Building immunity
Hello. I am not a newcomer to recovery so much as a newcomer to successful recovery. I'm on day 4 and I would like to share something meaningful and hopefully get your views.
In an earlier post I talked about how after a few months of contemplation I could easily stop drinking for 6 - 8 weeks without any cravings before I relapsed. A helpful, wonderful, poster pointed out that maybe waiting to start until I was in the right mood was not the best way to go and that starting when I wasn't in the right mental/emotional place might be beneficial.
Well I tried that and boy was it REALLY hard. I could only do one day. After a few attempts I managed two days. After a few attempts at that I now have might first three day streak. I am building an immunity. I can feel it.
I have to add that another concept that I picked up from many posts in the forums is the idea of not considering a relapse a failure and to forgive myself. I did not realise how much I was beating myself up after each relapse, and how much harder that perfectionism was harming my recovery attempts. The solution was yet another idea that I picked up in SR: acceptance. It took a while but it was useful.
This is hard but I have learned to be persistant and to learn from each mistake. Easy to say, easier to read and agree with, but it turned out damn hard to apply for just three days.
The results have been worth much more than the effort.
Has anyone else used this approach and how did it turn out for you?
KP