BackToSquareOne

Do you see the power of belief as a major factor in your recovery? Even after recovery the ability to develope a "Thoughts Are Just Thoughts" and you don't have to act on any of them or give them any importance attitude seems important. Any thoughts?

Mountainmanbob

You Are What You Think (1 Peter) John MacArthur - YouTube

jazzfish

Belief or faith? I think it is critical to believe in the method you chose for sobriety. All methods are based on "don't drink". The method is just what helps you adhere to that direction.

I also believe thoughts are just thoughts. They are not you and they cannot be controlled; however, you can chose which ones to act on or ignore. Meditation is great for becoming familiar with the endless stream of thoughts that run through our heads. This helps me become comfortable with the power to make my own choices in reaction to thoughts.

Susan2984

Belief means a lot of different things. Belief in God or any other similar higher power has proven to be a big help to some people. As an atheist I have belief in myself that I can do better and be better. I think we all lose belief in ourselves for many reasons at many different points in our lives. In addiction we definitely lose belief in ourselves when we let the addiction win. Being strong enough to believe in yourself again is important.

BackToSquareOne

It would be hard to have one without the other. Faith wouldn't have any meaning if you didn't believe in whatever. Belief wouldn't work if you didn't have faith in whatever, including yourself.

fini

just yesterday i saw a book with the title "don't believe everything you think!"
that about sums it up.

jazzfish

I was only trying to clarify whether you were referring to a religious/spiritual faith or a motivational belief in yourself, a method, etc.

I can have a belief in myself because I can actually see myself doing the work and getting the results. Faith is belief without tangible evidence (I am only referring to the meaning of the word!).

I don't want to get further into it as it can be a touchy subject - just looking for a clarification/distinction in your meaning.

BackToSquareOne

I've found that you can even learn to look at every day things in a different way. A trip to the grocery store in heavy traffic can be vieded as a dreaded chore or an adventure and test of your driving skills as people cut you off. Just tried that this morning.

BackToSquareOne

I know what you mean, I really wasn't thinking about anything specific.

jazzfish

And, yes, the power of belief is a major element in my recovery. I agree wholeheartedly that you can learn to interpret things in a positive way, just as you can nurture certain thoughts so, for example, positive thoughts dominate negative ones.

Boleo

"Faith without works is dead".

What I believe is passive faith. What I "do" is practicing principles.

caboblanco

i don't know if you have to have a specific belief system maybe just a state of mind that keeps you from drinking. For me if I believe this something to be my higher power and i no way I can be sober in the long run without it then i feel trapped or enslaved in a way. but that is just me. You go from being enslaved from alcoholism to enslaved by sobriety. Mostly I don't drink today because I don't want to.

zjw

part of it is changing your mindset forming a new routine a new set of habits learning that yes contrary to what you think you really can live without booze. once that takes hold you tend to start to be able to 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. At that point its almost easier to say no to the booze because the sober you is the one calling all the shots at this point.

Thats how it is for me. But I still cant deny that something yanked me out of that pit of hell. I dont think I pulled myself out all alone if it was that easy I would have sobered up a long friggen time ago. I call it my higher power others can call it what they wish belief in self or whatever.

Boleo

I have experienced the not-drinking way of staying sober. It was a One-Arduous-Day-At-A-Time experience for me. Or worse yet, it was like walking a tight rope every single day. The thought of doing that for the rest of life life caused me to pray for a very short life.

I have also experienced the "Spiritual Awakening" experience. It makes staying sober as easy as breathing. I would describe it as a total release from the struggle of having to manage my own sobriety. Hardly something I would call "enslavement". More like happy, joyous and free".

That is where the word EXPERIENCE plays a role in recovery. Not-drinking is not the same as EXPERIENCE (it's more like inexperience). If you don't believe that - try putting "20 years of not-working experience" on a job application and see how far that gets you.

caboblanco

One mans spiritual awakening is another mans peace of mind. whatever you call it or believe it to be is your own personal thing, but in the end I don't think what you believe to be main factor in living a happy sober life. some think we are all the same us alcoholics but I tend to believe that we are all so different. So every experience will be different. That's why in a way its a journey you have to take alone imo

BackToSquareOne

Of course that's true, it goes without saying. Everything ever created by man tho began as a thought somewhere along the line. How one views life on a day to day basis is greatly influenced by their thought process which can be changed.

