How do I get free when I'm trapped in alcohol addiction? Annie Grace answers.
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- Опубликовано: 16 июл 2024
- Wondering if you can get free when you're trapped in alcohol addiction?
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Annie Grace, author of This Naked Mind is answering reader's questions live. Today she answers, How do I get free when I'm trapped in alcohol addiction?
If you're trapped in alcohol addiction you might be left wondering how to ever get free. Alcohol addiction seems like a cell without a key. A virtual black hole. You can break free and you can make your way out.
Allen Carr, an author and addiction expert best known for helping smokers overcome nicotine addiction, uses a perfect analogy for how addiction works: the pitcher plant. This analogy is powerful, both in making sense of addiction in your conscious mind and in reconditioning your unconscious mind.
Alan Carr uses this as a metaphor for alcohol because he says it's all around us and it's held up as this beautiful thing and we're so susceptible to it from a young age. Super bowl commercials, parties - it just comes on hard and fast that this is somehow the elixir of life. So we believe this and we don't see the harm or danger in it. We're on a trajectory of drinking more. That's just the nature of alcohol - not only are we building a tolerance but it's also addictive so it's very similar to the pitcher plant.
How do we get free when we’re trapped in alcohol addiction?
My passion is to awaken people to the situation, to the addictive nature of alcohol (despite societies glamorization of it) before they reach a point in the plant where getting out becomes next to impossible.
I want to open this conversation so that we're talking to our kids and to each other before we get to a point where we feel like we're trapped in alcohol addiction. Why are we waiting until that point? Why can't we have this conversation drinking Chardonnay and how we should just have one because of the dangers of breast cancer or liver damage? Is there a reason we are not having that conversation and bringing some consciousness and some mindfulness to the issue?
How you get trapped in addiction is that there is a line that is crossed, in addiction, in your brain.
The key to escaping once you've reached this point of being trapped in alcohol addiction is to really understand how you got there. Many studies show that addiction is really deeply connected with stress. One of the reasons people can go on for years just drinking socially on occasion and not develop into addiction is that the stress never became overwhelming. I think often when you develop into addiction it's when you start drinking to self-medicate. It becomes a form of relief. Now you’re drinking your way through stress.
We're not like the fly. We are human beings and we have an intellect. Understanding the dangers of being trapped in alcohol addiction and knowing we need to find escape.
By understanding why you’re trapped in alcohol addiction it can provide you the tools to escape the pitcher plant. When we're deep in it when we're seeing the bodies, when we're stuck in the nectar how do we escape? It’s through understanding. 
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This video made me cry.... you described exactly what happens to me everyday. I get up with every intention of not drinking and then on the way home from work it's like I've been taken over by a bully who drives me to the liquor store and drowns out all of my protests that I really don't want to do this. I'm exhausted... from fighting with this craving, from feeling like a failure, from arguing with myself.
I hope you'll join me for The Alcohol Experiment! I really think it could help you and there will be plenty of support along with it. learn.thisnakedmind.com/alcohol-experiment-beta-signup
i know the exact same, i fight with these cravings so many years, and also small amount of alcohol damages/hurts me. Today after whole work of anxiety I went run and gave contrast shower after. I am searching another dopamin releasing things. Have you heard about The Sinclair Method TSM with Naltrexon/Nalmefen ?
I 100% know what your going through
I know exactly what you’re describing... I’ve been trying to quit for at least 4 years and it’s only gotten worse over that time. Partly because I need to drink more to numb out the pain and guilt I feel. I finally came across a brother in Christ who had my same problem and when I heard he’s been 7 yrs sober, I asked him to help me. He encouraged me to do a 21 day challenge. I took him up on it and failed after 3 days. I was so depressed and mad about it, I almost didn’t tell him. But when I did, he said don’t worry brother,the devil just won round 1, now get yourself back up and kick his ass. I did, and had more courage to take this on. It’s now been 73 days with no alcohol, and honestly I feel better than ever. I look forward to waking up every day now, been back in the gym, and I look forward to more exciting revelations as my mind continues to clear from this fog.
