Remember Pavlov’s dog and how it was conditioned to salivate with the ring of a bell? This may be the most overused example of conditioning, but it’s such a great example. Our minds are truly incredible, don’t you agree? We unknowingly spend a lifetime being conditioned and, unfortunately, many of us have been creating a foundation of untrue beliefs - like “I can’t be happy without alcohol.”

We need to be open to questioning those beliefs in order for this experiment to be a success. It’s not helpful if we have ourselves convinced that life would be miserable without drinking. The truth is, if we expect life to be miserable without drinking, then it likely will be. The mind is a powerful thing.

Many studies have concluded that the mind cannot discern a true memory from a strongly visualized memory. Many of you my have learned this about eye witnesses - they’re actually not that great at remembering things! I am going to encourage you to use this to your advantage. Close your eyes and walk through a scenario where you may be tempted to order a drink, but instead of ordering a glass of wine, you order iced tea. Be intentional about this scenario you create and get as specific as you want. Visualize yourself going to that wedding reception or class reunion and having a great time, laughing, dancing, and sipping on a tonic water and lime instead of a martini.

PS - The ACT for today is all about the belief that “alcohol is my friend”. We have been conditioned to think that alcohol will help us feel less lonely and, in some instances, alcohol is our best (and maybe only) friend. We’ll discuss how this can easily become a belief that you truly think is true, but then we will dig in and find out what’s actually happening and how drinking actually can isolate us even more. We’ll conclude this ACT by turning this belief around and discussing reasons that alcohol is actually not a friend....but an enemy.