Flipping Causality
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,138
Flipping Causality
I don't claim that this is a major breakthrough... but it's so simple that I wanted to share it with others.
Whenever I think about drinking or why I drank or what harm it's caused to my relationships, I find that I can still get caught up in alcoholic thinking and perception.
So whatever statement I make to myself, I reorder the causality, which helps me see whether it's "stinkin thinkin" or not.
For example:
"I drink because I'm anxious."
Flip the causality:
"I'm anxious because I drink."
Or:
"I drink because my spouse is a jerk to me."
becomes
"My spouse is a jerk to me because I drink."
Simple. And oddly fun. And very helpful for those of us trying to beat the brush for the hidden spots where the Beast likes to lay in wait.
As it turns out, us alcoholics have been looking at the world backwards for quite some time
Whenever I think about drinking or why I drank or what harm it's caused to my relationships, I find that I can still get caught up in alcoholic thinking and perception.
So whatever statement I make to myself, I reorder the causality, which helps me see whether it's "stinkin thinkin" or not.
For example:
"I drink because I'm anxious."
Flip the causality:
"I'm anxious because I drink."
Or:
"I drink because my spouse is a jerk to me."
becomes
"My spouse is a jerk to me because I drink."
Simple. And oddly fun. And very helpful for those of us trying to beat the brush for the hidden spots where the Beast likes to lay in wait.
As it turns out, us alcoholics have been looking at the world backwards for quite some time
Member
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Planet Earth (most days)
Posts: 1,596
What a fantastic post! I think I'm going to take extra care to rearrange my thinking going forward. My favorite:
"I drink because my spouse is a jerk to me."
becomes
"My spouse is a jerk to me because I drink."
Could it be??? Possibly!
"I drink because my spouse is a jerk to me."
becomes
"My spouse is a jerk to me because I drink."
Could it be??? Possibly!
Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: SAN FRANCISCO
Posts: 1,176
Oh yeah, here's a good one:
"I drink because I have social anxiety"
Could it be: "I don't like people when I drink?"
"Or people don't like me when I drink?"
hmmmmmmm. I will need to mull that one over.
"I drink because I have social anxiety"
Could it be: "I don't like people when I drink?"
"Or people don't like me when I drink?"
hmmmmmmm. I will need to mull that one over.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,138
"I drink because I'm depressed."
How about:
"I'm depressed because I drink."
Um.. let's see... after 30 days of drinking, I typically want to blow my dang fool head off.
After 30 days of sobriety, I typically want to seize the day and do great things.
Hmm... wonder where that depression stems from?
How about:
"I'm depressed because I drink."
Um.. let's see... after 30 days of drinking, I typically want to blow my dang fool head off.
After 30 days of sobriety, I typically want to seize the day and do great things.
Hmm... wonder where that depression stems from?
Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: East Coast, The States
Posts: 12,162
Hmnn... Let me try this on one of mine:
Who would want to date a sober person? Sobriety will make me boring company...
Becomes:
Drinking all the time MADE me boring. And who would want to date an alcoholic?
Which leads to: I drink because I am bored... While the truth was: I am boring because I drink!!
Who would want to date a sober person? Sobriety will make me boring company...
Becomes:
Drinking all the time MADE me boring. And who would want to date an alcoholic?
Which leads to: I drink because I am bored... While the truth was: I am boring because I drink!!
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