It’s hard not to believe the stories we tell ourselves.
We have told them for so long and we have created our experiences to match.
Everything about them shows us they are real, and we work hard to keep them that way.
A friend of mine quit drinking 15 years ago.
When we sat down for coffee the other day, I asked if he had ever had a drink in those 15 years.
He said about 5 years ago, he was sneaking booze behind his girlfriends back when she went to visit family in another state.
You could see the shame written all over his face, as he talked about feeling controlled by the bottle.
I’ve heard this before multiple times.
In order for him to control his intake of alcohol, he has to abstain altogether.
I’m not an expert in alcoholism, but it’s interesting to me that it comes down to control.
I’m not a drinker, but I’ve been under the influence before.
I have chose not to consume alcohol because I don’t like how it makes me feel. I’m proud of that choice for myself.
I don’t like what drinking does to people… it turns us into animals… but not the furry cute and cuddly type.
We say things we wouldn’t normally say (if we can speak properly), we make poor choices we will likely (and in most cases hopefully) regret, and we are loud, obnoxious, and sometimes aggressive… but we sure think this is all funny at the time.
So there we are… both non-drinkers, both making the same choice in life.
He feels shame for his choice and I feel proud of mine… all because of the story we are telling ourselves.
That’s how powerful our narrative is.
Are you stuck in a story?
“Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.” – Dr. Wayne Dyer