Many patients tell us that they have been able to stop drinking but staying stopped was their biggest problem. They can go a week, a month and even 6 months or a year and just when they think they are OK, they pick up another drink. It’s like trying to stay on a diet. Only 6% of dieters make it long term and only 2% of alcoholics make long term sobriety. The label ‘alcoholic’ sends a river of resentment through an alcoholic’s brain. “Why me?” They believe that a true alcoholic must be someone sitting on a park bench in a trench coat and clutching a brown paper bag with just the top of the bottle exposed. We have yet to see that image of an alcoholic and I’ve been counselling alcoholics for more than a quarter of a century. Alcoholics are very sensitive souls and take offence at anything or anyone referring to them as an alcoholic or alcohol dependent. “I can stop anytime I like” is their war cry, but is it true? Of course they can stop, but for how long? Alcohol dependent people are not only very sensitive but very impulsive and often find themselves getting into trouble and heading for the nearest pub or bottle shop for a quick fix. This trouble can range from having minor arguments with partners, to financial crises, or breakdown of a marriage, or loss of a job. Alcoholics need to work on slowing down their impulsivity before they throw away their sobriety. Alcohol dependent people who act impulsively often regret their actions and don’t take time out to think things through. They jump to conclusions and make snap decisions they often regret. The following strategy takes advantage of these feelings of regret by bringing them to the surface before the impulsive action takes place. If you figure out how to slow down and consider the consequences of your impulsivity, you won’t find yourself sliding down the slippery slope as often. Think back to your last impulsive act of reaching for the bottle. Was it worth it? Did it solve your problem or make it worse? How did you feel the next day? Thinking back to your last drink often puts the brakes on your impulsivity and gives you time to question and challenge your thinking. Take a moment to ask yourself some questions before you act is one way to help you bridle your emotional impulses. When you have a strong desire to engage in impulsive behaviour, take a minute to look at the following questions and think about your responses:
  1. How important is doing this action to me?
  2. If I go ahead and do this action now, how will I feel about it tomorrow?
  3. What are the long-term consequences if I continue this action?
  4. How will I feel tomorrow if I don’t carry out this impulse right now?
This question and challenge your thinking strategy is not always easy to implement. Obviously, impulsivity involves acting without thinking and not surprisingly, these questions are a thought process. Often, in anger, we reach out and react without thinking things through. If you take the time to think before you act, many times you won’t do something that can lead to long-term trouble. However, don’t expect that the questions will just pop into your mind. You need to practice and learn these questions, even write them down and look at them from time to time, during normal periods in your life. If you have a habit of impulsivity, you need time and effort to break this habit. How important is doing this action (buying a bottle of alcohol) to me? Well, it feels important because it’s something I want to do and I’m not sure what else to do to stay calm if I don’t take that drink of alcohol. But, I guess in terms of my life as a whole, it isn’t all that important. If I go ahead and do this action now (take a drink), how will I feel about it tomorrow? I know the answer to this one. I just won’t think about tomorrow. But I do know that every time I pick up a drink, I feel guilty and stupid for having spent the money and taken the risks. I know I will end up back where I started and feel more depressed. What are the long-term consequences if I continue this action (drinking alcohol)? I could lose my family, my job, my driver’s licence or even my life. How will I feel tomorrow if I don’t carry out this impulsive act (getting drunk) right now? I will feel very proud of myself. My family will be proud of me and I will be another day sober. I know I can’t buy sobriety but I can buy a bottle of wine or beer. It’s my choice and my impulsivity, if I choose to drink, will produce chaotic consequences. When you feel a strong desire to drink without thinking it through, doing something completely different from what your impulse tells you to do can help quell the urge. The best way to use distraction as a strategy is to plan ahead. What are some activities you like to do that keep your mind focused? Taking part in these activities can help prevent you from doing the impulsive act. Everyone has a different list of distracting activities they enjoy. Here are a few examples of activities that can help focus your attention away from the impulsive act:
  • Mindfulness (learn how to do this and practice it every day)
  • Listen to guided imagery or creative visualisation tapes downloaded onto your iPod
  • Go for a walk or jog
  • Phone up a friend
  • Watch a DVD
  • Go to the gym or exercise at home
  • Gardening (even hosing the garden is a distraction)
  • Take a hot bath
  • Get a massage
  • Clean the house (not one of my favourites)
There are a myriad of activities you can do but you need to make this list now and not wait until you are faced with an impulsive thought that can lead to an impulsive action you will regret. We start patients detoxing with a number of supplements in conjunction with prescriptions recommended by their General Practitioner. LivaTone Plus supports phase 1 and phase 2 detoxification pathways, ensuring optimum detoxification of many toxic substances and also supports liver function and metabolism. Tyrosine Mood Food as Tyrosine is necessary for the manufacture of dopamine and noradrenaline, which are required for concentration, alertness, memory and a happy, stable mood. Magnesium Complete – The Great Relaxer. Helps to maintain healthy blood pressure and assists in the reduction of stress, nervous tension, anxiety and sleeplessness. L-Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the body and over 60% of your muscle tissue is comprised of glutamine. Strenuous exercise, viral and bacterial infections, inflammation, stress and trauma in general, can cause glutamine depletion that weakens the immune cells. MSM plus Vitamin C powder assists liver detoxification. Super Digestive Enzymes are a plant based digestive enzyme to assist digestion of carbohydrate, fat and protein. They reduces symptoms of poor digestive function such as bloating, flatulence, burping, indigestion, heartburn, reflux and irritable bowel syndrome. They are also helpful for people with food intolerances and food allergies, leaky gut or a sluggish pancreas.   The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.