Yes! This Naked Mind transformed my relationship with alcohol. July 1, 2017! I was just. so. DONE. I like the word "obsolete". I could never have "just one." It was so annoying to vow every day to drink less, and end up with a drink in hand come 5:30. I wasn't really in control--it was in control of me. And NO MORE HANGOVERS. Honestly just thinking about having one is enough to put me off my wondering if I should try a glass of something now and then!
Thanks Marika. Glad you like “obsolete” too -- and yeah, fucking hell, the hangovers. Great deterrent, once I got a little perspective. Funny how even the bad ones didn’t put me off earlier though. The pain isn’t enough. I had to get straight enough to see straight.
Love that picture-you must have been a blast to get hammered with! Alcohol is fun 🤩 as long as no one loses an eye-that’s the problem. Is it worth the aftermath? I think not. “Get high on your own supply” “Straight street that great street “ when I decide not to drink you are one of the people I see in my minds eye-thanks 🙏🏻 I’m going to use the six questions as a template for my own Stack. Cheers!
Bowen this is SO good! All of your points echo my own reasons for breaking up with alcohol. I especially love 'I need 100% of myself every day'! That simple wording sums up everything.
Before I quit I made meticulous notes about how I was feeling. I wrote about the exhaustion and confusion. I wrote clearly about my reasons for quitting. I wanted a record of it so that, like you, if I felt the desire to indulge I would have a reminder of why I quit in the first place. I have never needed it and it's been quite a few years. It was a very solid decision.
Great to see you here Donna, and I'm so glad this resonates with you! While I've also written about my experiences with alcohol in much greater detail, things often come to me in short phrases first, and they're often very powerful. Prose is the explanation, but these are the spells.
thanks Michael. Not knowing ourselves... is that the gordian knot you wrote about? (I have that piece bookmarked)... As I wrote above, "I had to get straight enough to see straight" enough to realize how much I was missing & didn't really enjoy drinking as much as I thought I did... but of course drinking keeps us well insulated from ourselves and that truth. That knot can be a tricky bastard to unwind!
thank you so much Sofia. I'm glad this landed with you! I do get that feeling of "I would love a drink" now and then, and, yeah, it's always a good message in itself, to stop and reflect. Of course, sometimes, the fact is, dammit, I would just love to have a drink—but, even if I did choose to, that wouldn't be the time to have one.
Yes! This Naked Mind transformed my relationship with alcohol. July 1, 2017! I was just. so. DONE. I like the word "obsolete". I could never have "just one." It was so annoying to vow every day to drink less, and end up with a drink in hand come 5:30. I wasn't really in control--it was in control of me. And NO MORE HANGOVERS. Honestly just thinking about having one is enough to put me off my wondering if I should try a glass of something now and then!
Thanks Marika. Glad you like “obsolete” too -- and yeah, fucking hell, the hangovers. Great deterrent, once I got a little perspective. Funny how even the bad ones didn’t put me off earlier though. The pain isn’t enough. I had to get straight enough to see straight.
Love that picture-you must have been a blast to get hammered with! Alcohol is fun 🤩 as long as no one loses an eye-that’s the problem. Is it worth the aftermath? I think not. “Get high on your own supply” “Straight street that great street “ when I decide not to drink you are one of the people I see in my minds eye-thanks 🙏🏻 I’m going to use the six questions as a template for my own Stack. Cheers!
Right on brother! Appreciate knowing that I’m along for the ride ;)
I’m a firm believer in “whatever works.” Tell it Bowen! Thanks Donna for the pointer to Bowen’s stack. We need more sober voices always and evermore.
Bowen this is SO good! All of your points echo my own reasons for breaking up with alcohol. I especially love 'I need 100% of myself every day'! That simple wording sums up everything.
Before I quit I made meticulous notes about how I was feeling. I wrote about the exhaustion and confusion. I wrote clearly about my reasons for quitting. I wanted a record of it so that, like you, if I felt the desire to indulge I would have a reminder of why I quit in the first place. I have never needed it and it's been quite a few years. It was a very solid decision.
Thank you for this excellent article.
Great to see you here Donna, and I'm so glad this resonates with you! While I've also written about my experiences with alcohol in much greater detail, things often come to me in short phrases first, and they're often very powerful. Prose is the explanation, but these are the spells.
I'd love to see your list!
👌👌👌
thanks Michael. Not knowing ourselves... is that the gordian knot you wrote about? (I have that piece bookmarked)... As I wrote above, "I had to get straight enough to see straight" enough to realize how much I was missing & didn't really enjoy drinking as much as I thought I did... but of course drinking keeps us well insulated from ourselves and that truth. That knot can be a tricky bastard to unwind!
thank you so much Sofia. I'm glad this landed with you! I do get that feeling of "I would love a drink" now and then, and, yeah, it's always a good message in itself, to stop and reflect. Of course, sometimes, the fact is, dammit, I would just love to have a drink—but, even if I did choose to, that wouldn't be the time to have one.
Cheers