After my latest post on The Tuttle Weekly, Corkit suggested that my somewhat high units after 16 weeks could be a matter of simple habit, a thought that recently crossed my mind as I pondered my progress. Thanks to Corkit.
I think this a very important point .... How do We / I break a habit of decades?
What have others done instead of sitting around drinking?
What strategies have you used to cope with the emptiness?
I could really use some tactics at this stage of my recovery.

You know I have often thought about that myself, habit or craving. I don't know about you but being a creature of habit I do the same things day after day (go to work, work out, come home pour a drink, eat dinner, watch tv). Maybe we should shake the brain a little and do something so out of the routine and have some fun instead of doing the same thing and drinking? what do you think?

I so agree about "habit."
I went to rehab once and just stopped drinking my 10 units per day as I had done for for 20 + years, 10 minutes after check in I was in a yoga class. No detox needed.
Never missed Al much at all, but a few times had a taste craving for a cold glass of a crisp white.
I just do not understand, the days when I am able to"just not drink" I can get in a groove and not miss it all, then "something" calls to me.
I try to replace the drink with other drinks, and since I am not under the influence my natural energy is allowed to surface, rather then procrastinating till tomorrow.
I wish I had the answer, I am SICK of this habit.

I concur. I posted something a bit back about craving vs. habit. I am certainly a creature of habit too. Wake up, go to work, go work out, come home, walk dog, have a glass while preparing dinner, settle into tv with the rest of my bottle(s). Wake up, and do it all over again. I have a small on-line store (which I don't spend a lot of time on) and while I'm taking photos and such for the website I'm busy and ok, because it's fun! But once I sit down to the pc to post it all, it's easy to pop a cork and start... If I'm busy enough it's only 1 bottle, but if I get a bit buzzed too soon, or lazy I give up and just plop on the couch with my last glass or 2 before bed. ART, I am sick of this habit and I wish I had an answer too, because, like you I can be ok, then 'something' calls. What the heck is THAT???

petal

I think you call it habit. Really when you think about it isn't it really easier to do the same thing over and over again, day in and day out? Hence the HABIT. Why can't I just say ok tomorrow I'm going to do this instead . . . . I think when we're closer to the cure that won't be so hard to do.

I am only on my first week and before I started I was fully aware of this physical dependence/habit false dichotomy (painful experience with quitting smoking). My understanding:

'Habit' is a learned behaviour. 'Dependence' is a learned behaviour, too. They overlap a lot and the only truly distinctive thing about dependence is that it can physically kill you (e.g. seizure upon withdrawal). Anyone (well, most anyway) who expects to just pop the pill and be free of the bad habit/dependence is delusional. NAL or whatever else may work is only an aid for our conscious effort to gain control over alcohol comsumption (unfortunately we are not rats who are never aware of the reasons they drink and are free of rationalizing them at every turn). For myself, I decided to try to gradually get into a habit of drinking less - and hope that NAL will help. Not sure what others do... My solution for now is not to ever stock drinks. Six pack or a bottle of wine - if I want to drink, I have to buy it every day (and when it's finished, it's finished). Even this modest goal would be a huge improvement - 6x7=42 drinks per week is a hell of a lot healthier than 100-120/week normally needed to make it through to another day.

I think forcing yourself to do new things when not drinking would be a good start. I personally learned a lot about this in the 3 intensive outpatients I have been thru. It is like starting a project. A lot of times starting is the hardest part. If you are like me I have had numerous things on the back burner, some for years. So my recommendation is think of things you think would be fun or beneficial or accomplish a goal and pick one and do it.

I like the idea of changing the routine around drinking:
Keep your booze in the basement/cellar/attic;
only buy one bottle at a time;
if you're close enough always walk to the store to buy alcohol;
or make yourself park 4 blocks away and walk then;
change glass style and size (smaller? );
change what you drink to something you don't like quite as much.
Or only drink with food;
or only drink between 4 and 9 then force a quit.
When eating out force a change by having a dessert wine after the meal instead of red/white with the meal.
Make yourself measure with a measuring cup every drink you have for wine, and a small shot glass for booze.
How about a change in time of taking pill? Can it be put off for an hour, then another hour? Those two hours are not used to drink, but we can still have a drink later.
I kinda like the idea of walking to the store for each bottle. I don't walk much because of pain but if I wanted a drink I'd sure get my but down there!!

I think anything that shakes up the routine will at least make us conscious of what we're doing - might help with gentle control of quantities.

I entirely agree that TSM makes it possible to regain control of your life and either eliminates cravings, or reduces them tremendously. But people should be careful about confusing "craving" versus "habit." Cravings are an overwhelming compulsion to drink and you should drink through them on naltrexone to extinguish the triggering event. Drinking out of "habit" means you are drinking solely because that's what you typically do during that time or event, but, upon further review, you could take it or leave it. I also agree that as your drinking is reduced, you will have A LOT more free time on your hands and you need to be prepared for this fact. Consciously making an effort to start a new activity or hobby or picking up old ones neglected by drinking is a good way to reduce the risk of simply drinking out of habit. I am learning the piano, something I never would have done pre-TSM.

One of the very sad and unfortunate perversions of alcoholism is the brainwashed belief that nothing is fun unless you are drinking. I used to love listening to music before I drank. I could sit by the stereo and listen for hours. Then for years I did it while drinking. Decades later I wouldn't even consider listening to music unless I had a drink in hand. I had brainwashed myself into thinking it simply was no fun unless buzzed. Now, for the first time in years, I'm again listening to music without booze and am really enjoying it. It makes me sad when I realize how effectively and for how long alcohol completely kidnapped my mind and made me view the world from an entirely twisted perspective. But thanks to TSM, I will spend the second half of my life free of that delusional state of mind.

Hi Nick,

I am really pleased that you have mentioned the marriage of music with alcohol - although, it now very much looks as though you have successfully divorced the two! For me, I'm still at the stage of finding that alcohol enhances my love of music. When I drink for pleasure, invariably music is in the mix. I adore music and could not live without it - addiction? Perhaps, but, on its own, music to me is healthy. I can still very much enjoy music on its own but a drop of alcohol adds nicely to the cocktail. I look forward to the day when I no longer mix the two.

All the best.

V.