Changing mindset about drinking

[rivergirl]

Changing mindset about drinking

Hi Sami - A british pound is about $1.80 or $1.90 - so you can figure out how much you spent. It sounds as though it will be worth it anyway.

Nancy, I haven't taken the topa - haven't really planned to. I am using the CD, however. I think the CDs are the biggest part of it for me - along with message board and the public drink tracker. Do you have the CDs - I haven't noticed any hairloss from the (joke).

I do really think they have helped change my subconscious thinking about drinking - usually now (96 Days AF) I don't even care or think about alcohol - the last three weeks have been tough with lots of travel and conferences with free "happy" hours.

Rivergirl

[nancy]

Changing mindset about drinking

free happy hours are not tempting?? oh my god! i hope i can say that someday

[seaflower]

Changing mindset about drinking

this sounds right up my street Im going to amazon now!

[seaflower]

Changing mindset about drinking

And I got how to stop smoking and lose weight for cheap!

[panadol]

Changing mindset about drinking

I too ordered the book of allan Carr and think it's fantastic. The way that he talks about alcohol from a purely factual real perspective is a real head turner for me. I've only ever
thought about giving up alcohol as a negative thing like taking candy away from a baby:H Now I see it for what it is and how much we are brainwashed by society as we are growing up. I too lamented that alchol took away all the stress and problems with my job etc. Now I realise i was using alchol to anaesthetise myself into staying in a job i hated along with a host of other things. I now understand that i must be true to myself and not to be someone that other people expect me to be YAY!! I've been 3 days alchol free and feel great!
Get the book its great!!

[ScoobyDoo]

Changing mindset about drinking

I've just been doing some searching. allen Carr has written two books. One to Control drinking and the other to stop drinking... Not sure which one to order!

Doo

[nancy]

Changing mindset about drinking

I don't know if there is a difference between the two.

i made a mistake in an earlier post. The book I have is:

Easy Way to Stop Drinking

I know it advocates abstinence. I think even if you are like me and want to moderate that
this is a good read.

Another great book is The Addictive Personality by Craig Nakken. It also advocates abstinence and 12 steps, which are out for me at the moment. But the insights about what addiction is were so valuable. i am thinking about them a lot. For example, in one section, the author connects experience with shame/abuse in a family and addiction. there is a feeling of: People would not like me if they really knew me. The addiction becomes a shameful secret.

In this book, addiction is looked at generally and explains why some people get a different compulsive disorder once they get off the booze!!!

i have started to look at this with relation to over-eating. The problem may relate to a need for a predictable mood-altering response. you get that from substances, but the response is temporary and disappointing. and you get depressed with consequences. how do you break the cycle? i think part of it is getting better able at managing life, knowing that life is unpredictable. and i think that philosophies like buddhism help with this.

that is my take on it anyway. it might seem ambitious to take on all compulsions at once. but i dont think for me that simply stopping drinking would actually solve the root problem.

[ScoobyDoo]

Changing mindset about drinking

Nancy, I know what you're saying. I'm really enjoying the Buddhism aspect and it's helping me enormously in adjusting my outlook. I am about half way through 'The Idiots Guide' which is actually a great read but I find it's better to read in small doses, so am reading a chapter a week sort of thing.

Well, I ordered the Moderate drinking version of the Carr book. I hope it's the correct author as I noted that there is an Alan Carr and an Allen Carr who both write about psych type subjects.

I'm also becoming curious about the food allergy aspect. Not just alcohol allergy but food allergy which might help in craving alcohol... I'm not sure just yet. I'm wondering if alcohol abuse could be a symptom of the allergy/intolerance... just a thought. Regardless, iiiiiit's still a demon to beat but I'm enjoy reading and thinking all aspects.

I bought some relaxation CD's with dialogue which are Buddhism based... really *really* nice . What other books are you reading re Buddhism?

Doo

[nancy]

Changing mindset about drinking

Hi scooby (aka Doo Doo!)

It sounds like you and I are on similar tracks.

i am also focusing on nutrition. having read tons of books over the years about food allergies and IBS, I am not that keen on the whole field. Some of the things the books advise, like probiotics, do not seem proven to me. and it sometimes feels like you can't eat anything! I am not sure if is easy to prove food allergies, though there are tests on the market, so people just assume they are allergic and cut out whole food groups. Yeah, guess I am skeptical, though i never tried an elimination diet, which is probably what you need todo.

At the moment I am focusing on nutrition though. I only want to eat healthy food and i want no refined sugar and very little caffeine. It makes sense to me that fluctuations in blood sugar are probably very bad for you in terms of cravings. Also, too many stimulants seems to drive the need for a substance to calm down.

in terms of buddhism, I liked Jack Kornfeld's CDS Meditation for beginners and a book called: The Mind and the Way, Buddhist reflections on life, by Ajahn Sumedho.

[evergreen]

Changing mindset about drinking

First time responder so forgive any faux pas!! I, too have read the book. It had and has some great observations and insights but in the end I found it too simplistic and almost cavalier. I do agree that our mindsets need to change!

[samadhi]

Changing mindset about drinking

He first published the book under - Easy way to Control drinking - and the newer editions are Easy way to stop drinking - but both are the same book.

[soloman]

Changing mindset about drinking

Hi, Nancy. This is the very first thread that I am posting! I hope to log a zero drinks for today. Do you have any advice? Soloman

[nancy]

Changing mindset about drinking

a big question

Hi soloman

I think you should just do what we all did, get the book and see what aspects you want to try, visit the site frequently, learn that you are not alone, find the paths that work for you individually, get educated about alcohol problems, share with all of us. give and receive help from people all over the world who are having similar problems.

one of the best pieces advice i got on this site was that it is ok to take baby steps.
and be a good friend to yourself, be on your own side..

take care
nancy

[stillcrawling]

Changing mindset about drinking

Great post Nancy!

Your posts are very useful and I do feel that compulsive behavior is a factor (at least for me) miminimizing sugar is key in my book as well ... I do have a Diet Coke habit that is not good -- I try to alternaye with water or club soda -- I have never been a smoker but if I did smoke it would be chain smoker beyond belief! I also will admit that I found drinking to be an escape -- La Liz

[nancy]

Changing mindset about drinking

compulsive soft-drinking!

Hi Liz

I used to binge on diet cokes and coffees.

Look up caffeine and hypoglycemia or caffeine and blood sugar on the internet and you will see why it is a good idea to give it up.