Originally Posted by
mattri 
First off thanks to all the great folks on this board. Everyone has been super supportive of me and I've got to read everyone standing by everyone else as well, amazing community!
As of today I am just over 1 week since my last drink- honestly don't think that has ever happened before. Millions of questions and goals etc but for now:
I know I can't drink, don't want to. But my whole social life has been centered around drinking.
So I need a new life. OK I get that.
Have been going to the gym, looking at cycling clubs etc, trying to piece together a plan starting over at 40. It's going to take a while, I get that too.
So in the meantime?
For those who have successfully rebuilt your lives what did you do in the inbetween time?
This is the million dollar question and finding a solution is the key to recovery. I am at the same stage.
I have been watching interviews by Dr Marc Lewis. His view is that all addiction is a learned behaviour, where we have established neural pathways to expect the reward from a behaviour. This is normal function of the brain and why humans are goal orientated.
To escape our addiction we need to weaken the pathway and establish new ones based on healthy behaviours.
Stopping using the neural pathway weakens it. So by stopping drinking and starting new healthy activities that we find rewarding we will recover.
Marc Lewis debunks the disease theory for alcoholism.