Your neurons, which have been dulled by booze for quite some time, and now are all a-buzz with activity, which means that rest and sleep will probably be hard to come by for a couple of days. In the meantime, your booze brain will tell you lies; call it a liar and watch late-night TV till it passes!
It will try anything to get you to drink because it falsely believes that you need to drink to survive. If you are feeling bad, it will tell you to drink to feel better. If you are feeling good, it will tell you to drink to party or celebrate. In fact, it will try to use any event in your life (good or bad) as an excuse to drink. Whenever you have any thought or feeling that suggests drinking, that is the booze brain trying to trick you.
If your friends offer you a drink, say “No thanks, I’m quitting. " You can also say “I’m slowing down” or even just “No, thanks” if you don’t want to get into it. However, if the people in your circle tend to drink, it’s probably best that you be up-front with them so they can support you by being discreet. If they don’t support your decision, find new friends. Your booze brain will get more and more discouraged as time goes on, bothering you less and less. Before too long, you’ll be an expert at dealing with your booze brain, making it easy to stay sober. Tell yourself that you’re doing this to be a happier and healthier person. Think ahead about the alternatives to alcohol that you can have when you’re spending time with friends, so that you still feel part of what’s going on. Substitute the drink with something non-alcoholic like a mocktail, alcohol-free beer or soda. Let friends know this is your new boundary so they can be supportive.
Don’t be afraid that you’ll slip or relapse: that fear is the booze brain at work trying to give you an excuse to give up. Eventually, the CORE process becomes automatic, meaning you won’t have to make a big effort to stay sober. You may feel bad, angry, sad, or depressed at times, but that’s normal. If the booze brain tries to use these feelings as excuses to drink, you’ll know what it’s up to and how to deal with it. You’re better, smarter, funnier, wittier, and even taller when you stand up to your booze brain!
