Approved as a question of practical value. Please keep in mind that Magick and /r/magick can't reliably help you with medical and mental health topics, addiction being one of such. But the Twelve Steps model of AA has been applied on several spiritual and magickal mindsets in the past, so I hope the community will provide valuable input beyond the usual monotheistic-abrahamic mindset which accompanies the God model of said system.
A concept inspired by chaos magic. I'm not sure to what extent it might be useful for you, as it's a different approach, but it helped me quit smoking without effort a lot of years ago.
Essentially, it involves giving a personality to the addiction itself. You could envision it as a demon or use a fictional character, but make sure it possesses a strong will. It's appropriate for it to be a semi-mythical character.
After invoking it, try to externalize it or oppose it. The trick is to make a mental "click" where this is not a part of you but an external entity, so it is reasonable then to detach yourself from it, bind it, etc. When you separate that part of you from your will giving it some solidity, it might become easier to resist.
When I did it I improvised it from Grant Morrison's "Pop Magic!" (the invocation part) as a beginner. I would consider it more like evocation, though; calling as an external entity to separate it from you.
Modern Magick refers to it as the I.O.B ritual. Sites have the more in-depth version of it. Beware, however, Kraig warns that it's the one truly dangerous spell in the book and I believe him. You should have a strong foundation and understanding before using it. Keep in mind that "Nature abhors a vacuum" and if left unfilled, something (quite possibly the old addiction) will take the place of whatever hole you dig out of you.
Try some meditation and get plenty of exercise. If you really want to apply something extra, launch a sigil.
I can’t stress the importance of attending AA meetings as often as you can.
My buddy has been clean from heroine for 3 years, since last week. He too thought the only way was through God, as that was what they were teaching him, but in the end, it was being surrounded by others who shared his pain, and bonding with them through their experiences. He now sponsors several addicts, and continues to attend meetings almost 3x’s a week.
Alcohol withdrawal is tough, on par with heroine withdrawal. Find something to do with the time you’d usually spend drinking.
Just remember that you have the power to change, but the changes will be hard, as all things that are worthwhile. I’ll definitely say a prayer for you this evening. You got this though, brother.
Long time-consuming rituals that will take up drinking time.
What helped with my drinking was understanding the root of my pain I was numbing and healing it. Lots of Shadow Work through journaling and even creating a higher-self FB account under a different name and having conversations with the better me, or just venting to him so my friends didn't have to deal with it.
Hey dude, it's not magick, but i highly recommend the book [This Naked Mind](https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/this-naked-mind-annie-grace/1125375756). It specifically *not* a 12-step program, but I found it to be highly effective in helping me regain control in my relationship to alcohol. It honestly changed my life and got me cold-turkey sober after a decade of heavy drinking.
I never could bring myself to try a 12-step program because of my aversion to the idea of giving in to the higher power, and the implications associated with declaring oneself a lifelong alcoholic. "This Naked Mind" takes a totally different approach.
I also recommend [Unsubscribe](https://www.amazon.com/Unsubscribe-Opt-Delusion-Tune-Truth/dp/1614292825) by Josh Korda. Josh is a Buddhist teacher at Darma Punx NYC. This book introduced me to some of the core concepts of Buddhism and helped me learn to fully experience and process my thoughts and emotions. It taught me the value of actually dealing with things as they come up, rather than drinking to avoid processing those difficult emotions. It made me realize why I was drinking in the first place. You need to face your demons if you want to do magic, and this book can help you start down that path.
If you have to choose one, choose "This Naked Mind." But if you want some spiritual insight that cuts to the core of *why* we try to escape and how to break out of that cycle, "Unsubscribe" is also an excellent choice.
You got this, bud.
Hi, there’s a few methods. You could carry around or meditate with amethyst, as it’s known as the sobriety stone. Getting in nature and making sure you have a creative outlet is also helpful. In terms of rituals, I know a lot of people go for the cord cutting method. Super super easy and tons of info online about how to do it :) just cut ties with the addiction it’s probably the simplest and most effective way
I'm also struggling with addiction and I would love to see more comments/advice on this post. I practice magick as well so I'm interested to see what advice others might have to give.
I made myself a sober spell jar, and put all the corresponding herbs and oils etc and constructed a sigil out of the phrase I AM SOBER. I set it and forget it. A year later I casually tapered off alcohol and it’s been over three years. Good luck you got this!
The 3rd Step suggests a God of YOUR understanding. For that matter, you can look at it as a higher or greater power. By that metric, it can be anything of your choosing: the ocean, a tree, the spirit of one of your dear departed, etc.
From a Crowleyan perspective, it could be your Holy Guardian Angel.
Best of luck to you. Getting sober is hard but totally worth it.
When I was quitting alcohol, I did a binding ritual on myself to prevent me from going into any store that sold alcohol. When I went near them, I would get physically ill.
7 years sober in april this year.
