If we are going to change our habit of reaching for the bottle every time we feel sad, mad or bad, we have to change our thinking to change our feelings to change our behavior. Most of us have learned to avoid any feeling that makes us uncomfortable.

We interpret an uncomfortable feeling as a bad one, so when we’re uncomfortable, we usually stop the behavior that is making us feel that way. And this is exactly why most people do not continue in programs of change. New behavior has to swim upstream against entrenched feelings. We are going to be uncomfortable because doing something new feels different. We have to learn that it’s OK to feel uncomfortable for a while. We have to expect it and accept it.

When we decide to let what we know (rather than what we feel) dictate what we do, we are ready to formulate a program of change that will work. If you are someone who is not willing to go out and talk to people unless there is alcohol available, then you need to take a long, hard look at yourself. In recovery, you will feel uncomfortable so be prepared to feel uncomfortable the first time you go to a party. So what? It doesn’t make any difference except that you will remember what you said and did at the party and have no remorse and guilt feelings in the morning.

Habits define what is normal. They act like emotional glasses that we wear from morning to night. It is through those glasses that we view, interpret and evaluate our reality. None of us really sees reality the way it is. We see reality the way we are. People-pleasers find it normal to hide their true feelings and have fearful expectation of others’ “getting mad” and walking away from them. They expect it so their subconscious does its best to comply. What we think about, we talk about and what we talk about, we bring about.

Specifically, the question is, “What is normal for you?” Every time I ask a certain friend of mine, “How is it going?” he says, “Life is a struggle.” For him, it is and will always be until he is willing to go to war with that habit of thinking of looking at reality. This particular friend has been sober for nearly 15 years and has attended countless meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous but still, he is not happy. When his wife left him, she said: “I just can’t stand that negative frame of mind.”  My friend was not surprised. He expected her to leave, eventually. Life is a struggle.  He knew it would happen and it did happen.

If we are not on guard when new data conflicts with old habits of thinking, we tend to opt for these “outs”:

  • We invalidate the information. Have you ever done this? After hearing or reading something that challenges old thinking habits, the tendency is to think, “This is ridiculous stuff. Who would ever believe that?  It can’t be done.”
  • We invalidate the source. We simply negate it all by saying, “What would you know? If you had the problems I have, you wouldn’t be telling me I drink too much.”
  • We remove ourselves from the source of the conflicting data. “I’m not going back to the Counsellor because she told me I’m an alcoholic.”

Before I start counselling a new alcoholic patient, I need to assess their ability to absorb and retain what I am going to say to them. When it comes to feeling mentally and emotionally switched on, we have to have the correct brain chemistry – get it wrong and you will never achieve the feeling of wellbeing that you crave. Tyrosine Mood Food is necessary for the manufacture of dopamine and noradrenaline, which are required for concentration, alertness, memory and a happy stable mood.  Dopamine is a neurotransmitter responsible for the sense of satisfaction – why do we drink? To feel satisfied.  It is also the reward neurotransmitter – why do we drink?  It rewards us and makes us feel better about life.

To help the alcoholic relax I recommend Magnesium Complete as it will assist in the reduction of stress, nervous tension, anxiety and sleeplessness. I take Magnesium Ultra Potent because it suits me to use the powder format and to help prevent muscle cramps at night.

L-Glutamine, found in our Ultimate Gut Health Powder, helps to remove ammonia from the bloodstream to lower levels of toxic ammonia that build up when liver dysfunction is present. A practicing alcoholic has a very inflamed liver and needs to detox and heal, if the body is to recover from alcoholism.  L-Glutamine is the most amazing amino acid in the body! It is vital for healthy intestinal function and may help with inflammation of the intestinal tract. It is also vital for muscle growth and healthy muscle function. It also assists muscle recovery after exercise. I always put my patients on an exercise program to help heal their mind, body and spirit. L-Glutamine also supports efficient brain function.

LivaTone Plus is a powerful formula that can support liver function when there are more chronic liver problems. It is beneficial for a sluggish bile flow and gallbladder problems or if you have lost your gallbladder. It is beneficial in reducing abdominal bloating, burping and flatulence and provides extra antioxidant protection for the liver when required.

Allergies are related to poor liver function which reduces the liver’s efficiency in cleansing the blood of toxins (such as antibodies and chemicals like alcohol.) Such toxins over stimulate the immune system causing it to pour out inflammatory chemicals. Read Dr. Cabot’s book, The Liver Cleansing Diet.