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This is how you stay in contact with your buddies. It is the time spent with coworkers after work. This is how you recharge after a tough day with the children. It is how you maintain your composure when feeling overwhelmed and anxious.
There are always several reasons to continue drinking. When do the motivations to stop drinking become more compelling?
Whether you battle with alcoholism, also known formally as substance use disorder or the effects of excessive drinking continue to pile up, becoming sober is a way ahead that millions of people are familiar with. That does not imply that the road is simple. With the correct tools and assistance, we are confident that you can find a better, happier way of life.
Read Also About Signs Of An Alcoholic
Being here, reading this advice on how to stop drinking, and contemplating your future is a wonderful first step to stopping drinking. Let’s bring you closer to the tips to stop drinking and discover fresh hope and life via sobriety.
Consult a doctor
Alcohol addiction. Relapse. Alcohol and drug abuse. These words associated with excessive alcohol consumption can seem unpleasant. You could feel embarrassed or ashamed to discuss your drinking habits. But, discussing your daily alcohol consumption openly and honestly with your doctor could be a vital first step and the best way to stop drinking.
If your body has an alcohol craving, you will need to detox. The rapid absence of alcohol in the body can induce withdrawal, resulting in a variety of symptoms. A physician can determine if your body can appropriately manage withdrawal or if you will require medical monitoring and help.
Know your purpose
Why do you desire to become sober? If you never drank again, how would you describe your primary motivation for giving up alcohol and remaining sober?
You are not required to respond immediately. It’s a whopper! Therefore, take your time.
However, it is also one of the most crucial questions you will answer on the road to recovery. As temptations come or as the sickness of drug use disorder encourages your body to cave into temptations, you will want to repeatedly return to your reason for recovery.
Relationships are central to the motivations of certain people. Spouses, parents, children, etc. Others have experienced a decline in their professions as a result of their drinking. And for others, a combination of things fuels their decision to become sober.
Once you have determined your motive, record it everywhere. Place a post-it note everywhere you anticipate needing a reminder. Set a daily text message reminder on your phone for times when you know you’ll be most thirsty. Place images that remind you of your purpose throughout your home, vehicle, and computer and phone backgrounds.
Set goals
In theory, it makes reasonable to set the aim of never drinking again. Inadvertently, many people are struggling to quit drinking or relapse early in their recovery path because they fixate solely on accomplishing this only fixed objective.
- Focus instead on developing smaller, more achievable goals that will help you achieve the larger one.
- Attend once each week a support group, such as AA (Alcoholics Anonymous).
- Stop regularly visiting places where you are inclined to drink.
- Begin therapy immediately.
- Make contact with family members who encourage your sobriety.
- Plan ahead for times when detox seems overwhelming
- Find healthful habits to replace the occasions when you would normally drink.
Remove access to alcoholic beverages
Limiting the availability of alcohol is essential, particularly in the early stages of recovery. Sometimes you need to eliminate alcohol. There will be temptations surrounding you that you cannot control; therefore, concentrate on what you can influence.
Eliminate all alcoholic beverages from your household.
If you live with alcoholics, devise a plan for them to get alcohol out of the household and away from you.
Avoid the ones where you have had convenient access to alcohol or consumed it regularly in the past, such as the homes of loved ones and your favorite bars and restaurants.
Put it in writing
Writing is an effective tool for everyone. When attempting to stop drinking, writing might help you to come to terms with and recognize previously unknown aspects of your connection with alcohol. Nowadays, it is considered a trendy way to quit drinking.
Consider documenting your:
- Drinking patterns: lessons you might draw from the past
- Why – the motive to quit drinking – strengthen this reason’s impact
- Feelings regarding drinking, to comprehend your ties to it
- Triggers, in order to understand the factors that made you think like you needed or desired alcohol.
Find a quiet, secure place to write daily. There need not be many words all at once. There is no need for profundity. And it is intended only for your eyes.
Identify your triggers
Your desire to abstain from alcohol is a strong one. Recognizing the circumstances that trigger your desire to consume alcohol will strengthen your resolve.
To achieve a healthy state of sobriety when your mind and body try to convince you that you require another drink, it is crucial to comprehend the source of such thoughts and feelings.
A trigger might be physical or psychological, such as:
- Negative emotions, such as fear, rage, guilt, anxiety, and shame, among others.
- Taking part in social events
- Driving by an establishment where you once drank
- Seeing photographs from the past
- Being around specific individuals
- Stress at work or at home
- Watching a television program or certain commercials
Due to the complexity of substance use disorder, you likely have multiple triggers. When you feel a craving approaching, analyze your surroundings and your emotions.
- Are you in or close to a place that brings to recall past drinking experiences?