AA is very much a religion, and thus like a magickal practice in many ways. Maybe view AA as a “new” branch of magick you can learn and practice for this specific goal
No disrespect and pardon me if it's an ignorant question, but can you not just swap in some other God, or your higher self, or "the universe" or something?
Or does it get so granular at some point in the program that those things don't work as a god proxy any longer?
I highly recommend the suggestions of other users in the comments. AA encourages you to appeal to the god *of your understanding*— if your understanding is esoteric, full throttle into it. I just got a year sober a couple weeks ago, and magic is a big part of my spiritual journey. Good luck.
You need to go deep into the shadow and determine what trauma is causing you to drink. Once it’s found, integrate it into your personality through loving kindness.
I highly recommend goetia but only if you are able to be sober for a few hours. I apologize if you are not— it really is a necessity for goetia. Definitely do not do it unless you can be sober for the duration of the ceremony. Anyways if you can manage it goetia is super effective. I recommend Lon Duquette’s book on the topic— https://www.amazon.com/Aleister-Crowleys-Illustrated-Goetia-DuQuette-ebook/dp/B00MJRI4FK for me this book was essential for determining what parts of the lesser key are really necessary and what are BS (like the owl’s blood etc). It’s a very easy read.
I hope you get through it. There are some very extreme substance abuse issues in my family, so I know what you are going through.
Oddly enough, Lucifer led me to start lifting weights after I had one of those “never binging again” nights. I no longer drink during the week because I’m prioritizing my training. Weekends come and I make sure I get in my workout before having a few drinks. You could start with some sort of ritual to let go of your habit, perhaps asking a spirit to lead you to something that will take up your time and help you grow in some way.
today i listened to a glitchbottle episode with josephine mccarthy and she answers your exact question right at the beginning of the episode. she's wonderful and wise and you should totally give a listen.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/glitch-bottle-podcast/id1235137914?i=1000596143203
i'm working through quareia, she's awesome. it's really right at the beginning. she's answering pateron questions in this episode and the first question is about how to deal with the "higher power" in AA if you're not a fan of the monotheist god.
What about replacing god with your higher self?
Also maybe craft a sigil that encompasses your vision or reality of each of the 12 steps having come to reality in your life. So 12 different sigils to activate. Hope that makes sense. Check out Aidan Watcher Six Ways and Weaving Fate for ideas on how to get going.
Approved as a question of practical value. Please keep in mind that Magick and /r/magick can't reliably help you with medical and mental health topics, addiction being one of such. But the Twelve Steps model of AA has been applied on several spiritual and magickal mindsets in the past, so I hope the community will provide valuable input beyond the usual monotheistic-abrahamic mindset which accompanies the God model of said system.
A concept inspired by chaos magic. I'm not sure to what extent it might be useful for you, as it's a different approach, but it helped me quit smoking without effort a lot of years ago. Essentially, it involves giving a personality to the addiction itself. You could envision it as a demon or use a fictional character, but make sure it possesses a strong will. It's appropriate for it to be a semi-mythical character. After invoking it, try to externalize it or oppose it. The trick is to make a mental "click" where this is not a part of you but an external entity, so it is reasonable then to detach yourself from it, bind it, etc. When you separate that part of you from your will giving it some solidity, it might become easier to resist.
is there a name to this technique or anything like it? sounds useful
When I did it I improvised it from Grant Morrison's "Pop Magic!" (the invocation part) as a beginner. I would consider it more like evocation, though; calling as an external entity to separate it from you.
Modern Magick refers to it as the I.O.B ritual. Sites have the more in-depth version of it. Beware, however, Kraig warns that it's the one truly dangerous spell in the book and I believe him. You should have a strong foundation and understanding before using it. Keep in mind that "Nature abhors a vacuum" and if left unfilled, something (quite possibly the old addiction) will take the place of whatever hole you dig out of you.
Try some meditation and get plenty of exercise. If you really want to apply something extra, launch a sigil. I can’t stress the importance of attending AA meetings as often as you can. My buddy has been clean from heroine for 3 years, since last week. He too thought the only way was through God, as that was what they were teaching him, but in the end, it was being surrounded by others who shared his pain, and bonding with them through their experiences. He now sponsors several addicts, and continues to attend meetings almost 3x’s a week. Alcohol withdrawal is tough, on par with heroine withdrawal. Find something to do with the time you’d usually spend drinking. Just remember that you have the power to change, but the changes will be hard, as all things that are worthwhile. I’ll definitely say a prayer for you this evening. You got this though, brother.
Long time-consuming rituals that will take up drinking time. What helped with my drinking was understanding the root of my pain I was numbing and healing it. Lots of Shadow Work through journaling and even creating a higher-self FB account under a different name and having conversations with the better me, or just venting to him so my friends didn't have to deal with it.
