Over the long years, I have associated drinking alcohol with relaxation and the pleasure of drunken dopamine. Now I increasingly see my alcohol and marijuana cravings as gateways to sleep deprivation, hangovers, gastro intestinal issues, weight gain, bloating, brain fog, and general unpleasantness.
And with RAIN drinking alcohol turns from reflexive to recognized to released. All in less time than I’d wait in the McDonalds drive through for a quarter pounder meal.
I wasn’t 100% sure I was going to be able to make it through last night’s holiday potluck sober. But I was determined to try. My first tactic was to sit down next to John, the only other person in this group who I know doesn’t drink.
Even crazier was the sudden appearance of my third eye. It manifested as a sensation in the center of my forehead, right above the space between my eyebrows.
Despite the meditation taking the edge off, I needed a distraction. Something to think about other than drinking. Looking around the family room, I saw our long neglected Wii sitting off to the side of the tv.