I went to a meeting last night and it helped so much - tonight i'm at home on my own (plus kids) and my head is off on one!
I know there is some positive stuff going on for me right now but it keeps getting buried - i've signed up for a short 4 month Open University course, i'm also off my anit depressant after 19 years - but.............I'm going back to work tomorrow after 2 days off sick, finding my role really taxing at the mo, how can i distract my head please (without a drink) !
Ali
-- Edited by Ali7leighton on Wednesday 29th of July 2009 04:02:21 PM
oh yes, my head was in the same space as yours yesterday evening, its difficult at times, but I just try to take it slowly and just for now, this helps me, wishing you well and sending you prayers.
how can i distract my head please (without a drink) !
Hello Ali and welcome to the board. To answer your question, pay attention to the most important of AA's slogans, "One day at a time". We say that a lot early on and relate it to how to tackle Not drinking, but it's more about a new state of mind that we desperately need to adopt so that we can live in Today. When we concentrate on just what we need and need to do today we can find peace, joy, happiness, contentment... It's when we project about the future or fret about the past that we get all whacked out. We come to understand that that's what our disease wants us to do, so that we'll drink. It's a conditioned response, where we victimize ourself about either what happened in the past or the impending doom (that we somehow Will cause) in the future.
So make your things to do list for today and follow your routines for today and force yourself to focus on today only. Take a walk early in the morning or just after sunset in the evening in a park or near some water and reflect on how great it is just to be alive and to be you.
Dean
-- Edited by StPeteDean on Wednesday 29th of July 2009 07:19:04 PM
Sounds like you are already doing one thing to help, which is writing that post. Calling sober people helps, even if they aren't there sometimes the act of leaving a message can be quite helpful. There are so many little things to help fill your time and your head. I now know that it can be hard with kids (I have an 19 month old and now I wonder how people ever get sober with kids!). But my sponsor did something with me that really helped: she would never say "don't drink" to me but she would give me things to do instead. Read the Big Book, pray, meetings, call people, write a gratitude list, etc etc. I was simply too busy to have my head attack me too bad. So just hang in there, I swear it gets better! (and worse, and better, and worse but mostly much better).
