28 Days of Abstinence - Day 22 - Outwitting Your Shadowy Behavior

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"Having obscene amounts of money, power and status is just one kind of success. (And often a rather boring one at that.) Far more intriguing are the triumphs that come from outwitting one's own shadowy behavior and unconscious habits and from dreaming up ingenious responses to life's ever-fresh stream of problems. To accomplish these sorts of victories, there's no greater asset than a robust imagination."
--Rob Brezsny

Following on from yesterday's post a question: How can you use your imagination to support your abstinence practice? 

Yesterday we imagined that it was easy, how else could you use your imagination to help you sustain your abstinence practice? How can you outwit your shadowy behavior?

For me this means not allowing my questioning and rationalizing voices (the ones that say, "Do I really need to give this up?" or "I'll just have a little") to take up any space in my head. It means shutting them down as quickly as I can and moving onto something else. It means asking myself: "What can I do instead?" and then using my imagination to come up with a distraction that will satisfy my mind.

How does it work for you?

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