The 7 Steps to Freedom from Alcohol – Transition & Transformation
The last post was all about the PREPARATION stage.
For those of you that are accepted on to the course and have joined the Accountability Group this will see you through the next 100 days.
What happens here is down to you and can change your life.
THE HELP YOU NEED
The course will guide you and support you, but you have to do the work and follow the process.
No one can do it for you, but remember you are not on your own.
The main thing is to always show up and take it all a day at a time.
CELEBRATE SMALL WINS
Take one small win or milestone at a time.
Make sure you believe in yourself that you can do this. And see yourself as a non-drinker.
It’s a good look.
It is worth remembering,
If your identity and habits don’t change, you will not change.
That is where the effort in the beginning is needed.
That’s why you are here.
If it was easy, everybody would do what you are doing!
Everything worthwhile in life is difficult at first.
You have a system, which make it simple.
Use and enjoy the system.
THE NEW IDENTITY – how does that make you feel?
Its all about mindset and your change of identity.
In simple terms if you see yourself as a non-drinker, and carry out the actions that a non-drinker would do,
you are more likely to become a non-drinker.
The change is to envision yourself as a non -drinker and act as one.
When you are tempted you should be thinking
”what would a non-drinker do right now”
GET DISTRACTED
That might be go for a 10 minute walk around the block, so as to distract yourself.
When you return home, you probably will be thinking of something else.
FORMING the NEW IDENTITY
The more times you do this the better, as you build a pattern of behaviour that reinforces your new identity.
CELEBRATE THE SMALL WINS-they are important
Another small win to get you to the end of another day without having had a drink.
How does that make you feel?
“When you are at the beginning, don’t obsess about the middle, because the middle is going to look different once you get there.
Just look for a strong beginning and a strong ending and get moving”
(SWITCH Chip & Dan Heath)
Take one oil drum at a time.
DO I NEED a New Identity?
Fair question, you could say that if you don’t seek a new identity you will not change your behaviour.
If you don’t change your behaviour you will not get the change you want.
ACT LIKE A NON-DRINKER
If you act out the identity of a non-drinker
And change your habits to those of a non-drinker.
Its no real surprise that the result will be that.
of a non-drinker!!
Simple.
Decision paralysis can be deadly for change-because the most familiar path is always the status quo,
and we know where that leads!
So, adopt the identity of a non-drinker and you are more likely to become one.
Ask yourself repeatedly,
”What would a non-drinker do in this situation”
Your gut will give you the answer,
That’s if you don’t know it already!
