Old 05-02-2012, 04:09 PM
  # 233 (permalink)  
Terminally Unique
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Join Date: Jun 2011
Location:   « USA »                       Recovered with AVRT  (Rational Recovery)  ___________
Posts: 3,680
Peta,

It would seem you are getting the grasp of things, and are realizing what you want versus what your Beast wants. It may will still take a few repeated episodes of not drinking for your Beast to get the message that it will have to get used to its new cage, though. Until then, it will try to rattle the cage every now and then to see if it can get out. This is normal, and nothing to worry about. If you want, though, you can speed this up somewhat by being a little more aggressive.

If you spend five minutes a day on the shifting exercise, drawing out the Beast on your terms, and then switching back and forth between your point of view regarding alcohol (very bad, poison) and that of the Beast, it will start to lose its resolve. Picture showing a dog a meatball every day and then not letting it have it for several days, until the dog just gives up and doesn't even bother asking for it, and you'll get the idea. You can use an advertisement for your favorite wine instead of a meatball.

This won't get rid of the Beast, and it will still come back every so often, but this shifting skill can be useful in social situations where drinking is done, for example, and more so if you have it down pat so that you don't even have to think about it. This way, you'll never be caught off guard when the Beast pipes up and you're not expecting it. You'll just recognize it and automatically shift into your right mind.
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