Originally Posted by jazzfish

Then a curious thing happened. I decided to declutter my mind of "recovery" knowledge. I recognized that the common thread through everything I had read and learned was that if I don't drink, then I won't get drunk. Not drinking to achieve sobriety: it was the most fundamental, critical, obvious, and really only element for getting and staying sober. I rejected the idea that anything outside of myself would get me sober. The was no trick or magic method. It was going to rely entirely on me, my motivation and commitment. I also embraced the knowledge that it was entirely within my power to not drink. Finally, I recognized that because of damage my drinking had done to my brain, my reward system and my cognitive functioning would be off for a while. My own brain would be working against me for the first few weeks and months. I was simply going to have to have faith that not drinking was the right decision and it would get better and easier.

I don't know if any of that helps, but I hope so. It's what helped me.