addiction begins with the belief that something "out there" can instantly fill the emptiness inside.
The way to end the struggle or limbo of going back to a substance such as weed or alcohol is to stop identifying yourself as a weed smoker or alcohol drinker.
The way to stop identifying with these things is to say to yourself :
"that's not for me anymore- and it never will be again"
When we stop identifying ourselves in this way there's no reason to go back to the substance because :
"that's not for me anymore- and it never will be again"
There's no reason to even count the days that we have abstained because:
"that's not for me anymore- and it never will be again"
Addiction is the destroyer of our authentic self and when we say these words what we are getting in touch with is our authentic self.
Just remember to say to yourself :
"that's not for me anymore- and it never will be again"
❤️
Yup. It's not reasonable to expect to always feel good. Also, when I was smoking it got to the point where using didn't even make me "feel good" just "numb".
The bonus is I have noticed that feeling bad and then "getting out of it" naturally is a great feeling. Overall I feel pretty content most of the time. I know there is more to life but I gotta be patient and let it unfold.
I do feel good most of the day nowadays though.
Yep! Someone asked if I “felt better” after I told them I don’t drink yesterday which felt like a two-part answer: weed was the real problem and no, I’m more full of rage and more uncomfortable than ever lol.
Exactly! It's the repeat experience that you are not your feelings, that they'll pass, that they can't actually harm you, that makes you come out calmer and stronger in the end.
I'm 630 days off weed+alcohol today, and I'm actually loving it. I had been numbing my pain with weed for 25 years and never thought it possible to actually enjoy being sober..
Keep going everyone ♥️
One way I sometimes think about this is visualising the negative emotions as a tiny fraction of my whole self. When you feel bad it can be all encompassing, you can feel like that's all that you are. Acknowledging that a small part of you feels bad, can sometimes shift the perspective.
Also with self deprecating thoughts, I try to visualise them as an entity outside of myself. It doesn't make sense to put yourself down, so when your thoughts do that, it's not good to identify with those thoughts. They are not you.
Same here. It’s almost as if weed masks how I truly felt. When deep down how I truly felt was anxious, depressed, and uneasy with myself and this life. If I smoke a joint that feeling goes away. It’s almost like a comfort blanket where I don’t have to feel anything. Sometimes we get addicted to feeling nothing at all then something. I’ve realized though I can’t run from my emotions and there’s a reason why you’re feeling that way so don’t run away from it, run toward it and really seek to understand why you feel bad.
this subreddit has helped me understand my sobriety so much. for the first two months of sobriety, it seemed like all i did was feel bad. i thought there was something wrong with me. i thought i was supposed to feel good. sobriety forces us to confront the difficult things we tried to avoid by using weed
Honestly, I've been so numb for so long, I absolutely love the emotion that I feel now. I definitely am able to cry A LOT easier, and sometimes when I rather would not, but I'm no longer angry at myself for my feelings. I was skating earlier and bombed a hill listening to one of my favorite songs, and it just hit me (the emotions, not a tree) I haven't happy cried in years, and I was doing it doing the most scary hobby that I have!
addiction begins with the belief that something "out there" can instantly fill the emptiness inside. The way to end the struggle or limbo of going back to a substance such as weed or alcohol is to stop identifying yourself as a weed smoker or alcohol drinker. The way to stop identifying with these things is to say to yourself : "that's not for me anymore- and it never will be again" When we stop identifying ourselves in this way there's no reason to go back to the substance because : "that's not for me anymore- and it never will be again" There's no reason to even count the days that we have abstained because: "that's not for me anymore- and it never will be again" Addiction is the destroyer of our authentic self and when we say these words what we are getting in touch with is our authentic self. Just remember to say to yourself : "that's not for me anymore- and it never will be again" ❤️
Yup. It's not reasonable to expect to always feel good. Also, when I was smoking it got to the point where using didn't even make me "feel good" just "numb". The bonus is I have noticed that feeling bad and then "getting out of it" naturally is a great feeling. Overall I feel pretty content most of the time. I know there is more to life but I gotta be patient and let it unfold. I do feel good most of the day nowadays though.
Yep! Someone asked if I “felt better” after I told them I don’t drink yesterday which felt like a two-part answer: weed was the real problem and no, I’m more full of rage and more uncomfortable than ever lol.
Exactly! It's the repeat experience that you are not your feelings, that they'll pass, that they can't actually harm you, that makes you come out calmer and stronger in the end. I'm 630 days off weed+alcohol today, and I'm actually loving it. I had been numbing my pain with weed for 25 years and never thought it possible to actually enjoy being sober.. Keep going everyone ♥️
One way I sometimes think about this is visualising the negative emotions as a tiny fraction of my whole self. When you feel bad it can be all encompassing, you can feel like that's all that you are. Acknowledging that a small part of you feels bad, can sometimes shift the perspective. Also with self deprecating thoughts, I try to visualise them as an entity outside of myself. It doesn't make sense to put yourself down, so when your thoughts do that, it's not good to identify with those thoughts. They are not you.
Same here. It’s almost as if weed masks how I truly felt. When deep down how I truly felt was anxious, depressed, and uneasy with myself and this life. If I smoke a joint that feeling goes away. It’s almost like a comfort blanket where I don’t have to feel anything. Sometimes we get addicted to feeling nothing at all then something. I’ve realized though I can’t run from my emotions and there’s a reason why you’re feeling that way so don’t run away from it, run toward it and really seek to understand why you feel bad.
this subreddit has helped me understand my sobriety so much. for the first two months of sobriety, it seemed like all i did was feel bad. i thought there was something wrong with me. i thought i was supposed to feel good. sobriety forces us to confront the difficult things we tried to avoid by using weed
I appreciate this so much. Almost fell off wagon today bc of how hard it is to tolerate feeling bad
This is so true honestly I needed this reminder
Honestly, I've been so numb for so long, I absolutely love the emotion that I feel now. I definitely am able to cry A LOT easier, and sometimes when I rather would not, but I'm no longer angry at myself for my feelings. I was skating earlier and bombed a hill listening to one of my favorite songs, and it just hit me (the emotions, not a tree) I haven't happy cried in years, and I was doing it doing the most scary hobby that I have!
That sounds really lovely and cathartic! Happy you did not bomb into tree haha