dgtrkt

Hi, I'm a constantly relapsing and recently picked up an old addiction. How do you get rid of old ideas? also, all my friends, support tell me i'm too intellectual and my mind is killing me. How to go from head to heart?

lostbutterfly

I'm not sure our old ideas ever go away as such. We can replace them with new ones, but I think they may just be part of our disease. Which, I believe, never goes away.

And our minds are dangerous places to go alone!!!

Trippstar

Healing over time; the old ideas will never go but you can change the ideas into nice ones not keep replaying the same idea over and over change it as best you can it will still be the same but it can be controlled or changed for good not bad

least

The old ideas and habits can be replaced with new ideas and habits, but it takes time and effort.

Welcome!:ghug3

Mark75

Yea, they told me at rehab I over-intellectualized. Well, sooorrry! I am who I am.

However, they were right when it comes to what you said. There is an old timer at my favorite AA group that often talks about going that 15 inches from your head to your heart.

Acceptance. Surrender. First Step - I am powerless over alcohol. My life became unmanageable. OK.

I work alot on the first step. Getting it into my heart. I feel that only continued sobriety will help me get it there. So I work on just not picking up. As the days go by, I feel acceptance growing in my heart. Maybe because the shame is lessening and it's not so threatening... So what, big deal... I'm powerless over alcohol and pills.

I am not helpless.

Mark

inoishudbdead

Don't pick up your old addictions! I did that and it's a bad idea. It just caused me more problems until i eventually ended up having not 1 addiction, but 2 and felt like crap for it. I also tend to over think things a lot too, so i know where you're coming from. Lately i've been trying to just stop thinking about what i was thinking about when i find myself over thinking. that helps me a lot. its just re-learning how to control your thoughts when before we would use alcohol or another substance to help us do that.

TonyEdin

Picked up this quote at a meet and use it regular on myself;
"I only use my head for recreational purposes."
If I could fix myself I would not need support.