Lesson One: The Morning After
So, how was your St. Patty's Day? I myself am bright eyed, and yes it would be bushy if I had a tail, and woke right up at 7:00, which when you think of it would be 6:00 am a week ago. For obvious reasons since I haven't been binge-wining (or whining) I've been waking up very early ready to take the day on. When I did drink, I didn't want to do ANYTHING the next morning! No yoga, no eating, no sunlight please...I was miserable all day. And the older I was the worse the hangovers got. I'm 42 now and I started wine binging at 31, which the hangovers were still brutal back then. I couldn't drink like I did in college that's for sure. However it wasn't all about the physical feelings. This thing called total paranoia would set in when I got up the next morning/afternoon! Who did I email? Who did I text? Didn't I tell someone to eff off or who did I flirt with?? I called my drinking 'Jeckyl and Hyde' or 'Drinking Tourette's'! Say it after me, "I didn't know who that person was!" Exactly. It was the exact same pattern every time. Waking up like my house was on fire and scrambling to check the smart phone and tablet to see what kind of damage I've done. Sounds like I had fun right?
Solution:
When you crave alcohol in any situation, play a fast forward tape in your head. What is the next morning going to look like? How are you going to be, feel, do, want, etc.? You FF! It's that simple. A great therapist taught me that and something just snapped for me. Also DR. Wayne Dyer, self help guru once said, "Every problem is created in your head, and that is also where the solution is." You need to choose, and believe me it's tough because I wanted to party or celebrate at home with a bottle of vino almost every three days, but I had to choose, and that changed the way I feel every morning now. I want to work out. I want to go to work. I want to paint something creative. I want to write! And that's another important issue in quitting drinking, you WANT to do stuff! The more sober you are the more motivated and creative you become. It's like another 'drug' but one that is actually good for you. Dyer also said in one of his earlier books from the 90s, "I don't need substances to get me high". You don't need to scramble to find something, I guarantee you it will magically come to you. I think that's what being healthy is, a new high because your body is clean and that allows your mind to be happier as well as more creative.
Thanks for joining me on day one. I can't tell you how important this first step is. If you feel in a 'stuck' situation the night before, before you have the chance to drink, be it someone invited you to a party, a book club ( hello I call those wine festivals!), a bar, a concert, whatever. Or if you want to bring that bottle home and 'celebrate' or just to relax, or feel sorry for yourself...STOP...and fast forward in your mind. Then be creative! Go out and have a soda, coffee, iced tea, tonic water with lemon (one of my favorites) or a virgin almost anything! I get virgin Bloody Mary's all the time and sometimes they taste better without the vodka! News Flash: You don't have to drink to fit in. No one is going to judge you, and if they do get new friends. Or do something else like go to a movie, go shopping, take a hot bath, find something you enjoy that you won't regret the next morning. "The reward is in the morn." I came up with that one. :)
Love, Peace, and Pellegrino,
The Savvy Sobergirl
No comments:
Post a Comment