16 min
Letting go of Denial – Stop Drinking and Stay Sober on Your Terms Rethink the Drink BOOM!
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- Health & Fitness
It is hard to stop drinking from a place of high functioning, or what is now commonly called Gray Area Drinking, for different reasons than it is hard to stop from a place of end – stage – alcoholism. No matter how dark and hopeless your secret drinking may feel to you, unless you hit a recognizable rock bottom, the world around you will encourage you to stay in that place of denial. Everywhere we look our culture encourages us to drink. To celebrate, to mourn, to relieve stress, to socialize, to achieve intimacy, to relax and enjoy everything that life has to offer. And our culture also tells us that the only people who really shouldn’t drink are those like Michael Clarke from The Byrds.
So for me the trick in early sobriety was partly to get past my own denial and also to look at my culture’s denial. I had to work through my feelings about what alcoholism meant to me and what it meant to my culture. And I had to eventually understand that sobriety for me is not about how anyone else sees me or needs me to be. It is about becoming myself. With no mask and no label.
And I rejected the WORD alcoholic and the stigma that goes along with it because for me getting sober and staying that way was all about finding MY truth and my EMPOWERMENT .
In Alcoholics Anonymous meetings it is traditional for people to introduce themselves with their name, followed by the statement “...and I’m an alcoholic.” That system works well for many people when they are trying to stop drinking and stay sober, but it was never a good fit for me. I am almost five years alcohol free. I had to stop drinking, but I never attended an AA meeting and I do not call myself an alcoholic. Many people would say that I am in denial, but nothing could be further from the truth.
With the exception of fitting the classic mold of the High Functioning Alcoholic, I’ve never been a traditional Anything! I have broken every rule–every single rule that I was told I had to live by–not out of spite or rebelliousness but simply because the stuff that was supposed to work didn’t. I had to find stuff that worked for me.
The Spirit is not in the Bottle it’s in You …
Rethink the Drink
If you’re “sober curious” … If you are drinking too much too often and want to stop or take a break…or if you have stopped drinking and are trying to stick to sober! Talk to Us.
We are an independent, anonymous and private community who share resources, support and talk it through every day. It helps to have a community behind you in a world where alcohol is the only addictive drug that people will question you for NOT using
You can read more about us Here And join Here
community support 24-7 or sign up and sign in here
www.boomrethinkthedrink.com
Don’t let the shame of the stigma keep you from saying
“I think I have a problem with drinking”
It is hard to stop drinking from a place of high functioning, or what is now commonly called Gray Area Drinking, for different reasons than it is hard to stop from a place of end – stage – alcoholism. No matter how dark and hopeless your secret drinking may feel to you, unless you hit a recognizable rock bottom, the world around you will encourage you to stay in that place of denial. Everywhere we look our culture encourages us to drink. To celebrate, to mourn, to relieve stress, to socialize, to achieve intimacy, to relax and enjoy everything that life has to offer. And our culture also tells us that the only people who really shouldn’t drink are those like Michael Clarke from The Byrds.
So for me the trick in early sobriety was partly to get past my own denial and also to look at my culture’s denial. I had to work through my feelings about what alcoholism meant to me and what it meant to my culture. And I had to eventually understand that sobriety for me is not about how anyone else sees me or needs me to be. It is about becoming myself. With no mask and no label.
And I rejected the WORD alcoholic and the stigma that goes along with it because for me getting sober and staying that way was all about finding MY truth and my EMPOWERMENT .
In Alcoholics Anonymous meetings it is traditional for people to introduce themselves with their name, followed by the statement “...and I’m an alcoholic.” That system works well for many people when they are trying to stop drinking and stay sober, but it was never a good fit for me. I am almost five years alcohol free. I had to stop drinking, but I never attended an AA meeting and I do not call myself an alcoholic. Many people would say that I am in denial, but nothing could be further from the truth.
With the exception of fitting the classic mold of the High Functioning Alcoholic, I’ve never been a traditional Anything! I have broken every rule–every single rule that I was told I had to live by–not out of spite or rebelliousness but simply because the stuff that was supposed to work didn’t. I had to find stuff that worked for me.
The Spirit is not in the Bottle it’s in You …
Rethink the Drink
If you’re “sober curious” … If you are drinking too much too often and want to stop or take a break…or if you have stopped drinking and are trying to stick to sober! Talk to Us.
We are an independent, anonymous and private community who share resources, support and talk it through every day. It helps to have a community behind you in a world where alcohol is the only addictive drug that people will question you for NOT using
You can read more about us Here And join Here
community support 24-7 or sign up and sign in here
www.boomrethinkthedrink.com
Don’t let the shame of the stigma keep you from saying
“I think I have a problem with drinking”
16 min