My Alcohol Experiment: Day 3

Day 3 of The Alcohol Experiment: going to the root to do the work and dealing with discomfort.So much material here! Is every day like this?!Here are my answers to two of the questions from today:What temptations have you had so far?Excerpts from my internal monologue: It’s ANOTHER snow day, and I’m cooped up in the house all day with the kids. I want to drink to have “me time” and to chillax. This has been SUCH a challenging winter, I want to drink to ease the stress of it. I have wine in my house, I might as well drink it to get rid of it. I DESERVE a drink. I spend my day doing things for others, especially my kids, and I want to do something for myself. Tonight, my husband and I are going out for a date night and to toast the last night of our son's threenagerhood. I want to toast with alcohol! I want to celebrate! How do I celebrate without alcohol?!How do you feel when you look at the above statements?I feel weak. I feel gross. I feel like alcohol has control of me. I feel uncreative and lame. If I give in, I feel good for the first drink and then spend the rest of the night trying to catch that same buzz - and I now know I never will.... so why do I continue to put myself in that position of weakness?According to Annie Grace’s doctor friend, I am walking in a trench that is over my head, formed from years of giving into alcohol cravings and dug by the neural pathways created in the emotional side of my brain.But there is a way out! It takes effort and presence but we can break down the walls of the trench, climb out and forge a new path. Each day abounds with negative thoughts that can turn into false beliefs. The more we can deal with these thoughts in the moment, the less stable our mental trench becomes.Annie Grace talks about going to the root to do the work. Instead of just relying on willpower, which will eventually run out and lead to self-sabotage, we have the capacity to understand what is truly happening and to tackle it head on. How empowering is that! I personally feel that if I can tackle my alcohol issues in this way, I’ll be able to apply the same methods to my issues with junk food cravings. A girl can dream!I thought today’s lesson was a wonderful reminder that as we forge ahead, whether it’s with The Alcohol Experiment or with Weight Watchers in general, or anything you are currently tackling in your life, we should aim to do so in a state of grace and kindness. Let’s all be as kind to ourselves as we are to our friends and we can make incredible progress.[The Alcohol Experiment is a free, interactive 30-day program designed by Annie Grace, author of This Naked Mind. For more information, click here.]