It is a cycle, learn your thought process, learn how to control them. We can't control everything around us and every situation but we can control our thoughts. Identify the bad ones and change them, this will help you trmendously. I believe in you, you can do this! I am living proof. There was a time in my life that I thought it was a pointless battle but it's not, it is so worth it and it does get better, it really does.