- Are you with an individual who makes you feel a certain way?
- Did a circumstance provoke a negative emotion in you?
- Did something remind you of a traumatic event from the past, evoking negative emotions?
- Are you overburdened with stress from job and family obligations?
Recognize what triggered your desire to consume alcohol and focus on that stimulus. Assess what must be changed to reduce the severity or frequency of this trigger. Adopting healthier ways to handle and cope with stress, such as attending counseling sessions, delegating chores, and surrounding oneself with supportive people can help stop drinking. If it’s local haunts, look at alternative routes to avoid them.
Find your network of support
Giving up alcohol can feel challenging and isolating. Perhaps you are concerned that others will criticize you for your drinking problems. Or you may be concerned that people will judge your decision to stop.
Regardless of your fears, there are many individuals who will have your back throughout this.
They could be friends, relatives, significant others, or mentors. Positive support individuals are those who understand your goals and work alongside you to achieve them. They are the individuals with whom you feel comfortable being vulnerable and who you trust to hold you responsible.
If you do not have people already in your life who can assist you give up drinking, you are still not going through this alone. Individuals are willing and able to assist, guide, and love you through the challenges and triumphs of quitting alcohol and unhealthy drinking habits.
Help groups, such as AA, are one of the finest venues to find support from outside your network of friends and family (Alcoholics Anonymous). Individuals in AA are either trying to become clean or are in recovery. In either case, they comprehend your situation. You may believe that people cannot begin to comprehend the anguish, hardships, and reality of addiction, but they do.
Inpatient and outpatient treatment centers are effective places to be surrounded by individuals who will guide you through detox and recovery without passing judgment.
Develop a strategy for managing urges
Alcohol cravings are an unavoidable aspect of detoxification and sobriety. When cravings strike, it’s common to experience anxiety, dread, or humiliation. This combination of bad emotions and a desire to drink is especially difficult to manage when one is alone.
Create a plan of action with your network of support.
- Who will you reach out to for assistance during a trigger or craving?
- What could you do to satisfy your craving?
- How can you prevent this type of desire in the future?
Choose how you will stop alcohol
There are many methods and resources available to help you quit. You can test one strategy or combine them. Discuss with your healthcare physician whether treatment options may be optimal for you.
Join an aid group. Many people have been able to quit drinking by conversing with others who encounter similar issues. Some groups also have online forums and conversations in addition to in-person gatherings. Test out a few different groups to determine which is most comfortable for you.
- SMART Recovery
- Alcoholics Anonymous
- Women for Sobriety
- Al-Anon
Work with a substance abuse counselor. Your provider can assist you in locating a mental health professional with experience working with alcoholics.
Inquire about medication. Several medications can help you stop drinking by eliminating your alcohol cravings and limiting its effects. Ask your doctor if this is a suitable option for you.
Therapeutic programs. If you’ve been a chronic heavy drinker, you may require a more intense treatment. Request a recommendation for an alcohol treatment program from your provider.
If you experience symptoms of withdrawal, like trembling hands, you should not attempt to quit alcohol on your own. It may pose a hazard to life. Consult your provider to determine a method for quitting alcohol safely.
Discover new interests
Alcohol has a tendency of seeping into all aspects of your life, such as how you spend your time socializing and alone. Discovering who you are without alcohol is one of the most thrilling and occasionally terrifying aspects of sobriety.
Explore alternative methods to occupy your time. Try pastimes and self-care routines that make you feel calm, self-confident, included, and emotionally and physically well. It is crucial to recognize that not everything you try will work for you. Continue experimenting until you discover the activities that align with your hobbies and ultimate wellness objectives.
Consult with a therapist
Alcoholism frequently coexists with other mental health issues. Numerous individuals in recovery have realized that mental health conditions, including PTSD, depression, anxiety, ADHD, etc., and trauma contributed to their unhealthy connection with alcohol.
Whether or not you have been diagnosed with a mental disorder, counseling is an effective tool for long-term healing. Therapy could help you unearth critical insights about your alcohol usage and provide the tools necessary for a successful and fulfilling long-term recovery.
Resource References:
- How to stop drinking alcohol: Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. Available at: https://www.hazeldenbettyford.org/articles/how-to-stop-drinking
- How to stop drinking. Mount Sinai Health System. Available at: https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/selfcare-instructions/how-to-stop-drinking.
- Overcoming alcohol addiction. HelpGuide.org. Available at: https://www.helpguide.org/articles/addictions/overcoming-alcohol-addiction.htm.
- How to stop drinking: 14 Tips for Success, Healthline. Healthline Media. Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/alcohol/how-to-stop-drinking#change-it-up.
