Photo by Ian Espinosa on Unsplash
THE BIGGEST BATTLE OF MY LIFE.
There may be clinically approved methods and detox programs that can help a person regain sobriety. But without any continuity program, there is a danger that the person could relapse again.
Based on my personal experience, this is how I was able to get sober and stay up to this day, and my deepest wish is to raise awareness that something from my experience can help you obtain freedom.
First of all:
I dared to recognize and face the problem that I brought upon myself.
Alcohol addiction gradually deteriorated my life until it reached the core of my daily functions. So I’m talking from a standpoint of having nothing left in life that could motivate me to go on and fight.
Second:
I began to analyze and study my behavior along with the daly routine.
It was very hard for me to stop and focus on the path that seemed most correct to follow. Personally, I was on the street, I slept in the shelter surrounded by drunken bums and drug addicts.
Third:
I began to observe my cycle of the day around the activities and thought patterns that kept me going forward drinking every day.
Everything I did was related to drinking. From the time I woke up to the time I passed out. Every day was the same Quest towards getting drunk. Getting the Reward.
So I started making adjustments to get different results. I walk away from the places I used to hang out with others to get drunk. I did not seek refuge in solitude, instead, I looked for places full of people living their ordinary life. That gave me peace of mind.
I learn to feel good in tranquility and to bear the boredom that had made me return to drinking. There were days when I despaired. However, when I looked at my face in the mirror, I started to see a significant change that ignited a satisfaction within me. From there I began to feel grateful that the effort I was making was worth it.
Day after day I felt my health and my mind was getting stronger. My decisions to stay away from drinking were increasingly supported by the results, and feeling more encouraged to seek the joy of one more day without alcohol.
It was from there that I began to observe my moods. To avoid being handled by my emotions. The damage had already been done, now I was reaping the benefits of my right decisions. I was waiting for the opportunity to get out of this homeless mess.
When my opportunity to leave the shelter arrived, I went to live as far away as I could from the environment that had imprisoned me. I put a great wall between me and the drink. I put up barricades that would stop me for just an instant to reflect on the damage it had caused me.
Little by little my life began to be restored, from one brick on top of the other. I feel that it has been the greatest achievement to put the drink behind. My life would not be the same if it were not for that moment that I realize that it was worth fighting for a better tomorrow.
NOW. WHAT ARE THE LESSONS I LEARN IN LIFE?
Be aware not to open the door to a habit that can enslave and destroy you
All habits come to your door in a daily routine, good habits and the not-so-great, so you’d better make sure the habits you keep are the good ones. The bad ones will seduce you with instant pleasure and gratification. An appetizing reward that in the long term it will be very difficult to break. Remember that most of your bad habits are caused by two things...Stress and boredom.
Have the courage to draw a line if the addiction is already in your life.
Choose a substitute for the bad habit. Plan ahead of time for how you will respond when you face stress and boredom that prompts your bad habit. Remember…You don’t eliminate a bad habit. You Replace it.
Take the necessary effort to make changes and seek for help.
Cut out as many triggers as possible. Make it easier on yourself to break bad habits by avoiding the things that cause them. Right now, your environment makes your bad habits easier and the good habits harder. Change your environment and you can change the outcome.
Every little positive action can get you closer to freedom.
Join forces with somebody. One can motivate the other. Surround yourself with people who live the way you want to live. Visualize yourself crushing the bad habits, smiling, and enjoying your Success.
It’s easy to get caught up in how you feel about your bad habits. You can make yourself feel guilty or spend your time dreaming about how you wish things were…but these thoughts take you away from what’s actually happening.
Instead, it’s AWARENESS that will show you how to actually make change.
- When does your bad habit actually happen?
- How many times do you do it each day?
- Where are you?
- Who are you with?
- What triggers the behavior and causes it to start?
Simply tracking these issues will make you more aware of the behavior and give you dozens of ideas for stopping it.
Breaking bad habits takes time and effort, but mostly it takes perseverance. Most people who end up breaking bad habits try and fail multiple times before they make it work. You might not have success right away, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have it all.
I hope this short testimony and the strategies I have to learn from others will help you reconsider how worthwhile it is to fight for a new awakening and discover that there is nothing healthier than living in sobriety, with a clear mind to accept the Mercy and the Love of God!
THANKS FOR READING!
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