Separated But Thriving - Coping With Separation

Separated But Thriving

By Rob Hadley

This information is provided to assist anyone going through separation or divorce. Feel free to reproduce it and use it where you choose, on condition that you include the credit “by Rob Hadley, www.VancouverHypnotherapy.Org”.

Part 9 Avoiding Self Destruction

When you’re feeling at a low ebb, making good decisions is harder than ever. Some people fall into habits that may have been lurking in the background for years. Perhaps it’s alcohol; for others it’s gambling. Some people actually take up smoking. None of these activities are healthy. While they provide a temporary escape, they are obviously self-destructive to anyone thinking rationally.

Alcohol is the most easily abused drug, followed by nicotine and marijuana. At the point you are now in your life, none of these drugs can have a remotely positive effect on you. They cannot help you function effectively and they cannot relieve you of any anxiety. All they can do is contribute to making a difficult situation worse. And yet, in the depth of depression, this seemingly obvious fact escapes many who use these drugs as a crutch in times of difficulty. This is a part of ourselves we have to manage through measurement. If alcohol or drugs are a part of your life, start measuring your exact consumption

You may wish to note this in your diary or in a table you create somewhere discrete. Please do measure it. By tracking your intake of damaging drugs, you’ll be able to see whether it is increasing or decreasing. Soon enough, you’ll begin to realize that if it is steadily increasing, you have a problem.

The real challenge is not the drug itself. It’s the fact that it will impair your ability to protect yourself and attain the things you want. If you have children, you are trading your ability to protect them for your desire to use a drug. This is a threat to them and to you.

• First, realize there is a problem—you do this by measuring intake.

• Second, address the issue—if you need the help of a specialist, get it. If this can be addressed by hypnotherapy, deal with it promptly.

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