Power Of Belief
Self recovered Self discovered
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Toronto Canada
Posts: 5,148
BackToSquareOne, several posts in this thread fall directly in line with my beliefs about sobriety, and one way to get there and stay there.
I believe this is essential, not only to sobriety, but to good mental health.
Even more than this, I believe that belief in yourself and your ability is essential to your success. Without this, you will fail.
This belief is is a foundation of AVRT.
I will add one more belief, the belief in our self worth. We each of us deserve to live a life without the grief and torment that accompanies addiction, this self-imposed hell of depression and despair. We deserve, each of us, to live with our own measure of peace, joy and beauty in our lives.
Onward!
-The ability to develop a "Thoughts Are Just Thoughts and you don't have to act on any of them or give them any importance" attitude seems important.
- I can not stop the thoughts, but I can control my reaction to them.
- I can not stop the thoughts, but I can control my reaction to them.
-In addiction, we definitely lose belief in ourselves when we let the addiction win. Being strong enough to believe in yourself again is important.
-I'm sure that if you believe your going to fail you have a much greater chance of doing exactly that.
-I'm sure that if you believe your going to fail you have a much greater chance of doing exactly that.
You really can live without booze. You realize theres one side of you that wants to go get drunk and there is one side of you that wants to be sober healthy and happy. The sober you is the one calling all the shots at this point.
I will add one more belief, the belief in our self worth. We each of us deserve to live a life without the grief and torment that accompanies addiction, this self-imposed hell of depression and despair. We deserve, each of us, to live with our own measure of peace, joy and beauty in our lives.
Onward!
Grateful to be free
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Arizona
Posts: 3,680
First I believed that if I numbed myself with booze, drugs etc that I would be able to "handle" life. false.
Then I believed that booze and drugs were killing me. True
Then I believed that life wasn't worth living with or without booze and drugs. False
Then I believed that life is worth living, but I am not up to the task, with or without drugs. Still vacillating on that.
Then I believed that it is worth giving living sober an honest try. True
Now I believe that I have a better chance at being able to do this life thing without the use of booze, drugs and a host of other self defeating behaviors. True.
Running around saying "The sky is falling down!" is one of those self defeating behaviors.
I use the "reframing" exercise someone described above...As in looking at a situation without the "drama" lens on. What if a cigar was just a cigar?
I guess I've reframed the way I look at booze, drugs, etc...once i looked at them as my salvation (that is sort of dramatic) now I look at them as something that was bringing me down, which is not where I want to be.
Then I believed that booze and drugs were killing me. True
Then I believed that life wasn't worth living with or without booze and drugs. False
Then I believed that life is worth living, but I am not up to the task, with or without drugs. Still vacillating on that.
Then I believed that it is worth giving living sober an honest try. True
Now I believe that I have a better chance at being able to do this life thing without the use of booze, drugs and a host of other self defeating behaviors. True.
Running around saying "The sky is falling down!" is one of those self defeating behaviors.
I use the "reframing" exercise someone described above...As in looking at a situation without the "drama" lens on. What if a cigar was just a cigar?
I guess I've reframed the way I look at booze, drugs, etc...once i looked at them as my salvation (that is sort of dramatic) now I look at them as something that was bringing me down, which is not where I want to be.
Laozi Old Man
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Detroit, MI
Posts: 6,665
Originally Posted by Threshold 
First I believed... false.
Then I believed ... True
Then I believed ... False
Then I believed... Still vacillating on that.
Then I believed ... True
Now I believe ... True.
Then I believed ... True
Then I believed ... False
Then I believed... Still vacillating on that.
Then I believed ... True
Now I believe ... True.
Guest
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Canada
Posts: 4,580
For me, I have recently come to realize I am a prisoner of my own perspective. Had a difficult day yesterday and was given to self pity. Not only have I suddenly woken up "sober" but...well, old. I feel like I have been in some sort of coma for the past 20 or so years oblivious to the passage of time and opportunities. I look around at my present life circumstances (which there is no need to get into) and I think "WTF..when did I get old...okay..middle aged...with so little to show for it?". Well..while I was drunk obviously.
