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-   -   Article: Author quit drinking using mindfulness (https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/secular-connections/424823-article-author-quit-drinking-using-mindfulness.html)

Carlotta 03-12-2018 02:40 PM

Article: Author quit drinking using mindfulness
 
Hi everyone, I found this article online and I thought it would make a good share for SR.

I was not sure where to post it, the "Alcoholism in the news" section does not get many visitors and I had a feeling that it might get drowned in the Newcomers section so I decided to put it here instead (I hope it's ok with the mods).

I meditate daily and I am a big fan of mindfulness. I know this is not for everyone but it has really helped me a LOT.
If you are new and/or struggling it is definitely worth a try and the good news is that you can do it regardless of which method or program you use (or don't use).

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...king-it-worked

Fusion 03-12-2018 02:59 PM

Thank you for the article, Carlotta. I previously meditated, but after following AndyH’s Eight Week Mindfulness threads, I now practice it a few times a day. Upon waking, before sleeping and when I awake part-way through the night, to aid sleep.

Consequently, I’ve found that my conscious mind is far more observant of my subconscious mind, with the latter throwing up all sorts of habitual thought patterns, many of which are self-defeating, self-sabotaging and utterly redundant. So that I’m able to notice those unwanted thoughts at their inception, and thereby dismiss them, before I become embroiled in the downward spiral of thinking about my thinking...LOL.

JeffreyAK 03-12-2018 10:54 PM

When I was in outpatient treatment, we'd start off every morning with a mindfulness session, and I worked on it at home as well. Wonderfully relaxing, and it really did help me with early-sobriety anxiety.

andyh 03-12-2018 11:53 PM

nice article, thanks Carlotta. the "taking the red pill in “The Matrix”" bit made me smile. :)

I like Mindfulness a lot. whilst I like the meditation part in & of itself, I find having the ability to be in the moment, without being caught up in the moment, to be the most useful for me. at least it is when I remember to do it, although I'm getting slowly better at that ;)

RecklessEric 03-20-2018 12:27 PM

I always struggled with meditation.
I just found it too difficult to stay with.
Even though I've seen numerous people benefit from it.

What really worked for me was CBT; which teaches you how to challenge your thoughts, not slow them down or stop them altogether.

SoberLeigh 03-20-2018 01:02 PM

Thanks very much, Carlotta!!!!

tyler 03-30-2018 09:31 AM


Originally Posted by RecklessEric (Post 6830334)
I always struggled with meditation.
I just found it too difficult to stay with.
Even though I've seen numerous people benefit from it.

What really worked for me was CBT; which teaches you how to challenge your thoughts, not slow them down or stop them altogether.

I too have always struggled with meditation, but I saw an interesting interview a couple of months ago on the Daily Show. I don't remember who he was talking to, but Trevor Noah said that his mind would always wander when he tried to meditate. The person said that is completely normal. All you need to do is concentrate on your breathing and clear you mind. Even if you could only do this for a couple of breaths, you have meditated. Clear your mind again concentrate on your breathing and start over. Eventually you can work up to a little time. Like everything it takes some patience and practice.

One of the issues I deal with is racing thought and obsessive thinking. The meditation has been helpful for me. It definitely has not solved the issue, but I think it can be part of the solution. I think sometimes many of us get caught up in finding "the one solution" when usually the solution is made up of many small things that you can learn from many different places.


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