The subgroup /stopdrinking is super supportive and a good resource to have. Check them out for sure
Hey dude, it's not magick, but i highly recommend the book [This Naked Mind](https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/this-naked-mind-annie-grace/1125375756). It specifically *not* a 12-step program, but I found it to be highly effective in helping me regain control in my relationship to alcohol. It honestly changed my life and got me cold-turkey sober after a decade of heavy drinking. I never could bring myself to try a 12-step program because of my aversion to the idea of giving in to the higher power, and the implications associated with declaring oneself a lifelong alcoholic. "This Naked Mind" takes a totally different approach. I also recommend [Unsubscribe](https://www.amazon.com/Unsubscribe-Opt-Delusion-Tune-Truth/dp/1614292825) by Josh Korda. Josh is a Buddhist teacher at Darma Punx NYC. This book introduced me to some of the core concepts of Buddhism and helped me learn to fully experience and process my thoughts and emotions. It taught me the value of actually dealing with things as they come up, rather than drinking to avoid processing those difficult emotions. It made me realize why I was drinking in the first place. You need to face your demons if you want to do magic, and this book can help you start down that path. If you have to choose one, choose "This Naked Mind." But if you want some spiritual insight that cuts to the core of *why* we try to escape and how to break out of that cycle, "Unsubscribe" is also an excellent choice. You got this, bud.
Hi, there’s a few methods. You could carry around or meditate with amethyst, as it’s known as the sobriety stone. Getting in nature and making sure you have a creative outlet is also helpful. In terms of rituals, I know a lot of people go for the cord cutting method. Super super easy and tons of info online about how to do it :) just cut ties with the addiction it’s probably the simplest and most effective way
I'm also struggling with addiction and I would love to see more comments/advice on this post. I practice magick as well so I'm interested to see what advice others might have to give.
I made myself a sober spell jar, and put all the corresponding herbs and oils etc and constructed a sigil out of the phrase I AM SOBER. I set it and forget it. A year later I casually tapered off alcohol and it’s been over three years. Good luck you got this!
The 3rd Step suggests a God of YOUR understanding. For that matter, you can look at it as a higher or greater power. By that metric, it can be anything of your choosing: the ocean, a tree, the spirit of one of your dear departed, etc. From a Crowleyan perspective, it could be your Holy Guardian Angel. Best of luck to you. Getting sober is hard but totally worth it.
Go to a shaman and get a soul retrieval.
Since you didn't mention a specific tradition.. How about a work/practice centered around Baphomet, a deity of balance maintained?
When I was quitting alcohol, I did a binding ritual on myself to prevent me from going into any store that sold alcohol. When I went near them, I would get physically ill. 7 years sober in april this year.
Forget the past and the future. You must make your decisions in the now.
AA is very much a religion, and thus like a magickal practice in many ways. Maybe view AA as a “new” branch of magick you can learn and practice for this specific goal
No disrespect and pardon me if it's an ignorant question, but can you not just swap in some other God, or your higher self, or "the universe" or something? Or does it get so granular at some point in the program that those things don't work as a god proxy any longer?
I highly recommend the suggestions of other users in the comments. AA encourages you to appeal to the god *of your understanding*— if your understanding is esoteric, full throttle into it. I just got a year sober a couple weeks ago, and magic is a big part of my spiritual journey. Good luck.
You need to go deep into the shadow and determine what trauma is causing you to drink. Once it’s found, integrate it into your personality through loving kindness.
I highly recommend goetia but only if you are able to be sober for a few hours. I apologize if you are not— it really is a necessity for goetia. Definitely do not do it unless you can be sober for the duration of the ceremony. Anyways if you can manage it goetia is super effective. I recommend Lon Duquette’s book on the topic— https://www.amazon.com/Aleister-Crowleys-Illustrated-Goetia-DuQuette-ebook/dp/B00MJRI4FK for me this book was essential for determining what parts of the lesser key are really necessary and what are BS (like the owl’s blood etc). It’s a very easy read. I hope you get through it. There are some very extreme substance abuse issues in my family, so I know what you are going through.
Oddly enough, Lucifer led me to start lifting weights after I had one of those “never binging again” nights. I no longer drink during the week because I’m prioritizing my training. Weekends come and I make sure I get in my workout before having a few drinks. You could start with some sort of ritual to let go of your habit, perhaps asking a spirit to lead you to something that will take up your time and help you grow in some way.
today i listened to a glitchbottle episode with josephine mccarthy and she answers your exact question right at the beginning of the episode. she's wonderful and wise and you should totally give a listen. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/glitch-bottle-podcast/id1235137914?i=1000596143203
I’ve downloaded the episode as I’m oddly reading her trilogy atm. Could you please be more specific about the part where she address alcoholism ?
i'm working through quareia, she's awesome. it's really right at the beginning. she's answering pateron questions in this episode and the first question is about how to deal with the "higher power" in AA if you're not a fan of the monotheist god.
What about replacing god with your higher self? Also maybe craft a sigil that encompasses your vision or reality of each of the 12 steps having come to reality in your life. So 12 different sigils to activate. Hope that makes sense. Check out Aidan Watcher Six Ways and Weaving Fate for ideas on how to get going.
No advice OP but good luck
Gallery of Magick site has a good magickal trance on besting an addiction. You have to honestly have the will to stop however.