Ok, I am in Recovery. So far so good. Why am I writing about a concept like Phone free February, that has been well established, but with a different name and with the supplementary „alcohol“?

It’s about the hands. Initially, Phone Free February is about digital detox. Yes, this is my intention as well, but there is a whole range of activities and habits involving haptics and sensual habits that can be used as a quick fix for fast dopamine rise to ease cravings and urges related to psychische diseases and alcohol abuse that won’tsolve the problem, instead it is only giving temporary relief that will only deepen the ditch in which you fall after the dopamine spike. Plus, you might end up in another addictive Habit Loop which will require higher doses to get the same effect.

I have discussed working on sustainable habits before and it is an – if not most – important way to maintain my recovery journey.

Now comes the core of today‘s post: To me, Hands free February will be a head theme to reflect and leave away everything related to haptic urge relief to have time, energy and motivation to find other ways to feed my reward system with sustainable habits that don‘t feel like quick fixes and substitutes. That will be elementary to reframe my habitual system and give me space to deconstruct and reflect on bad emotions and endete them, building rewards from smaller and more subtile activities like reading, hiking, enjoying Family time, enjoying sleeping and going to bed early.

When you have relief on alcohol to supposedly solve your problems, your reward system will be messed up in a way that alcohol will make all the activities mentioned above feel like enemies to you, because e.g. spending time with my family stressed me when I thought of the fact I couldn‘t drink freely. Cortisol raised, adrenaline soared and the impulse was flight.

In the end, it will take longer than February do fix these things. But it will be like a relaxing therapy to find energy, capacuty and time to structure the new way and that is relief enough to take on this challenge. One step at a time.

Until then, take one step at a time and don’t lose the faith in yourself.