When I decided to finally stop drinking ethanol, I found journaling to be\u00a0a great way to process what was going on – all of the changes I was undergoing, and the huge ephiphanies that were occurring\u00a0almost daily during those first couple of months. \u00a0It’s also a great way to keep accountable.\u00a0The reason I\u2019m sharing this very personal content is that I feel that my sharing\u00a0could be helpful to someone else, and if sharing helps just one person, it’s worth it.<\/p>\n
If you are interested in getting free of ethanol addiction, I think it would be most helpful if you read This Naked Mind<\/strong><\/em><\/a> by Annie Grace. And then read my blogs in their numbered order. I’ll be updating helpful Resources<\/a> often, too. When I look back, I can see just how much more simplified my thinking has become as it evolved\u00a0around the whole deal. \u00a0The fact is, when you first stop, your head will play huge games with you just to keep that “little monster” fed. \u00a0All you need to do is be mindful and starve the little bastard.<\/p>\n No Shame<\/strong> There is no shame or need for anonymity about getting addicted or being addicted to ethanol. \u00a0Anyone can get addicted because it is the nature of the substance itself. \u00a0It doesn\u2019t matter whether your poison of choice is wine or beer, or rocket fuel, it\u2019s all the same: ethanol. Some people get addicted more quickly than others; some take years and years to develop their addiction. Some people make an occupation of moderating their intake – which is more work than simply stopping! \u00a0 If you are reading this because you are considering stopping, I can bet you are drinking more today than you did last year. \u00a0There’s nothing wrong with you. It’s the nature of the beast.<\/p>\n It is not a disease<\/strong>, and there\u2019s\u00a0nothing to be ashamed of. You are not defective. Fact is, a substance that is part of our centuries-old dysfunctional heritage and is heavily marketed to make us feel that we can\u2019t experience happiness and inclusion\u00a0without it, is actually a highly addictive substance that happens to be legal. \u00a0And don’t get me started about the disease model the addiction industry is selling…<\/p>\n I don\u2019t know about you, but I was raised in a deep drinking\u00a0culture. First we had the lost generation of post-WWI drinkers (and all of those great writers who created drama out of their drunken confusion), then we had the \u201cMad Men\u201d culture of the 50s with the panache of cigarettes and martinis. \u00a0Now we have the \u201cwine and brew\u201d earthy \u201cit\u2019s good for you\u201d and “mommy time” culture. Nobody gets out alive.<\/p>\n When imbibing, we\u00a0don\u2019t necessarily\u00a0realize it, but what we are doing is\u00a0deadening our senses so we don\u2019t have to feel basic human feelings, frustration or discomfort. And although we might mask those feelings for a few fleeting moments, they\u2019re still there waiting to be felt. Ethanol is a broad-spectrum feeling exterminator. \u00a0While briefly exterminating the unpleasant stuff, we also exterminate\u00a0the joy that is our true nature.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re anything like I was, the idea of stopping drinking may seem totally complicated and impossible at this point in time. \u00a0Believe me, I thought\u00a0I was going to drink until the day I died. But, I stopped! And if I can stop, so can you. Read my blogs in order, and you might just change the way you think about ethanol, too.<\/p>\n READ ON: #1 Last Hangover!<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When I decided to finally stop drinking ethanol, I found journaling to be\u00a0a great way to process what was going on – all of the changes I was undergoing, and the huge ephiphanies that were Read More …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":94,"parent":0,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-24","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P7kyf1-o","jetpack-related-posts":[],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/heidimayo.com\/spiritblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/24","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/heidimayo.com\/spiritblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/heidimayo.com\/spiritblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heidimayo.com\/spiritblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heidimayo.com\/spiritblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/heidimayo.com\/spiritblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/24\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":204,"href":"https:\/\/heidimayo.com\/spiritblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/24\/revisions\/204"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heidimayo.com\/spiritblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/94"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/heidimayo.com\/spiritblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}