"How to Quit Alcohol Dinking"

“How to Quit Alcohol Drinking”

·         Accept that you've got a problem

Being able to accept that you've got a problem with alcohol is the first step that you need to take. The person who is ready to quit drinking alcohol is the person who is not in denial. The alcoholic's first line of defence is always to say that they are not an alcoholic and to reel off lame excuses for their habit. It took me over 25 years to be able to say that I was an alcoholic and to stop making excuses for my addiction.

·         Make a commitment to quit drinking alcohol

Once you have admitted to yourself that you are an alcoholic, the next thing that you need to do is to look at the reasons why you are drinking and ask yourself some questions. For example, why is the thought of life without alcohol unbearable? What motivates you to drink? why do you continue to drink even though it's destroying your relationships and your health? I'm sure you can think of many other questions, just grab a pen and paper and write down everything that comes to mind.

·         Seek medical help

If you are a chronic alcoholic then you will need to quit alcohol under medical supervision. Make an appointment to see a physician and talk to them honestly about your drinking and your intention to stop. They will be able to prescribe you with medication to make the withdrawal process a comfortable experience.

·         Stop drinking

Once you have stopped drinking alcohol it will be necessary in the early days to avoid the people and places you associate with alcohol. It may be a good idea you to find a support group where you can discuss your feelings and ask for help should you need to. I would recommend that you look at SMART and Rational Recovery as these are two great resources available to you on the Internet. I personally wouldn't recommend Alcoholics Anonymous as I didn't find them to be helpful and I don't believe that their recovery statistics are that great, but that is only my opinion.

·         Make a plan

Once you have stopped drinking alcohol you need to come up with a strategy to keep yourself from returning to it. In the early days of stopping drinking you will come up with all manner of excuses to return to it. You may decide that you will be able to control it, you will start to see it as less of a problem, you will start to remember only the good times that you had drinking etc. For every argument you will need to have a solid counter argument. So think about all of the reasons why returning to drinking might be an option and write them down along with all of the reasons why you want to stay stopped.

·         Get support from your family and friends

Tell your family and friends how serious you are about stopping drinking and ask them to be considerate of your decision. Ask them not to drink around you in the early days and avoid having alcohol in the house. Their support will make not drinking a lot easier.

·         Keep a diary

It's a very good idea to keep a diary when you stop drinking and it can serve as a powerful tool in your recovery. Writing down how you are feeling and all the problems that you are experiencing can be liberating and will keep you firmly committed to overcoming your addiction.

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