“The first step of
change is to become aware of your own bullshit”
Knowing oneself is a
constant journey. Accepting yourself
with all your bumps, bruises and scars is imperative to enacting change. Do you love yourself? I am not sure if any of us can answer a
heartfelt ‘yes’ to that question. We are
all at varying levels of self-love.
There are some of us who, literally, feel disgust with ourselves on a
regular basis and others, like myself, who have, through the years, developed a
sense of quiet albeit fragile, self-acceptance.
We need to take an
honest look at what triggers we are going to handle today, our first day of this
intentional period without booze. Our
intent has to be clear. We have to take
a minute to prepare ourselves a daily reminder.
Use your phone or post a sticky note somewhere obvious. Use code words if you want to keep mum about
your abstinence. You might use the
phrase “Drink Water” as your exposed reminder of what ‘not’ to drink. It’s easy to explain and related. Whatever works!
My triggers will be
different from yours. For me, it might
be a casual family gathering that includes my little grandchildren when most
people wouldn’t dream of drinking. It’s
odd but I can abstain much easier at a wild party than around my kitchen table
on a Tuesday night. I am aware of that
and will adjust my thoughts and intentions accordingly.
At the beginning,
having a glass of water or a cup of tea handy is, not only good to help you
muscle through a tempting situation but it’s also hydrating which will
counteract the thirst that sometimes tricks us into grabbing a beer or a glass
of something ‘refreshing’.
Below please use the Daily Check Off List to give yourself the best chances of success. I have found that we need to keep the triggers at bay by setting time aside each day to consider our sober intentions and by keeping our bodies nourished, exercised, hydrated and supplemented. When we regularly drink alcohol we tend to deplete these important health components. Equally as important is to reach out to the cyber or real world to communicate and share experiences with like minded individuals. The sidebar lists some helpful websites, blogs, books and podcasts you may be interested in checking out.
Daily Check Off List
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