What do you tell yourself or do when temptation hits?
 

When the AV is talking what are some things you do or tell yourself? I've heard things like "play the tape forward" or "do you want to be sober more than you want to drink"? Etc I've heard things like this in AA and on here and it's kept me from the drink once or twice... But once the AV talks I just listen and go tunnel vision.

Any sayings through the years that have stuck with you?

Well so far I've learned that whatever the AV says is meaningless because it isn't coming from me. I've pledged to myself that I will not ever drink again, so any thoughts to the contrary are therefore originating from the AV - an entity trying to kill me as quickly as possible. Your AV doesn't have arms or legs - it can't get a drink on it's own. I picture my AV as a teenager throwing a tantrum. It can kick and scream as much as it wants; it is just noise, there is no substance to it.

That's working for me so far anyway.

This is a great thread for how to deal with cravings:

https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums...-cravings.html

Sayings don't and never worked for me. Probably because my head is where the voice of my AV lives.

I have to DO something to distract myself from the train ride. In other words - I jump off.

After over 10 yrs sober I never get tempted anymore, but when I used to, I'd remind myself that I wanted to be sober MORE than I wanted to drink. :)

The phenomenon of craving, an overpowering desire to consume more alcohol, only affected me after the fatal first drink, not before. The lack of an effective mental defense which entailed little or no thinking was where the problem really lay. I either drank without thought or completely folded when the seemingly innocent thought came that "a drink would be nice". That thought easily overpowered any thoughts to the contrary.

A complete psychic change through living the 12 steps has meant that thought rarely comes. If tempted I recoil as if from a hot flame. Think about that. Recoiling from a hot flame is an involuntary action and a natural response to danger. It happens automatically and does not require thought or strategizing. That is the power of God and the steps.

I tell myself the truth. The truth comes from my soul, which never lies to me. My ego, on the other hand, never tells me the truth.

I was using the word STOP. Stop, take a breath, observe what you are feeling, Practice. It might be not exactly but I was doing cognitive behavioral therapy with a doctor. It seems to help. :bbk:

I tell myself "No" and I don't drink.

Whenever I have more than a fleeting thought I get out my list of the consequences of being an alcoholic. It is a long list. I never get through the whole list which only takes about 30 seconds to read. I simply remember in graphic written detail what alcohol did to me.

I used urge surfing, I applied the HALT reminders, I 'played the tape through to the end'...all those are in the CarolD link.

I posted here a lot too - if I was asking for help I was helping someone else, cos that helped me. I knew what to do - I just wasn't good at applying it to myself in the early days :)

D

Wow, I'm the complete opposite. But I guess if this works for you stick with it.

I've learned to sit with it. The more you try to not think about it, the stronger it gets.
So I let myself feel the craving, and I just let it happen. I remind myself a craving is unpleasant but not dangerous.
A craving cant control my limbs or body. It cant make me do anything.
A craving cant Harm or kill me.

So I get on with whatever Im doing and wait for it to pass.

Its taken a lot of practice to get to this point though!

I don’t tell myself anything. When cravings hit hard I tell other people that I’m so happy I quit. I know that sounds backwards but it works!

It always ends bad for me, so I just think about that.

I say out loud that "I don't drink so go the hell away you #$%^ AV" and then I distract myself. The more you think about it the harder it will be. It has to be a hard line and you have to remember that this is literally a potential life or death thing here and you choose life. Don't engage with the AV though. Hope all is still well.

Dee's advice on "urge surfing" was really helpful. For drinking as well as many things really - becoming aware of your thoughts, seeing them as separate from yourself, not acting on them right away - it's advice that most people I know could use in lots of areas of their lives.

Also "playing the tape through" - going down the line of what it is to take drink, get drunk, suffer and be back in the panic-striken uglies of that shame-filled life - seeing that tape play out makes it so that starting to drink again is not attractive anymore.

The consequences of my drinking has me know I can never drink alcohol again. We don't mix. I have occasional thoughts but really they're only memories. Awful memories. Being sober is so much better.

I know one thing. I'm never disappointed when waking up next morning sober and well. I used to remind myself of this. Tomorrow I'll be glad. And I was/am.

Wishing you well.

A drink only leads to boring misery.
I know what will happen with about 95% certainty and it's no good for me.

I'd rather go to a meeting and beat the AV into the ground anyday.

Now I tell myself "Im going to die if I do that"....and I mean every word.

In the past I used to tell myself "I'm going to hurt my son, I may not show up to take care of my Father, my sister might need me for something, ANYONE could need me for anything and I shouldn't be drunk, (heres the worst I used to tell myself - I can drink tomorrow).

Or I just used to try and pray thru it or call someone.....and all of these things failed to work for me......

So now...its just the facts...."I'm going to die if I drink". This is not true for many, especially the younger people....they may not die from drinking and some could....but as I aged this definitely has become a real possibility and the fact that I didn't die 16 or 17 days ago is a miracle...and I don't have any more chances....I CAN drink again if I want but I won't make it out next time.