For many of us struggling with addiction, much of the struggle comes from the inner turmoil and conflict we feel around our addictions and the choices we make. We work on new thought patterns and try to make healthier choices, then we default to our old ways of thinking and decision-making. We tell ourselves we want to get sober, then right away, or down the line, we relapse. We convince ourselves to go to rehab, we psych ourselves up to go, we feel ready, then last minute we change our minds. Why are we so conflicted about our addictions?
Conscious vs. Subconscious Minds
The conflict often comes from the discrepancies we hold between our conscious thinking and the internal programming of our subconscious minds. The subconscious mind governs the majority of all our thoughts, feelings and behaviors, so no matter what we think consciously if our subconscious mind is working in the opposite direction, that is what we most often will ultimately choose. Consciously we want to get sober, but subconsciously we don’t, for many reasons. We might be afraid to do the work. We might not want to push ourselves out of our comfort zones and feel the pressure of having to change our routines and lifestyles. We might be afraid of what sobriety will look like, what kind of person we’ll be when we’re sober, what kinds of challenges we’ll have to contend with.
Consciously we tell ourselves that all the work will be worth it, that nothing could possibly be as bad as the suffering we’ve had to deal with because of our substance use. Subconsciously, though, we’re telling ourselves we’re not strong enough to get sober, that our addictions are stronger and more powerful than we are, and that recovery is impossible. The limiting beliefs stored in our subconscious minds can literally be in direct conflict with what we want for ourselves. We can feel as though we’re fighting ourselves, constantly at war with our inner urges and temptation but feeling the constant pressure of our conscious minds to get well.
Alignment
We can eliminate this feeling of internal conflict by getting our conscious and subconscious minds on the same page, and by aligning them with one another. This requires mindfulness, intention, practice, and time. We want to program our subconscious minds to believe what we consciously believe to be true. We want to affirm to ourselves repeatedly, being sure to give our affirmations the energy of our belief, that we are strong enough to recover, that recovery is possible, that we have faith in ourselves, and that the hard work will be well worth the effort.
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 855-483-7800 today for more information. theguesthouseocala.com 3230 Northeast 55th Avenue Silver Springs, FL 34488