Both those of us struggling with addiction, and those of us who aren’t and are looking at addiction from the outside, can play into the common misconception that quitting an addiction is simply a matter of having willpower. We can reinforce this idea that if we just exert enough willpower, we’ll be strong enough to stop ourselves from using our drugs of choice. With enough self-control, we can put an end to the destructiveness of addiction. We assume that if we haven’t been able to get sober, we’re not working hard enough, or we’re not trying hard enough. When we relapse, we condemn ourselves for being lazy, unmotivated, and lacking in determination. We beat ourselves up for not having enough self-control to be able to stay sober. We tell ourselves we’re weak. We call ourselves cowardly.
Subconscious Misalignment With Our Conscious Goals
The truth about willpower is that it isn’t just a conscious choice to do something. Consciously we know we want to get better. We feel desperate to be sober. We want to make better choices. We want to be healthier and happier. We want to be better parents, friends, siblings, and partners. We want to do better for our loved ones. Subconsciously, though, we often aren’t aligned with what we want consciously. We aren’t bolstering our conscious goals with subconscious self-empowerment, and since the subconscious mind controls most of our thoughts, feelings, and actions, it often can work against us. We become self-sabotaging. We’re self-destructive. We’re working against ourselves, all because of the limiting and self-deprecating beliefs trapped in our subconscious minds.
Limiting Beliefs We Practice and Reinforce
When we don’t have willpower, it’s often because we don’t believe we can have willpower. When we don’t have self-control, it’s often because we believe we don’t have the capacity for self-control. We’ve told ourselves time and time again that we’re not strong, that we’re powerless against our addictions, and that our triggering emotions and our drugs of choice have the power to control us. These are limiting beliefs we’re practicing and reinforcing every day.
Autonomy and Strength
While willpower is an important part of addiction recovery, our subconscious beliefs around willpower are often at the root of our struggles for self-control and autonomy when it comes to being strong enough to resist our drugs of choice. We can know consciously that we need to have willpower in order to get sober, but if we don’t believe subconsciously that we have the strength, the will, and the power to recover from our addictions, we won’t be able to.
The Guest House is a welcoming and supportive recovery home where you will be met with open arms, wherever you are on your journey, without judgment or expectation.
Call 855-823-5463 today for more information.