Stop trying to quit
 

A lot of us slog away, flailing and despairing...

"I'M TRYING TO QUIT!!!"

"OH, WHAT SHALL I DO??? I'M TRYING TO QUIT BUT IT'S JUST NOT WORKING"!!!!


Here's a new suggestion, a subtle shift.

Stop trying to quit.

Start simply not starting.

When you rise in the morning from a sleep, you've not been drinking.... it isn't quitting you need - it's simply not starting to drink.

QUITTING is easy. It happens all the time.

NOT STARTING is the key, you see?

Just. Don't. Start!!!

:grouphug:

Brilliant!

I love it, thankyou :)

"Do or not, there is no try."

Yoda

yep

I know at some point last year someone here on SR corrected me when I said I'd been "trying to quit" for 13 years. They said I HAD been quitting, I just didn't stay quit. I kinda wonder if that was you as I know we've had some good conversations here. Anyways, whoever said it to me, it's made a big difference in my mindset since then. Thanks for the helpful post today, FreeOwl!

Amazing post! Thank you

I hope I'm quoting correctly - I was at an AA meeting not long ago where the speaker said - We don't have a drinking problem. We have a stopping problem. We take one drink, but we can't stop. Problem. I know it's a different take, but both work for me.
But it's a good take that we do stop at the time we go to sleep/pass out. Bu the time we wake up we have stopped for a number of hours. Then I guess the starting problem creeps in.
Food for thought.
Lately I have a stopping problem with food. Once I get going, my stomach just never seems to register as full, and when I force the stop I get heavy hunger pains. Symptom of yet more addiction? I don't crave food in any way - it's really just the not full symptoms from the stomach.

Ya nailed it.

Whether I tell myself or others that I'm "trying to quit" or "trying not to start drinking again" is just splitting hairs imo. It doesn't make it any easier.

Made all the difference for me. :)

Great post, FreeOwl.