Originally Posted by
soberlicious 
To understand how powerful the mind is, just ask a woman during childbirth if she's ever going to do that again...lol
but some time goes by and you forget the excruciating pain and you do it again. In this case, it's a good thing that the mind can "forget" or override experiences that are powerful/painful because otherwise the population would really suffer. But in the case of addiction...you can learn how your addiction may try to override your jail experience.
The flip side of this is also true - the mind is easily powerful enough to overcome any addiction, especially the one to alcohol. The trick is to find the way to strengthen and educate the mind to do this. The way to start this process is to believe that
it is possible for you to quit drinking. You can stop drinking, we all can.
Here are some ideas that helped me.
- I didn't tell myself that I could never drink again. I told myself I would never drink again. Not 'can', but 'will'.
- Stop thinking about the things you won't do anymore, and start thinking about the things you can do by remaining sober.
- Deciding to quit drinking, making that solemn vow to never drink again, is freedom. It's freedom from the shame, the depression, the anxiety, insomnia, the hangovers, the declining health, it can all be behind you.
You can do it. Start by believing in yourself. Onward!