Yeah I should set up an appointment to see if I need some professional help with the anxiety issue. My sister went on anxiety medication a few years ago and it seemed to really help her.
My plan is to use SR and also set aside time each day for meditation and exercise . I was reading about "metta" meditation and it seems to be pretty powerful for cultivating gratitude and positive mental qualities. I am going to do it every day for the next 30 days and see how it goes.
I am also planning on setting aside time each day for drawing (just shuts off the mental noise) and journaling. When I make a conscious effort to do those things every day I stay away from drinking and it helps me a lot. When I start not doing those things I get a lot of negative mental energy building up and then it gets out of control and I start getting resentful and selfish, and then I end up drinking. I just need to set aside the time each day for those things and stick with it.
I am also going to implement the Rational Recovery techniques. I have that book and will be using it. I like the way it talks about recognizing the addictive inner voice and squashing it.