But just before I started scouring the cabinet for a razor blade, I decided to look at myself as some character in a movie and suddenly my circumstances became more amusing than depressing..and definitely not insurmountable! Being able to step outside the actual feeling and putting a new spin on it makes all the difference.
Often I have to reframe the mental images in my head or step outside the feeling to author my own story. Objectivity is everything. It's the learning HOW to step out of my feeling that makes all the difference in my sobriety; a work in progress.
But just before I started scouring the cabinet for a razor blade, I decided to look at myself as some character in a movie and suddenly my circumstances became more amusing than depressing..and definitely not insurmountable! Being able to step outside the actual feeling and putting a new spin on it makes all the difference.
Often I have to reframe the mental images in my head or step outside the feeling to author my own story. Objectivity is everything. It's the learning HOW to step out of my feeling that makes all the difference in my sobriety; a work in progress.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Long Beach, CA
Posts: 705
Belief is crucial. You must first believe in yourself, and if you are here, looking for help, trying to find a way to get sober, you do believe in yourself (even if it doesn't seem to be true).
Belief in God or a Higher Power is a much more personal thing. Many with no belief in these entities have gotten sober, and many believers have as well. I'm a true believer...I see the magnificence of the world around me, the complexity, the incredibly vast amount of knowledge still unknown and say "Why not believe?". I have received help when I asked for it. It doesn't bother me when others don't believe, or have different viewpoints, and I hope the feeling is mutual.
I do believe, absolutely, in the power of self-fulfilling prophesy. When you believe that something, good or bad, is going to happen, it very often does. Believe that you will achieve sobriety, and chances are, you will. Believe that you're going to fail, and you will.
Belief in God or a Higher Power is a much more personal thing. Many with no belief in these entities have gotten sober, and many believers have as well. I'm a true believer...I see the magnificence of the world around me, the complexity, the incredibly vast amount of knowledge still unknown and say "Why not believe?". I have received help when I asked for it. It doesn't bother me when others don't believe, or have different viewpoints, and I hope the feeling is mutual.
I do believe, absolutely, in the power of self-fulfilling prophesy. When you believe that something, good or bad, is going to happen, it very often does. Believe that you will achieve sobriety, and chances are, you will. Believe that you're going to fail, and you will.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Bethlehem, PA.
Posts: 1,781
What I find interesting about the power of belief is its relationship to thought. You change thought patterns not by actually changing thought but instead changing what you do with the thoughts. If you try to fight thought you'll be fighting forever. If you recognize that thoughts are just thoughts and it's up to you to attach any importance to them or not the pieces of the puzzle start to come together.
In all addictions the science and brain chemistry of addiction is understood. The brain actually gets hijacked by the addiction making it very hard to stop once you restart it by using the substance. The brains memory of addiction doesn't seem bound by time, even after the passing of many years the brain will easily readdict to the substance. To date the only way to stop the addiction from restarting is to not use the substance at all.
Why then do some people get addicted much more easily than others and some not at all. From all of my research into the topic that part isn't very well understood. A person very deeply in the throes of addiction will find it very hard to stop on willpower alone, thats why it's so vital that you don't restart the whole thing by using any amount of the substance. Once you restart the active addiction, the substance usually wins.
Have a great Saturday everyone!
In all addictions the science and brain chemistry of addiction is understood. The brain actually gets hijacked by the addiction making it very hard to stop once you restart it by using the substance. The brains memory of addiction doesn't seem bound by time, even after the passing of many years the brain will easily readdict to the substance. To date the only way to stop the addiction from restarting is to not use the substance at all.
Why then do some people get addicted much more easily than others and some not at all. From all of my research into the topic that part isn't very well understood. A person very deeply in the throes of addiction will find it very hard to stop on willpower alone, thats why it's so vital that you don't restart the whole thing by using any amount of the substance. Once you restart the active addiction, the substance usually wins.
Have a great Saturday everyone!
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