Day 15
“When nothing is sure, everything is possible.”
-Margaret Drabble
Most everyone who goes back to drinking after stopping for awhile tells the same story: “It started again with just one sip.”
There are several reasons why people can’t stop with just one sip when they let themselves have a drink after they have stopped. Because of the relation our brain has formed with the feeling of drinking, it creates the need for another drink a short time later. Once you allow yourself to break the success streak by taking a drink, it’s easy to feel that one more won’t hurt anything.
Your brain wants to focus on the positive expectancies you got from alcohol the false sense of increased confidence, the buzz, the celebration.
It is very important to keep with your commitment for 30 days and not to have even one drink. Focus on what you are trying to fix right now, whether it is a relationship, your status at the university, or a legal issue.
After you’ve not had a drink for a few weeks, it’s easy not to. It’s also easier not to get started again. The catch is that it is easy to go back because, all it takes is one to start you off. Promise yourself not to have a drink. If you do slip, don’t give in at that point. Why slip if you can avoid drinking in the first place? Make sure to congratulate yourself on your progress so far. You will feel some positive affirmations at the end of the 30 days.
Remind yourself of your commitment and of the reasons you are choosing to quit!