I want to encourage you that YOU can do this too! I thought alcohol would eventually kill me because I honestly thought I had no way out. Thank God for His guidance and the people He used to bring me to sobriety. No AA needed:)
It's seems like u talking about me. So much struggle. I don't Wana die. I want to see my kids grown.i Wana be myself not control by Demans ( alcohol)
She said most of us aren’t there, but I was and I can tell you it was horrible. Had to remove myself from alcohol with 2 weeks inpatient rehab and detox. 26 months sober now and I hope I never make the mistake of thinking I can handle alcohol ever again. Life is so much better but the thought of using alcohol to relieve stress is still there to some degree.
Curt Zimmerman .........try smoking legal “10.4% cbd weed with low .4% thc “once in a while! ....”aurora temple hybrid”
It smooths out anxiety,helps with inflammation and pain,you’ll sleep like a baby and you don’t get high .
It has worked well for me ,smoking a few joints a month ,you can get it in an edible oil if you don’t smoke .
The pitcher plant analogy proved VERY useful to me over time. Thanks for repeating it.
You've explained so much with the MRI bit. Everytime I pass a liquor store all of my capability to stay sober goes out the window.
Change your thinking of the liquor store from a " good place" to an "evil place" teach yourself to despise it! Take back control of your urges
Thank you for your message. I told my wife today I feel like there’s no hope for me today and the fight in me is gone. It’s been a loosing battle for over ten years now. I have every intention to stop on so many days but am derailed over and over again.
The fact that you still want to stop means there is hope. There's no shame in having many Day 1's.
That's true. I didn't think of it that way.
Thank you for this encouraging lesson! I’ve been sober for over 5 weeks now, but the temptation to drink is still with me. It’s a daily goal and challenge.
It gets easier with time!
Read Alan Carr how to quit drinking, it will change your world. I quit after 42 years, have no desire to drink now.
It's called addiction, take the first step
Totally relate, totally get it, very good educational video, Thank you🌻🌻
Great talk Annie ! The other issue pertaining to people's addiction to alcohol is influence from friends, family, tv commercials, sporting events , billboard signs, social media and on and on and on... when people says it's a "superpower" to be able to not drink and give up alcohol, they're correct. It's a constant daily battle against the powers of the alcohol industry. How can we as a nation get a grip around something so big that it causes the highest death rate compared to other drugs thought to be worse? I know I'm preaching to the choir but the vast majority of people in the u.s. if not the world has foggy lenses due to addiction of alcohol...the only way to get to people is getting them early, making it mandatory in school to teach them about codependency on alcohol, drugs,sex,shopping, eating etc..maybe have a show on TV hosted by a celebrity who gave up alcohol, who discusses the harms of drinking (plenty of material) and benefits of not drinking.( also plenty of materisl) , maybe on PBS..have you ever thought of this, or of doing this yourself? Thx for reading this long response!
Society and media are incredibly influential on our thoughts and beliefs. We do so much work around that at TNM!
Great video. Thanks, Annie.
The resources mentioned in this video are: The Addictive Brain by Thad A. Polk, Pleasure Unwoven by Dr. Kevin McCauley & my book This Naked Mind. Thank you!
Awesome video and analogy.
Thank you!
Oh Annie...one of your very BEST offerings....Immense 'merci' from France. You inspire...you educate...you help so, so very much. Gratitude for having found you and your important message(s)...Respect beyond.
You are so welcome!
Thanks so much, this is value information.
I read your book and it's amazing it helped me a lot in this journey..thank you very much.
You're most welcome!
This is awesome, I'm on day number 2 and this has really helped. Thank you so much.
You are so welcome Shane, i'm so glad it helped us.
How did things work out for you
Thank you, this makes sense. Finally an explanation that makes sense.
Thank you Bill!
It should be so very, very simple to not walk across the street to the liquor store. It should be so very, very simple.
I know!! It should be so easy to not stop at the liquor store on the way home. It's like I go on auto-pilot and end up there no matter how much I don't want to.
Thank you Annie for all the research you have done! Finally a book that makes sense & really helps you kick that monster to the curb! Day 6 & loving life....finally
Thank you Barbara for allowing me to be part of your journey!
