I really like this topic, because I think there is more than one way to skin a cat???? Did I just say "skin a cat"?? Well anyways, As I said in a prior post on the subject I had really not given much thought previously on how to quit drinking, but I had given alot of thought on how to moderate and never found a solution for that.
Now on the other side of the coin, I do think it takes more than just willpower. I am a very strong person, but I have let everything from peer pressure to attitude swings to driving down the wrong road presuade me to stop at the store and pickup a couple of beers when I had no intention of drinking, then my alcoholism would take effect after the 4th beer and I was off to the races. But what I found is I really had to have a strong reason....a gut wrenching reason....something that I could feel deeply about to make me want to quit. A DUI was not enough, fights, lost income, blackouts, hangovers, wrecked cars, loss of friendships was not enough. But one very severe withdrawal in a public place and a chance to embarass my 10 year old son was enough. The feeling still makes me sick today (32 days later), to think about it. Now everytime I think of beer or booze that feeling immediately reappears. Aside from that I have put together a workout routine and I walk my dog, normally with my wife 3 miles twice a day. To top that off I have been coming to this website 10-20 per day to read and post. This allows me to stay active in my daily sobriety and gives me an anonymous forum for getting support, learning more about my problem, and hopefully helping others with theirs. As far as the higher power stuff, fear of losing the love of my son, fear of losing my family, fear of losing financial stability could all be considered my higher power because these are the things that I live and work for. I don't feel I am really powerless because I do have power over my decisions when I am sober, aqnd yes there is a voice in my alcoholic head that does ask me regularly to "have a drink", but I feel if I stay active in my routine, I won't ever listen to that voice again. But the key for me is really not wanting to drink more that I want a buzz.
I think I might have a leg up on some other people who are trying to quit for the first time, because I did quit for over a year, (court ordered), and I was given tools in the counseling sessions that I had to take, and I learn alot in the 52 weeks of AA meetings that I had to attend. But at that time, I knew I had a drinking problem, but I never intended to quit for good at that time. So when my wife got me a margarita at a wedding after my drinking ban was lifted for the great job I was doing being sober, it sort of spiraled from there.
It just took me about 8 years to really decide that I have had enough. The method that I am currently using regarding the pain association principle is called Neuro-Association, I think..... and it was something that I accidently started doing and then realized that I had learned it from some Tony Robbins tapes that I had listened to 18 years ago......if anyone is interested. Basically the tapes discussed how we as humans will do anything to avoid pain, but if you are going to use this method the pain that you associate with the action has to be so real and so strong that it automatically changes your thinking pattern. For the record, this method has never worked for me in the past for making money, for getting a better life, or even for quitting nicotine. But I had never experienced as strong a feeling as I did when I was having the withdrawal at my kids ball game. It is still in my mind tonight....and I have probably had similar withdrawals, but having it coupled with the fact that I was in a public place with family and friends and my son just seemed to magnify it.
Sorry if this was longwinded, but I really wanted to write this out to make more sense of it for myself, and to be able to reread it.