There’s a story often told in recovery circles—and for good reason. It captures something we all feel but struggle to put into words.
A grandfather tells his grandson:
“Inside every person, there are two wolves. One is light—truth, clarity, peace, and purpose. The other is dark—fear, craving, resentment, and lies.”
The boy asks, “Which one wins?”
The grandfather replies, “The one you feed.”
The Wolves Inside Us
If you’ve tried to quit alcohol—or even just questioned your relationship with it—you’ve likely felt this internal battle.
One voice wants freedom, energy, and self-respect.
The other tells you drinking helps you cope, connect, relax, or escape.
One moment you’re focused and clear.
The next, you’re rationalizing a drink you swore you didn’t need.
This is the mental tug-of-war. And it’s not just emotional—it’s deeply neurological.
Every time you entertain an old belief about alcohol, you feed the Black Wolf.
What the Wolves Represent
The White Wolf isn’t perfection.
It’s the part of you that wants clarity. That craves peace. That knows you’re capable of more.
The Black Wolf isn’t evil.
It’s the learned voice of craving. Of old patterns. Of thoughts that were reinforced by repetition, culture, and chemical dependency.
And here’s the truth:
Whichever one we feed, grows stronger.
Every time we repeat a lie—“I need it to relax,” “Just one won’t hurt,”—we reinforce the Black Wolf’s power.
But every time we challenge that lie, expose it, and replace it with truth—we feed the White Wolf.
And we get stronger.
Starving the Black Wolf
The Black Wolf doesn’t need much to survive.
One passing thought. One nostalgic memory. One false belief left unchallenged.
And when we’re tired, stressed, or disconnected, that wolf will speak louder.
This is why sobriety isn’t just about not drinking—it’s about reshaping belief.
It’s about building awareness and refusing to give the Black Wolf a voice at the table.
This inner battle has a name.
It’s what psychology calls cognitive dissonance—and it’s one of the biggest reasons quitting alcohol feels so hard.
When you fully commit to starving it—through repetition, support, and truth—the craving loses its grip. The lies lose their edge. And the wolf grows weak.
Feeding the White Wolf
The White Wolf is quiet at first.
But it’s there—every time you wake up clear-headed. Every time you feel proud, aligned, or in control.
To feed it, you need more than motivation. You need structure, insight, and repetition.
You feed the White Wolf when you:
- Challenge old beliefs and replace them with truth
- Practice gratitude and forward-thinking
- Remind yourself why you chose this path
- Celebrate clarity, not just abstinence
The White Wolf doesn’t grow through willpower—it grows through alignment.
Choosing the Wolf That Wins
This battle isn’t about good versus evil.
It’s about truth versus illusion. Awareness versus autopilot.
You don’t need to fight alcohol every day.
You need to feed the part of you that no longer wants it.
Because when the White Wolf is strong, the battle ends.
And what’s left is not a fight—but peace. Direction. And the life you were always capable of living.
So the question is no longer “Can I quit?”
It’s:
Which wolf will I feed today?
— Brent