Back to: KCB Recovery MasterClass
Transcript:
As we discussed in the previous lesson, Alcohol is a tool that you use to cope with a problem.
For example, using it to reduce your anxiety or to take the edge off or to destress or using it to cope with pain or using it to be more fun.
It gets the job done, but not because it works means it’s the right tool.
You can use a rock to drive a nail in the wall, of course, it’ll take hours to get it done and it’ll be a pain in the butt to get it done, but nevertheless, it’ll get the job done.
But not because you can use a rock and it is a tool, means that you should stick with using a rock. Get yourself the correct tool, get a hammer, the hammer was made specifically to drive the nail in the wall.
When you use a hammer, you don’t have to deal with the mess, clean up and hard labor that you would have to deal with when you’re using a rock.
In this analogy, the Alcohol is the rock, although it gets the job done, it’s not the correct tool for the job.
Now let’s say you want to stop using the rock because although it gets the job done, it does a messy job and you have to do way too much clean up to do after you have used it.
So you decide to get another tool like a vice grip or a brick, not because you want to or because you think it’s a better idea but simply because you just don’t want to use the rock. If you use the brick or the vice grip ‘just because’, that won’t get you far, it’s not a good option and it won’t get you to where you want to go. You will find yourself right back to using that rock. But if you get the right tool, the hammer, you won’t need that rock.
When people come to us and they say they don’t want to totally give up drinking, they just want to slow down. we don’t dismiss them. You don’t have to abstain. You can still use the rock while trying out and testing different product lines of hammers to find the one that best suits your needs. You don’t have to give up the rock, but you better start getting all the other tools that you need, not just hammers, but mallets too.
You need to put in the work now to start developing the knowledge, feelings and coping skills that you will need to achieve the results you want in the end.
You need to learn to identify, embrace and accept your feelings and emotions. Stop running away from feelings and difficult situations that you haven’t addressed, but instead start understanding what about the way how you relate to it that makes it so difficult and get the support, skills, and knowledge you need to be okay with it.
Stop worrying about what you have to give up and start focusing on what you have to gain. What you’ll be giving up is pain, bad relationships, negativity, and suffering. Don’t allow anything to hold you back.