Mr. Jones said to me, “An uncontrollable urge to drink
seizes me, and I remain drunk for two weeks at a time. I
can’t give up this terrible habit.” Time and time again these
experiences had occurred to this unfortunate man. He had
grown into the habit of drinking to excess. Although he had
started drinking of his own initiative, he also began to realize
that he could change the habit and establish a new one. He
said that while through his will power he was able to suppress
his desires temporarily, his continued efforts to suppress the
many urges only made matters worse. His repeated failures
convinced him that he was hopeless and powerless to control
his urge or obsession. This idea of being powerless operated as
a powerful suggestion to his subconscious mind and aggravated
his weakness, making his life a succession of failures.
I taught him to harmonize the functions of the conscious
and subconscious mind. When these two cooperate, the idea
or desire implanted in the subconscious mind is realized.
His reasoning mind agreed that if the old habit path
or track had carried him into trouble, he could consciously
form a new path to freedom, sobriety, and peace of mind. He
knew that his destructive habit was automatic, but since it was
acquired through his conscious choice, he realized that if he
had been conditioned negatively, he also could be conditioned
positively. As a result, he ceased thinking of the fact that he
was powerless to overcome the habit Moreover, he understood
clearly that there was no obstacle to his healing other than
his own thought. Therefore, there was no occasion for great
mental effort or mental coercion.