I would notice having that first drink after work would make me feel relaxed and put me in the mood to socialize. It was like permission for my brain to stop agonizing over what didn’t go well with my day. My mental brain switch. It worked almost instantly, and my brain liked the immediate results. When drinking, I wasn’t consciously aware that I had a belief that alcohol was my de-stressor after a day at work. My brain made the connection, and I just kept repeating the behavior.
What did I think alcohol was doing for me? What was my belief system around it?
One glass may be fine to have after work, but not the few that followed. I didn’t really want to consume that much but, yet, I was. You may not consciously know what your beliefs are about drinking. I had to ask myself these questions to better understand why I kept the behavior going. The reasons behind my drinking was to relax, feel better in the moment, and relieve my anxiety.
Your behaviors show you your beliefs.
Once I started telling myself a new belief – a belief that was truer to what I really believe – the alcohol began to lose its power. I could stop at 1 drink or have none. My previous, outdated belief system was keeping me stuck in a behavior I didn’t want. What are your thoughts and beliefs about drinking? Are they still accurate for you or are they old beliefs you keep hanging on to?
Your behaviors show you your beliefs.
We can choose to stop believing thoughts we learned from our past and believe new thoughts on purpose to give us different results for our future.
