Originally Posted by
Zencat 
One recovery tool that I have used with success is the:
STOP Thought. I like to believe that I can exert some control over what my mind is up to. After all it is my mind and not some spooky
mystery that defiles understanding. Like anything worth doing it takes practice, patience and persistence (the 3 P's).
Just keep active in your own recovery and things will get better or at least that is my ES&H.
Thanks for the post Zen,
Words describing my thoughts can be misleading sometimes. It sounds kinda simple (minded ) to say my actions reveal my true desires ; ....like I may say to myself, " I'm going to quit this F*#kin job" , but when I don't look for another , and continue to show up for work, ...I reason, .. that my actions are saying otherwise. I'm really
not going to quit my job.
With drinking , or using, if something pops in my head, say ....visializing myself drinking , or planning to drink, ......but , use the tools I have in recovery not to,
....then I have to call it something other than "wanting " to drink. I figure (again , maybe simplisticly) that if I
truly wanted to drink, my actions would prove it, I'd be drinking. When I don't drink (by my action ) , then I have to believe , that ultimately,, I really
didn't want to drink .
What do I call it then , ?? I say to myself , " I imagined (visualized )myself drinking" . And
not , "oh , I thought about , or wanted a drink today" I really think it's a small distinction , but for me , an important one . The semantic difference between "wanting " , "desiring " "obsessing about" a drink .......or just realizing I just imagined myself .
Gotta end this thought because I mistakedly posted, and there's a time limit to edit , YIKs