Holy cow! That’s four days in a row! A Quartet! While not unprecedented, it’s not been easy for me to string together more than 2-3 alcoholic beverage free days since the start of Covid.
The challenge for me in staying sober is revealing itself as a ‘time of day’ thing. In other words, I’m most inclined to drink alcoholic beverages between 4pm and 8pm. I’m finding that if I can survive this window, I’ll have a successful outcome.
Thus, the ‘trick’, if we can call it that, is to occupy my mind during these four critical hours. But what are some effective distractions to avoid drinking when the demons beckon us?
Alcoholic Beverage Avoidance Tactics
- Playing guitar
- Playing video games
- Adult (no, not that kind) Coloring Books
- Visiting with family
- Reading
- Evening telephone calls
- A walk
- Meditation (can really help on a particularly ‘hooked’ evening)
Avoiding alcoholic beverages is the name of the game for now. As I’ve mentioned previously, my immediate goal isn’t to abstain from alcoholic beverages entirely, but to redefine my relationship with them. I hope to be able to enjoy a cold brewsky every once and a while without feeling the need to over indulge.
I’m a believer that mindful drinking could be the answer I’m looking for. But I haven’t ruled out taking stronger action if this theory of mine proves inadequate. I have some social events upcoming that I expect will challenge my resolve a bit. And I’m looking forward to them, because they should allow me to measure my progress to date and provide me much needed ‘teaching’ moments.
Today’s Meditative Reflections
Today's meditation focused on empathetic joy and the heart. Towards the end of the practice, I experienced two curious sensations. These sensations were noteworthy because they were thoughts I felt in my body. Not emotions, which are thoughts we feel, but more like run of the mill thoughts. The first was a thought about heat. This thought manifested itself as a warm loving feeling emanating from my chest. Soon, I felt as though I was floating in space. At that moment, I experienced my life's flame rekindled from the last embers of a dying fire. This experience brought with it a sense of tremendous joy and empowerment. It was like I was reborn in a strange kind of way. The second thought concerned focusing on the center of my forehead. I suppose this is where we find the location of the 'third eye'. While focusing here, the feeling that took hold in that spot was that of an old timey scale balancing itself. Each side moving up and down like a seesaw. Eventually, the movement settled into the center of my forehead. The final feeling was one of balance between the left and right hemispheres of my brain. I realize that this may be a little 'out there' for some of you, and believe me, it was for me during the experience itself. However, I believe this experience may demonstrate the imbalance present in my psyche. The very imbalance contributing to my use disorder and empowering its trajectory. As I continue on my sobriety journey, my contemplative practice never ceases to surprise and amaze me. It's relieved me of my marijuana addiction (at least for now), provided much needed space between thought and action. Meditation is giving me necessary strength to recast my relationship with addiction. Beer, my alcoholic beverage of choice, will continue to play the dual role of pleasure provider and sinful sufferer as I work through the various stages of growth and liberation. Let's see how we progress on Day 5...
Quote of the Day
