James:
How do people with an alcohol addiction move forward in their life? How do they live their best life?.
Spirit:
Addiction comes in three varieties.
There is physical addiction where the body has gotten so used to alcohol that the cells cry out for it. These cells believe alcohol is the normal environment.
The second part is emotional addiction. Drowning the sorrows. It’s about escaping pain around the past, pain around the current situation and pain from negative thoughts. Getting intoxicated is a way to tune out from these issues and achieve a new emotional state.
The third element is a spiritual addiction. Many are born with a weakness for alcohol or another addiction. This is a weakness at the DNA level from past lives or programming. So you have a propensity to fall into that challenge. This is for growth. Overcoming the temptation or craving is working on a flawed human imprint. You took on alcohol addiction so you could first heal it within yourself and then help others do the same. The best healer is the one that has been in the trenches.
This is also about you earning stripes for your soul. I took on the challenge of that alcohol imprint and I healed it.
No one survives in the game of life. Everybody dies. You may be drinking yourself to an early grave but the health nut dies too.
Excess drinking might be speeding up your death but that’s not terrible. Terrible would be going from something to nothing. You still have something - you have your life, just a bit shorter. And everyone has a fleeting existence in this world. You can flourish or not flourish. Either way, it all ends.
You’re not doing everything right. You have an addiction to alcohol. So be it. Let’s take away the seriousness. Let’s remove shame and guilt and negative thoughts. Sneaking that 5th glass of sherry from the kitchen cupboard probably wont lead to disaster. It’s just an escape hatch. But let’s find a better one.
You might be feeling pressured to change. Social pressure. Family pressure. Pressure from people at work? But do you actually want to change? Without this positive excitement, change seldom sticks. At the end of the day, we move towards what feels light. We do things that can be done with ease.
For example, James, the website wasn’t working today and everything felt too hard. And you said “Well, fuck it, let’s do it anyway. Let’s try to make a difference”. This site is something you want to do. That motivation will carry you in hard times.
People get it done when they want to do it.
You may want things to be different but you should also accept how things have been. Accept what you’ve done. Accept your path up till now. There is no use feeling shame or guilt. Just get busy mapping out the plan for the future.
How will you live your dream life? What do you want to do each day? How do you capitalise on all your potential? Does it involve exercise and healthy food?
Does it have a healthier go-to than alcohol? Previously a drink was how you felt at ease and relaxed. What’s another way to reset? Could a non-alcoholic drink be the new programming? Maybe an ice tea or lemon-lime and bitters.
If we were addressing sexual addiction, one substitute might be to allow the sexual energy to flow through your body. Use the sexual energy for creation instead of the short term pleasure of orgasm. Or use it for intense exercise. Climb that mountain. Repeatedly seeking pleasure through casual sex can lead to using people as a prop for your pleasure. This will drain your energy and move you away from a genuine connection. Finding a new way to enjoy sensuality and sexuality without draining another (or yourself) would be a healthy way to re-program that type of addiction.
More broadly, it’s about finding a healthier experience that enhances your emotional state. In the case of alcohol, this alternative approach will not lead to organ damage or a DUI. Your liver will thank you.
Get busy making that plan for a healthier approach.
What do you do when things are grim? What do you do when you’re really hurting? This addiction is not only done for pleasure. It’s done in desperation as an escape from deep pain. Those moments should be considered in your plan. What’s your plan for the low points in your life? What’s your go-to? What’s your salvation?
You don’t want to be too fast to answer that question. The pain in people can vary. There are many reasons why people are hurting and many thinking patterns that contribute to that pain.
For example, with the pain around poverty, the thinking pattern might be “there’s no hope”. There’s no way to make money. There’s nothing I can do that will be valued by the world. So there’s nothing I can do to escape this poverty. With that thinking pattern, you look for a lesser way to escape the situation. Alternatively, you might be looking to escape the pain of loneliness, or rejection, or betrayal, or the pain of love from another with an agenda.
With any type of pain, you are best off feeling your way through it. Allowing that pain to be present in you for a while. See that “terrible thing” that you’ve been trying to avoid. Imagine cutting a hole in your chest and exposing your heart to the elements. Focus your attention on the wound. Let tears flow from that wound. Allow the angels to hug you, or your guides, or whoever you see as a deep source of love. In the eyes of the angels, you are never more beautiful than in these moments.
As you lie there and feel into your pain, let it be medicine. At some point you will say “I’m done, I don’t need to cry anymore. I’ve felt it and I know what it is”. You’ll see that the pain isn’t that horrible. It flushes through you and then it ends.
The pain might come back if you repeat that thinking pattern.
“People hate me”, "There’s no love in the world”, “I’m all alone”, “I’m an embarrassment”.
Whatever the thinking pattern is that triggered that pain, you might revisit it and repeat the cycle of pain.
It might be pain tied to something that happened in your life. A loved one died. Someone betrayed you. The bank balance ran to zero or, worse, a huge debt. These things did happen but they’re now just past experiences. Things from the past don’t need to hold power over you in the present. You don’t need to replay them over and over.
