HFA

Rough day today with the AV. I was having a hard time separating the IT from the I. Kept feeling like I wanted a drink, but I just had to keep saying no IT wanted a drink. I do not drink.

This is a first time in a month or so that I have had a AV "flare up".

What do some of you do the help with the AV trying to take over the I pronoun? To help separate the IT form the I?

dwtbd

Exactly that, "IT wants a drink, I do not drink."

MesaMan

Plenty of Folks report their AV Events are only 10 or 15 Minutes long. So, they jump up and walk around the Block. Blast some Music through Ear Buds to take your Mind to someplace else. Plenty of us chow some sort of sweet Snack.

This type of distraction is also known as 'Urge Surfing'. You mentally compartmentalize and isolate out the AV urge, and 'ride' up and over it. Some Folks visualize their AV, and imagine smashing it with a Sledge Hammer. These sorts of tricks help with separating out the AV fakery from The Real You.
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tursiops999

Sometimes it helps to label it ..."oh, this is a beast attack", or "oh this is vertigo". "If the thought is about drinking, it cannot be my thought, and must be It's thought".

I might repeat that a few times, and then perhaps shift my focus to something else ... get up and stretch, take a short walk. Or just observe the thoughts...they do subside quickly.

Hang in there .. it sounds like you're doing what's needed, which is separating even if it takes a few minutes to get there.

shockozulu

I like the term Urge Shifting. I still do this with other unhealthy thoughts come into my brain. I quit smoking just a bit over a year ago and this week, randomly, I got a huge craving for a cigarette. I didn't like it the last five years I smoked! Glad to read about this in more detail;, its something I will be incorporating into my SMART meetings.

Carlotta

I am also following this discussion with interest. When it comes to alcohol my AV is very weak, it last popped up briefly months ago.

Now, I am also doing intermittent fasting 4:3 and on my fasting days, it does manifest itself quite a bit. For me it is an excellent opportunity to practice AVRT.

I relapsed in 2006, at the time I did not know anything about the AV so when it finally spoke to me loud after years of abstinence with almost no cravings, I did not know how to handle it.

Doing IF and dealing with the food beast is in my book some good training in case the AV pops its head out again regarding alcohol.

all for a good informative thread.

HFA

Carlotta,
I try to follow a very low carb diet. One might say "zero carb" though that is a misnomer. I find that eating carbs makes me extremely tired and raised the Beast's cravings a lot. But I also find when its raging, I tend to binge out on carbs. Which shuts it down for a bit, then its a go again cuz of the carbs.

Still struggling with the AV. Its put me in a foul mood and eveyone says I am being a dick. Well when you walk around telling your Beast to F* off all week, it can put you in a grumpy mood.

dwtbd

The Beast is always, always going to want alcohol, that's what IT is.
What's the cause of the foul mood, frustration that IT wants and telling to eff off isn't making IT stop wanting? Maybe let IT want, recognize that ITs desire is being put forward, but that won't change your desire to continue to be free of the consequences of indulging ITs desire .
Sounds like the frustration is a product of the illusion that ITs desire has any bearing on Your choices. As if ITs presence means a decision has to be made about what to do about ITs desire. Sounds like a ploy, maybe instead of fighting IT , laugh at ITs frustration and deprivations, they are not Yours yeah? ITs just needling you trying to get you to accept them.
Sorry about the foul mood, can't help how we feel, just how we react , "Nothing Sucks Forever"

shakeel

The worst for me is when IT takes over my dreams and I wake up thinking I want and need to drink, during dreams, the I or part of frontal lobe is asleep as well, nothing to stop the beast attack, IT has a field day. Happened to me this morning when I woke up, and the remnants of wanting to drink lurked around my brain as if it were real. Very scary moment.

AlericB

I suppose encouraging as well though in that IT must feel so weakened that it attacks you when you are asleep and not in any position to drink and satisfy ITs desires anyway!

shockozulu

I remember those dreams even though I haven't had one in over three years. I learned to turn it over into a positive- as stated above your AV is so desperate it knows the only way to get a drink is to booze it up while you are asleep. That's great progress. It means your AV has learned you are starving it while awake and you have exerted control over it.

HFA

Thanks so much for the post. I'll try that different, less confrontational approach.

Stewart888

Never heard of this one. "Urge Surfing'" that's a good on MesaMan...Thanks

Wholesome

Hi HFA. I've found that my booze beast can use my emotions against me...... telling me that my life will be meaningless and boring but it always knows what will cheer me up! A few years ago I quit for awhile using AVRT but I didn't recognize that my feelings of anhedonia were actually my addiction and IT's reaction to me cutting off IT's supply. This time around I'm wise to my AV's ploys to try to get me to return to drinking. Of course, this is only my personal experience but maybe you can relate to what I'm saying which is to recognize those negative feelings as your Beast reacting to being starved of IT's favourite substance and IT's pathetic attempt to coerce you back to your old ways.