Recovery means that things have to be different than they were. It means that I have to be different than I was. All change is about changing habits, which is why a basic understanding of habits is essential to understanding, and ultimately initiating, change.

Look at the difference between being drunk and being sober; between secretly, compulsively overeating and controlling that compulsion; between engaging in compulsive shopping behavior and refraining from that behavior. Dramatic, heroic, marvellous change is clearly evident.

Recovery can be dramatic when you observe the difference between never saying no and being able to stand up for yourself; between somehow always ending up in destructive relationships and being able to make a choice; between never finding any fault with yourself and being willing to take responsibility for your own consequences.

Change takes place in three sequential steps:

  1. Acceptance
  2. Decision
  3. Action

In my experience, we do not change until we have some kind of awakening to the fact that we are going to lose something we are not prepared to live without if we do not change.  I call that an awakening a conversion experience. Some people call it “rock bottom” or “hitting the wall.”  Until we come to our own personal “rock bottom” we simply don’t see the need for change and we don’t see the ultimate destination of the path we have been travelling and the destruction of our relationships.

Until that turning point comes, we just don’t have the motivation to do the things that make change start.  You then hit a psychological wall as part of the process of change. That’s the moment at which you know that if you don’t change, then you are going to lose something you are not prepared to live without.

“The chief activator of our defects has been self-centred fear. Primarily fear that we would lose something we already possessed or would fail to get something we demanded. Living upon a basis of unsatisfied demands, we were in a state of continual disturbance and frustration. Therefore, no peace was to be had unless we could find a means of reducing these demands. The difference between a demand and a simple request is plain to anyone.”  Step 7 from 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous

Acceptance is when we say to ourselves, “enough is enough!”

We simple see a new light or an old light with new eyes. In all my years of counselling alcoholics, nothing has come close to the amazement I feel when I see this conversion experience in my patients. Words really don’t fit this mystery. The fact simply is that when it’s your time, it’s your time.

A working definition might be this: “A conversion experience happens when a person accepts, which is far deeper than just knowing, that if I do not change, I will lose something or someone I am not prepared to live without.”

As the thinking goes, “I you are prepared to loses it, you will.” How much do you have to lose before you hit “rock bottom.”

Rock bottom may occur when a person:

  • Hears a spouse say,  “It’s over”
  • Watches a successful, middle-aged friend die of a sudden heart attack and realises, “My life is not forever”
  • Has thought once too often and seriously about how lovely and easy it would be to end it all
  • Realises she hit her child too hard and too often
  • Looks in the mirror and says, “I hate you”
  • Hears a doctor say, “Stop drinking or it will kill you”
  • Sees tears in the eyes of a loved one and finally accepts responsibility for that pain
  • Starts to cry herself to sleep again and realises that no one cares
  • Has failed for the umpteenth time to stop drinking and suddenly realises that she has caused that failure because she didn’t believe she could ever really win

The point is that we have to identify for ourselves what we are going to lose if we don’t change.

Why should I change? That’s the question. What am I going to lose if I don’t?

So often the ready response is, “Oh, but it’s going to hurt so much, it’s going to be so difficult.” If you are saying those kinds of things as you contemplate change, the chances are good that you haven’t hit your rock bottom, yet.

The liver is severely affected by long term use of alcohol. If all of the above is a bit too close to home and you would like some help to de-stress, I recommend Tyrosine Mood Food.  Tyrosine is necessary for the manufacture of dopamine and noradrenaline, which are required for concentration, alertness, memory and a happy, stable mood. Tyrosine is also required for the manufacture of adrenalin in the adrenal glands to assist those suffering with adrenal exhaustion.

The state of your liver has a big impact on your state of mind so that those with a fatty liver may find themselves irritable and moody with a poor memory and difficulty keeping up with life’s demands. Depression and poor sleep may be associated with a fatty liver and these things resolve when we improve the liver function.  I recommend Livatone Plus, a more powerful formula that can support liver function when there are more serious liver problems due to junk food.

L-Glutamine, found in our Ultimate Gut Health Powder, is an amino acid and has been shown to improve brain function and Tyrosine can also relieve emotional pain as we are often very sensitive people.

Vegetable juice has been successfully used to clear out fatty livers and can help with a myriad of health disorders.  Dr. Cabot has a great juice book that’s easy to follow and has recipes to help rejuvenate your liver, "Raw Juices Can Save Your Life".

Magnesium Ultra Potent can be taken before bed to assist with a deep and restful sleep. It also helps to reduce stress and is also known as the “great relaxer”.

Dr. Cabot’s book, "Help for Depression and Anxiety" is an excellent read for people suffering with depression, stress and anxiety.