GracieLou

I don't know if the thought process can change. If it can, it does not happen quickly enough. I think we still have the thoughts, we just choose not to act on them.

As an example. I have seen a meal in the freezer at work for months now. It is not labeled with any name. I could easily steal the meal and no one would know. So my thoughts are there but today I choose not to act on them. Even when my meal was stolen and I felt justification to steal that meal, I still did not act on it.

It was an honesty I have come to learn about and use in these scenarios.

Will someday that thought of grabbing that meal never enter my mind? Will someday I not have that thought? Maybe, but I can't wait around for it. I have to know when to act on my thoughts and when not to act on my thoughts.

It is the action good or bad that make the outcome, not the thought.

There are some that never have that thought, I am not one of those people.

Boleo

The moment preceding my Spiritual Awakening was one of total disbelief or what some would call bad-faith. I was fed up with recovery. I was fed up with fellowship. I was even fed up with God. The rotten ba$tard word not help me stay sober while helping dozens less worthy than I (in my mind).

Faith had nothing to do with what triggered my Spiritual Awakening. The only thing I can point to that might have triggered it was that I had just surrendered the idea that I would ever "achieve" sobriety. I had in effect ceased fighting alcohol. I was resigned to the fact that I would die drunk.

Nothing was more surprising and absurd than the idea that I would get the Spiritual Awakening at the exact moment I wanted it least. I was using 100% of my willpower to plan my next drunk. I was determined to not let anything get in the way of that next drunk. I did not even want any form of help at that moment.

Oddly enough, suddenly a "new attitude toward liquor had been given me without any thought or effort on my part. It just came! That was the miracle of it." It happen that fast, within a blink of an eye. I did not even appreciate it at the time because it was not the way I wanted it and it was not when I wanted it. I was more than a bit resentful that it screwed up my plans.

It was not even what I would call a pleasant experience. It was more like a rude awakening. But there is no doubt in my mind today... It was an AWAKENING!

waynetheking

Asking God to help me stop drinking is the only reason im alive today. Its just that simple. For me I needed a miracle. My disease was killing me. My hp gave me what I asked for and that was sobriety! It's a wonderful thing. I recommend it to anyone.

GracieLou

I have had this as well in regards to my surrender. I was not even thinking about quitting. I was thinking about my life. The past and the future. I saw myself still sitting on my couch and drinking the day away watching mindless television. I saw myself alone and broken. What I did not know is I was already there, it was not the future, it was the present.

I did not have faith, I did not grab Gods hand, he grabbed mine and when he did, it was over.

Since that day, which is my sobriety date, I have had no desire to drink. It is gone. My prison is gone. The cravings, the obsession, my willpower fighting with itself, it is all gone. Call it an awakening or a moment of clarity. I call it a gift.

I have tried to understand it. I have searched for answers. I know that I did not do this. I do not have that power. It was given to me and I am grateful. I will not squander it. God has a better plan for me than I had for myself.

That said, the gift did not take away all negative thoughts. I still, at times, think the old way and that is when I have to decide whether to act on those thoughts. And not all are negative. Even positive thoughts are still something I have to decide whether to act on.

If all negative thoughts were removed with my awakening then I would not be here on this message board. I would be tip toeing through the tulips. I would be that person that never has those negative thoughts cross my mind.

Maybe someday, I will intuitively know how to handle the situations that, right now, still baffle me.

In the mean time, and maybe it is really just a matter of practice and progress, I have to decide if I should act or not. What are the consequences of my actions or inaction? Again, I can not stop the thoughts, I can only control my reaction to them. I am learning. What I may have said or done three months ago is not what I would do today. More has been revealed and with that comes change in my thoughts thus changing my actions.