Stop The Beast In Your Head

Recognizing when our addictive mind is trying to grab hold of our thoughts (and life) is key to staying clean and sober.  The addictive mind, which we shall call "The Beast", is a very cunning adversary.  It is made up of a combination of negative attitudes, distorted thinking, and intense resistance to change.  Oftentimes The Beast can start an argument inside our head between our rational mind and our old ways of thinking without us even recognizing it. 
In our daily lives we can encounter many triggers such as TV commercials, arguments with significant others, and even something as mundane as a certain smell.  If not recognized and interrupted from the start, The Beast can use these impulses as the start of a craving which can lead to relapse.  The process goes something like this:

When we do recognize that this process has begun, it will take effort to arrest its progression and prevent The Beast from seizing control of our minds and our lives.  It is vital to our recovery, however, to put in the effort as soon as we recognize that the process has begun because the longer we allow it to perpetuate the harder it will be to halt the progression into relapse.  To put The Beast back in its cage and retake control of what's going on between our ears, we can try using the following techniques:

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  Visualization-this can be either positive or negative.  For instance you can visualize the damage to your life that picking up and using again will cause (negative), or you can visualize putting The Beast back in its cage and locking the door (positive).
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  Deep Breathing-this is a common relaxation technique whereby filling your lungs with air and letting it out slowly at least three times will result in a calmness in your body.
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  Pick up the phone-sharing your feelings about people, places, and things is a good way for you to hear your own feelings about things going on in your life, and it gives you the opportunity to hear some rational feedback from someone else.  Calling someone also takes time during which the physical part of the craving may pass.
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  Prayer and Meditation-asking our higher power for help and direction will help us recognize that we are not alone in dealing with life and our recovery.

Keeping The Beast in its cage and recognizing when the cage door may be opening is paramount to surviving and thriving in our recovery.  These are some simple techniques to arrest the progression of a relapse.  With practice and experience they will become easier to adopt.  If you have ideas or techniques of your own that are not mentioned here, feel free to leave comments and share them with others.

If you're struggling with addiction and would like to contact someone for help call Pathways Recovery to talk to a Substance Abuse Counselor.

Related Links:

http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Get-Rid-of-Stinking-Thinking&id=60091

http://www.ipass.net/a1idpirat/AAglossary.html

http://www.addictionsandrecovery.org/relapse-prevention.htm

http://www.bloggingonrecovery.com/2009/10/cardinal-sin-of-recovery.html