People with alcohol problems do not decide to make the transformation of quitting alcohol overnight, but once you do, just go for it. Admitting to your drinking problems is a great step and sticking to it is the best. It is important to acknowledge your ambivalence about stopping drinking. If you are not sure about making the decision right now, then reconsider, but if you are super ready, then the list below can be helpful.
Most people with alcohol problems do not decide to make a big change out of the blue or transform their drinking habits overnight. Recovery is usually a more gradual process. In the early stages of change, denial is a huge obstacle. Even after admitting you have a drinking problem, you may make excuses and drag your feet. It’s important to acknowledge your ambivalence about stopping drinking. If you’re not sure if you’re ready to change or you’re struggling with the decision, it can help to think about the costs and benefits of each choice.
Overcoming an addiction to alcohol can be a long and bumpy road. If you have finally decided on quitting alcohol and are ready to stop drinking, you can recover from alcoholism and alcohol abuse no matter how powerless you feel.
You can make the changes without waiting until you hit rock bottom.
Alcohol addiction is quite a difficult situation and getting over it is much more of a task than it looks. Suddenly drinking no alcohol is also known as going “cold turkey” and can have serious symptoms in case you were a heavy drinker.
When you decide on quitting alcohol, you’ll be intensely affected on a psychological level. You can suffer from short-term problems even if you only reduce your alcohol consumption. Irritation, poor concentration, feeling shaky/ tired or finding it difficult to sleep or having nightmares are common symptoms of quitting alcohol.
Psychological symptoms of stopping alcohol drinking include trembling hands, sweating, headache, nausea, vomiting, palpitations, and lack of appetite.
Apart from the common ones, quitting alcohol can have severe physical side effects as well; it includes convulsions, confusion, fever and even hallucinations.
If you face regular severe physical symptoms, it is better to consult your doctor as soon as possible. You can also get in touch with local support groups to help you stay on track.
There could be gazillion reasons for you to stop consuming alcohol. Some people need to stop drinking because of medical conditions such as liver diseases which have been badly affected due to heavy alcohol consumption. Others choose to do so for religious reasons or simply to move towards a healthier lifestyle.
If you have been planning on removing alcohol from your life, just know that you are not alone. There are millions out there who are suffering from the same problems. Whatever your reasons be, stopping alcohol consumption is the best decision you can ever make.
Below are given some ways which can surely assist you in reducing or eliminating alcohol consumption from your life. Your decision of moving from drinking heavily to drinking no alcohol at all will demand great efforts and dedication.
Here’s how you can do it.
#1. Speak About Your Intentions
Quitting alcohol is a big decision and hence needs to be talked about. Your family and friends play an important role in supporting your major decisions, and therefore you should tell them about your intentions. Once stated that you want to quit drinking alcohol, your close ones will know the reasons for you turning down social gatherings at pubs and bars.
Frequently reminding yourself and your loved ones about the reasons you want to quit drinking alcohol for will surely boost your morale and confidence. In addition, your motivation and determination might even encourage others to quit drinking as well.
#2. Don’t Be Tempted
Alcohol addiction is not an easy one to get rid of until you are thoroughly determined. The initial days of quitting alcohol could be the most difficult because of the temptations that are hard to resist. Catching up with friends, going out on Saturday nights, dinner dates or even office parties, ALCOHOL is written everywhere.
It is advisable to stay away from such temptations in the early stages. Try going out to restaurants that do not serve alcohol or just volunteer to drive back home after the dinner. That would make it obvious for you to not drink.
The other way out is to fill the void with some other drink, say a mocktail, an ice-cream shake or any other cold or hot beverage that you like to have with your food.
#3. Look For Alternatives
Just because you wish to quit alcohol does not imply that you’ll have to put an end to your social life. If Friday nights have always been about partying, then be it, just make the hop from a pub to a bowling alley maybe? Or catch up on a good movie? This will naturally help you skip on consuming alcohol. The other way out is to make your catching up sessions a little healthier by arranging for a swim session or maybe a spinning class together. Exercising can help you in winding down.
#4. Identify Your Triggers
Every addict has their own trigger points and so will you! As someone who is trying to quit drinking, it is highly important that you recognize and identify your trigger points, i.e. the times or situations in which you are tempted to drink.
And obviously there would be times when you’ll face failure, just try to retrospect the reasons for the same. It could be the ambiance of the pub that drives you crazy and makes the shiny bottle of whiskey irresistible, or maybe it’s just your friends that keep pushing you to have a drink.
Identifying your triggers will help you avoid your weak moments in the future.
#5. Let The Process Be Gradual
Now that you have decided on quitting drinking, it is important to be patient. An addiction is called so because it has become a significant part of your life and letting it will take loads of efforts, time and patience.
You know that alcohol has been your bae for the longest time, be it your constant at parties or your shoulder to cry on after a breakup, alcohol and you have been in a long-term relationship and getting over it will require some great deal of efforts.
Do not completely stop drinking alcohol; rather reduce your quantities first. If you were the one to finish of three bottles of beer, you should consider going slow just as a warm-up. Focus more on the food or the people you are with than the bottle in front of you. Reducing the amounts of alcohol will work as an effective stepping stone to giving up alcohol completely shortly.
Cutting down on alcohol doesn’t have to be rapid. If you used to drink every night, then start by reducing it to alternate days or weekends, keep the weekdays' alcohol-free. This will gradually become a habit and will also help you in overcoming temptations when going out. Resisting alcohol on alternate days will motivate you to add more alcohol-free days to your routine.
#6. Reward Yourself
Just like we acknowledge the efforts of our kids, our partner, or our friends, we should recognize our own efforts and keep rewarding ourselves for the same, only if you are making any progress. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you slip up every once in a while.
Instead of long-term planning, keep your goals short term. They are comfortable and practical. You can start with an alcohol-free week and then an alcohol-free month, and it goes on from there.
If you were in a habit of making yourself a glass of wine while watching TV or reading your book, try replacing the wine with some other non-alcoholic drink that you like.
Apart from the health benefits, quitting drinking can save you tons of money. You have absolutely no idea about the kind of money that you spend on drinking. And now that you want to stop drinking, start storing all that money and treat yourself to some new clothes or maybe a relaxing spa session.
#7. Relish The Benefits
Once you stop drinking alcohol or start cutting down on your consumption, you will surely start noticing a number of improvements in the way you feel and look. You might feel more energetic and catch up on some good sleep. Weight loss is also a positive result of quitting drinking.
In the long run, quitting alcohol will also help you reduce the risk of developing alcohol-related cancer, liver or heart diseases.
We hope the article helps you to get over your alcohol addiction smoothly.
How did you get over your alcohol addiction ? Let us know in the comment section below.
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