Look Beyond the Alcohol Trap

 The first step in breaking free of the alcohol trap is to realise that to give up alcohol is a process and not an event. It is not a “one time” activity that you do once and the job is done.  It is a series of coordinated events that you do, in all probability for the rest of your life if you are to avoid the alcohol trap for good.

To use an analogy, consider the process to be like building a muscle, like your biceps.  You focus on a training plan and you exercise your biceps with weights regularly.  You need to ensure that you eat sufficient proteins, and get proper recovery periods.  And eventually you reap the reward of a well-developed muscle. But what happens if you then stop all the exercises? The muscle you developed begins to atrophy, and before long you are back where you started.

Therefore, if you wanted to maintain your developed biceps you would need to have a plan in place.  Not only to build the muscle in the first instance, but which also included provision for on-going exercise as well.  When you give up alcohol, it can be much the same process.  If you relax and let you guard down, you may find the alcohol trap is still waiting.  When we give up alcohol we need to remain vigilant!

Give up Alcohol – Give Yourself the Gift of Today

Every day is a wonderful day.  But for many people, the stress of our daily life prevents us from being truly grateful for what we have.  It is a mistake to forget to be thankful for the gifts that we receive each day.  And the opposite is to dwell on the negative things, or to overlook the things we do have and to wish for more.

When we forget to give thanks for what we do have, we take these gifts for granted. When really, there are many other people with far fewer material belongings.  The tragedy is that for those of us with many things to be grateful for.  But these things seem not to bring us happiness.  And it is those who have less who seem to be more contented.

Give up Alcohol!

We certainly do need to share our day with alcohol.  Those who pretend to enjoy drinking alcohol every day, are actually not as happy with their daily gifts.  Those who have learned to celebrate the gift of today, enjoy being in the moment.  And it is better to enjoy every single day.  When we give up alcohol, we often find a while new aspect and fun in our lives.

Live the Dream

Have you heard the beautiful story of two men in hospital, who shared friendship and a hospital room?

Both men were badly ill, but could share conversation with each other.  One of the men was completely bed ridden, and could not see out of the window.  The other man was near a window, but he was so ill that he could only sit propped up for one hour per day.

With nothing else to do, the two men talked about their lives, their families, their homes and about their dreams.  They became friends, and came to rely on their mutual conversation to keep up their spirits.

They both came to enjoy that one hour per day, when the man near the window could describe the wonderful view outside.  For that one hour, they could share that vision of the outside world, when they could discuss the beautiful view of the park, the lake, the ducks, the children, the sunshine, and the simple pleasure of enjoying such a lovely day.

What do you really enjoy in Life?

One day, the man near the window passed away.  Despite his sadness for the loss of his friend, the other man asked to be moved next to the window so that he might see the view for himself.  The nurse was happy to help him move beds, but explained that there was no view out of the window barring a brick wall.

Confused, he asked the nurse why his friend had been able to see a park with a lake and the sunshine.  The nurse replied that his friend had indeed been blind, and could not even see the wall, let alone the park.

But his gift was to enjoy each day with is friend.

End Note: There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations. Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled. If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can’t buy. “Today is a gift, that is why it is called The Present.”

Credit: unknown author

Developing a strategy to Avoid the Alcohol Trap

If you choose to give up alcohol when you are both physically and psychologically addicted to it requires more than just willpower, and more than a desire and motivation to stop drinking and stay stopped.

It requires a planned, thought out strategy – a conscious and deliberate sequence of actions that will give you the best chances of succeeding, not only in the initial withdrawal period, but for long term abstinence as well.

Your strategy should be one that you can follow independently of how you feel physically and mentally as you are going through the process and it should minimize as far as possible any outside distractions.

In developing your strategy to give up alcohol you will need to consider all the options available to you.  You need to choose those options which best suit your own individual circumstances and personality type. The solution becomes tailor-made to your own unique situation.

In making a decision to give up alcohol you are embarking on a process of significant change. As with all personal change this is not always as smooth as we would like. However it is when you are mentally calm and focused that you will be most accepting of this change.  It is at this point that a window will open.  New beliefs and new possibilities will present themselves, and the desired change will become easy for you.

Avoid the Alcohol Trap

There is a better way.  I know this because it worked for me!

Do you how to rid yourself of that nasty guilty feeling and that little voice that keeps nagging away at your conscience?  I can show you a way to change the way you think about drinking too much alcohol.

Let me show you that alcohol is not your friend.  And I can show you how you can give up alcohol at home with no need to attend meetings, take medication, or tell anyone what you are doing.

I can show you how to give up alcohol and avoid the alcohol trap, and you will never look back.