In summary, feel through the pain for a while when it comes up. This will release its power over you and you will not feel so compelled to run for an escape. Begin to understand the negative thinking pattern that contributes to the pain. From the angel perspective, there is only love and joy in the game of life. Getting lost and losing this perspective is par for the course. But no need to stay lost for long.
Now that you know the pain point and the negative thinking pattern, what’s the opposite? Since there is heat in the negative aspect, there will also be desire around the positive. The negative is there because you want something at a deep level. It might be love, power, wealth, achievement, or inner balance. This is where we turn the corner on addiction and it starts to become rocket fuel for your dreams.
Someone that has experienced addiction, and negative thinking, will have far more motivation to make their dreams happen. Somebody with an easy life has never felt their dream was impossible so they don’t have that deep longing. It’s often the people that come from extreme situations that rise to great heights. This is due to desire.
So start to look at the positive side. Start to program your belief that you can have this positive outcome...without alcohol.
For alcohol issues, one new belief pattern might be:
“I can get to that state of relaxation and playfulness and freedom and reverie … without alcohol”
“I can be open and friendly and at ease around others … without alcohol”
Too much alcohol in my body harms me. I can achieve the same effect with a lemon-lime and soda and a bit of self-talk. Maybe there’s also a physical action like tapping yourself on the leg to instantly feel intoxicated. This gives you the ability to be suitably drunk in an instant by taking some action that does not harm you.
You’ve done their work of understanding the different forms of addiction. You’ve done the work of understanding where the addiction came from. You’ve done the work of understanding why you’ve chosen to have this pattern. You’ve done the work of understanding your pain points. You’ve felt into the pain points. You’ve done the work of feeling into the dream which is the opposite of the pain points. You’ve started reprogramming yourself with new beliefs to achieve the dreams.
So does your plan need a revision? It’s not just a plan anymore. It’s the new you. What does that daily habit look like? What do you do in the morning? Do you need to extend the plan?
What happens if you slip back? People with alcohol addiction can avoid alcohol for years but, when things go bad, they fall back into the pattern. This cycle can repeat for years and years. And a shame cycle can go with it. So, if you know you have a chronic DNA level weakness to alcohol, your plan should cover what happens when things turn to hell.
Also what happens when it’s just one drink? What happens when you indulge a bit more? Can you do it in a healthy way? A lot of people drink alcohol and enjoy it without it messing up their lives. Where is the balance between total teetotaler and occasional daiquiri? Can you bring alcohol back into your life in a healthy way without the craving?
Your plan should help you live a normal life without hard and fast rules. How do I enjoy a drink once in a while yet not fall back into the pattern? Can I do it without the need? And, if the need comes up, what is the self work to recognise where these cravings are coming from?
James: I feel like more information is needed here but let’s come back to it later.
You’ve recognised where your addiction came from. You’ve recognised the weakness your soul has chosen for your game character. You’ve recognised the different forms of the addiction. You’ve recognised the emotional pain that you escape from via the addiction. You’ve recognised the dream side which is the opposite of that pain. You’ve made a plan around that dream life and you’ve been implementing it. You’ve been revising your plan and adapting it as you go, allowing you to live without hard and fast rules and enjoy the occasional drink.
Since you’ve figured out the way forward, what about helping someone else along? This helps you see the purpose behind all the struggle. You've created a new template for a chronic human condition. It’s time to share that. You get double the benefit when you teach a lived experience. Share your journey and help others win too.
The last step might be to become a barman :) You’ve mastered alcohol. What about going into the ‘den of thieves’. Become a cocktail maker to be around people with the same weakness. Be a light where you can help the most. If you’re dealing with poverty, go where you’re surrounded by people without money. If its sexual addiction, go work in a brothel.
Once you’ve mastered the pattern in your life, and moved beyond hard and fast rules, the next level would be to put yourself around temptation. Put your new learning to work. Test yourself and help others. This is not to show off. Your purpose is not to make others feel worse. You’re there to ignite the light in others. Go where the people need you. Complete the full cycle of healing.
This world and you, my friend, are not real. You are a 3rd dimensional projection of a 12th dimensional being - a glorious being that has chosen to incarnate for the purpose of reawakening your full self in the 3D world. It's a fun game but should not be taken seriously. There is no carbon counting required. No world to save. It's just what you can do to make this world more awesome for the people around you. That's enough.
The Japanese concept of Ikigai is close to our preferred path for making your dreams unfold. Do the thing you love best. Do the thing you are naturally good at. Do the thing that people need. And do it in a way they can pay you for it. So simple. Just take daily actions towards these 4 metrics and see the magic unfold. And feel great each day, as a bonus.
A rainbow is a cosmic wink. It's a sign that all is ok - and get back to your mission - just keep taking the steps as you feel inspired.
A 360degree rainbox is an even better sign. But no need to go looking for it. Just take the light show and the weather generally as a way to set your mood. See how you feel on a rainy day. See how the storm clouds keep you grounded and humble. The fog keeps you on guard. The sunny day shines a bright light on the situation. Weather is food for the mood.
