Originally Posted by Frickaflip233

For me the addictive behavior manifests in my thinking....which of course is, well, everything. I am my thoughts. I post a lot about this because I know my success or failure depends on my thinking.

Soooo for me that means, basically, no self pity. No victim thinking. No black and white, absolute, defeatist thinking. No I'm not good enough thinking. No regret, guilt or shame. No letting the past (either traumas or mistakes) infect the possibilities of today. No fear of tomorrow. Amongst many other things.

When anger, fear, resentment, self pity etc etc come up? I have to deal with it quickly....I can't marinate in these thoughts because they grow and take on a life of their own. I don't have the luxury. Its work, especially at first, because my addictive thinking is my norm. But the more I practice healthy thinking, the more I confront distorted and unhealthy thinking, the stronger I grow.

That's just me. So I can remove the booze and still think like an addict...which lays me open to drinking again. The longer I am dry and work on my thinking, reactions and perceptions, the more I mature basically.