Thanks for this. Thee is an interesting book that takes a different approach to the problem of addictions of all types. I've it a few times and am convinced if I tried the method it would help but for some reason have an inner resitance to sitting down and doing it. I really like the way you research things and try to learn as much as possoble to give you the tools to form your own future. The book is called Feeding your demons by Tsultrim Allione. It also has some real life stories of people struggling with addiction and how feeding their demons helped them. Take care and all the best to you.
Great Video. I just bought her book, "This Naked Mind"
Great! Thank so much!
Fantastic video!!!!
I just started Naltrexone 3 weeks ago. Doc said take one everyday.
I did for the first two weeks and things went well. Started to drink less. Then, I heard you should only take it 1 hour before you drink. Started doing that. But, my
drinking is picking up again.
Crap!!!!
It's only 3 weeks on medication.
Guess I need to stick it out.
3 to 6 months maybe??
I hope not...
Best of luck!
I have been watching videos all day the past two days. Simon Chappell and now her. I am in a place I am getting ready to stop. I think I always thought I could stop. I’ve been so sick and broken. I am reducing to reduce symptoms but I’m watching to buffer how little faith I have in myself. But I am trying
I am so stressed and I am absolutely going through a lot and it’s been so long dealing with my daughter who went down the wrong road 4years ago. I need to let go of her and start living again.
You're so worth having faith in!
My life has been a nightmare of anxiety and depression so bad that I had to stop working and have recieved government money for 15 years now. I didn't drink then. But the last years I have been drinking heavily. I get terrible withrawals now, but its hard to not drink when I have nothing good to come back to. None of the countless therapists or medications I have tried have ever helped me. I tried to exercise, ate all the right foods, tried to force my self to go out and do something, but the fear I have in me and the total emptiness makes it impossible to change my situation. At least when I'm drnking I have some hours where I can enjoy listen to music or talk to a couple frends. I feel so hopeless. My life is a nightmare nd I see no escape from it.
It is never hopeless. I hope you reach out to us for support.
That the alcohol has taken over your brain, you'll have to try a bit harder if you truly want freedom, good luck
What a great video! I have a whole sheet of notes here. It is interesting when I here things like this. It actual makes a part of me glad I had issues with alcohol and needed to seek help to overcome it. It was a great challenge and now I find all this fascinating to study! The "Hedonic Threshold" is a new one for me. Just amazing stuff once again!! A question for you. Is it good or beneficial to be addicted to something that is good for you? I know that sounds strange/ borderline silly. But if someone was addicted to exercise in the same neurological way one is addicted to alcohol, is that still unhealthy? I would guess you would still make bad choices. Maybe not physically bad but mentally. Just a thought.
Great question but I haven't done that research yet!
@@ThisNakedMind Yeah, I feel we use the word obsession in the place of addiction when it comes to this. ??
Hi Annie
Thanks for this content it is genuinely helpful
I have a question regarding eliminating access to alcohol being the only way to stop. I drink everyday and I'm wondering how you know whether it is safe to just stop outright?
I could put myself in a situation where I can't get alcohol but I worry that I'll have a panic attack or be unstable. Thanks for your time
I would consult with your physician if you feel like withdrawals may be dangerous for you.
Just wanted your opinion on this, is it better to quit cold turkey or ween off of it slowly? Love you vids and man are you a beautiful woman!
It depends on if you're in the physically addicted category or not.
What do you mean by most of us are not there? How do I know if I've crossed that line? What if I'm worse off than I thought? BTW I'm the weekend Binger 😔
This article can help you identify the severity of your drinking - www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-athletes-way/201506/what-are-the-eleven-symptoms-alcohol-use-disorder
@@ThisNakedMind thank you so much for responding!! Ill check this article out!
I love what your saying I really want to stop I need help I need someone to talk to about this any advise
We have some great Facebook groups - facebook.com/groups/alcoholexperiment - you can talk to others there! Also check out the coaches on my page!
Easier softer way
Sorry
Won't work
What works depends on the individual. Thank goodness options exist to help everyone!
The sober man is King in the land of the drunks.
❤️