Meditation for Drinking
Excessive drinking can be managed with meditation as this can help soothe anxiety and a super agitated nervous system. Underlying anxiety will begin to give way to a sense of clarity and serenity. Beeja Meditation can help to develop the serenity and confidence needed to face old pain and trauma, and to work through harmful cognitive distortions developed as a result of drinking.
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The problem
Admitting the problem, is always the hardest first step to take on recovery.
We (nearly) all love a drink. But it’s a fine line between drinking to have fun, or doing it to take the edge off things; to relax, or find a means of escape.
It’s fair to say we live in an increasingly crazy, and over-stimulating world, where switching off from the action of daily life isn’t easy. Our brains experience so much agitation that quite often a cheeky sherry, or two, feels like the ideal solution to our overactive nervous system.
But while it is an alluring short-term fix, it doesn’t offer much as an ongoing strategy. Before long, our brain cells start dying, our liver begins deteriorating, and our brain activity becomes dulled and ceases functioning nearly as well as when we’re free of the grog.
The most evolved part of the brain, the prefrontal cortex, is the one that suffers the worst impairment. This has enormous ramifications for us because it is the home of our creative thinking, our rationality, our organisational capability, our ability to problem solve and our ability to feel love, compassion and empathy.
What starts as a crutch can turn easily into an addiction which is very hard to get out of. Far too many lives are affected by alcohol abuse.
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How it affects you
Excess drinking affects every aspect of our lives; from our work, to our health, to our relationships with family, friends and colleagues.
All too often it makes a sneaky progression, so that we barely even notice it is happening. Yet, steadily we become less caring and less graceful. Or we start to justify our angry behaviour, based on things that have hurt us in the past.
Or we ignore it. Seems like an easy solution, but by doing so, we conveniently overlook the damage we are doing to our heart, liver, fitness, respiration and sexual function.
It may not even be a conscious choice. When we consume intoxicants such as alcohol, it creates cognitive distortions that twist our perception and reading of situations and events. And the more damage we do to the frontal cortex of the brain, the more difficult it becomes to see and think and clearly.
We can become a hostage to our self-destructive programming. Even when it feels like we have it under control, all it takes is one drink, and we can be back to square one.
It takes courage to admit there may be a problem; to admit that we’ve been hiding behind drink to avoid facing up to any issues we have with pain, trauma and self-worth. But, it is the first and most vital step on the road to recovery.
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How can Beeja help?
Beeja meditation works at a number of levels and offers fantastic support whether you are consciously trying to cut down on drinking yourself, are currently in a recovery programme, or already in recovery.
Often, one reason we drink is to numb a super agitated nervous system. But instead of numbing it, we can soothe it with meditation. By meditating with the soothing sound of a personal mantra your nervous system will begin to calm down within minutes of starting your first session.
With repeated practise, your nervous system will begin to operate in a much calmer way throughout your day, and there will be less agitation in your body and mind.
Underlying anxiety will begin to give way to a sense of clarity and serenity. Old pain and trauma will begin to leave your nervous system, so you feel less scarred by life.
Meditation reduces feelings of low self-worth and self-esteem, and empowers you to be your best self. With time, your self-destructive tendencies tend to dissolve.
Not only will Beeja meditation help you stay balanced, but it will also help you reverse much of the damage caused by the drinking; it helps facilitate regeneration of all the body’s cells and tissues, and reactivates the prefrontal cortex of the brain. Cognitive distortions that developed as a result of drinking will begin to melt away. As the quality of your interactions with other people improve, you start to feel as if you’re regaining some of your old true self again.
And the great thing is, Beeja meditation is so incredibly easy to do. It is renowned for being the easiest form of meditation, which is essential when your nervous system has been subject to so much stress and intoxication. It’s also very enjoyable. It initiates a lot of endorphin release, so it’s a much healthier way of getting your kicks!
Beeja meditation also takes you into a deep state of transcendence; it might remind you of experiences from drink or drugs. But it’s one where you come out of it feeling uplifted and energised, rather than burnt out and on a low.
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Upcoming courses
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Reviews
“I used to be incredibly self-destructive, and when I look back, I used to lose myself in alcohol, and I guess in some way it helped block out the pain.... But the problem was, I’d wake up the next morning and feel physically horrible and crap about myself. Meditation changed all that.”
“Meditation is helpful in connecting me with my motives and objectives, with acceptance, and very helpful with my recovery programme. I have to be particularly patient with myself as I have to clear up a lot of psychological clutter to find tranquility.”
“... this has been an invaluable tool in my recovery from alcoholism. For years I’ve been struggling to stay of the drink for concerted periods of time, but the more I do this, the more I feel at complete ease and don’t feel compelled to hit the self destruct button. And contrary to previous practice , I haven’t missed a day yet.”
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“One reason I drank was that my brain would get to a level of agitation, and one thing that was incredibly effective at diminishing the agitation was alcohol. For me… meditation is an effective tool at diminishing agitation and because it was agitation that often led me to drink, it's lack - the lack of restlessness - makes me less inclined to do so.” “When I’m doing it every day, the quality of my life internally just improves”
Moby, musician