How do I stop drinking? - This question is asked by alcohol addicts as well as their relatives and friends. The thing is that it is very difficult to stop drinking, why? Contrary to the public opinion that it is a habit, a way of life or a promiscuity, alcoholism is a serious illness, less physical than psychological dependence, a change in values and attitudes towards life.
Let's also define how you want to stop drinking. This could be:
- Just a way out of the binge;
- Wish to stop drinking forever.
In the first case, the article "How to get out of the binge" will help you. If you want to stop drinking alcohol forever, we try to find out in this article.
Your First Big Step To Quit Alcohol Consumption!
There are some important things to understand in order to stop drinking alcohol.
It is almost impossible to change your inner world, mentality and lifestyle overnight, to which you have become accustomed for many years, and to look at life as a sober person sees it.It's like throwing a fish ashore and waiting for it to land immediately. To stop drinking, you need to reconsider the importance of drinking in your life by answering the following questions to yourself:
- Do you have no problem with alcohol? This is a common misconception that anyone could stop drinking at any time and not come back. But isn't it so?
- Do you think alcohol is not a drug? Then why keep coming back to use after the usual withdrawal from the binge? Why do you need to drink to relieve withdrawal symptoms? Because alcohol is a drug that causes strong physical and psychological addiction!
- Do you always have a reason to drink? And without drinking, do the joys and sorrows in life disappear? No! If you had a son and didn't drink to it, would you be less happy?
- Does alcohol help you relax and deal with stress? Does it solve these problems? Does the stress go away when you are sober? Of course not! In addition, with the use of it, a person loses the ability to independently relax with the help of other methods.
- Strong drinks give confidence? With who? Trust is not required for those you can communicate with through a bottle. And those who you do not trust will not communicate with a drunk person.
- Do you think you seldom drink? How often do we drink that it is considered rare? Is there a rate and frequency? Of course not! Tolerance is different for every organism, as is addiction and dependence. That for one - without consequences, for another - alcoholism!
- Is it good for your health in small doses? Yes, poison in small doses, they say, is also useful and addicting, but the harm it does to the body at the same time does not match the perceived benefit.
- Do you drink because you think alcoholism is incurable? There are many examples of alcoholism treatment. Be sure to? Or do you not want to notice them? And they exist! What is that in this case - an excuse?
What are all these questions for? They make it clear that addicts extol alcoholic beverages and attach great importance to them. Although, in fact, alcohol has no value in our lives. And that's the most important thing if you want to stop drinking alcohol!
How can you stop drinking alcohol yourself?
Only after you have taken the first step do you rethink or understand the importance of "drinking" in your life. You can move on to the next step and ask yourself how to stop drinking alcohol yourself. To do this you need to clearly realize that the joys in life are more sober, problems need to be solved, depression can be self-treated, the "bottle" will not do it for you!
In order to stop drinking yourself, you have to adjust yourself correctly and take important points into account:
- Don't be afraid of the future! Yes, changing your life can be scary, but think about it, what are you afraid of? Just the unknown, because you don't know how to live soberly. But after all, everyone is afraid of the unknown, that is human nature and that is absolutely normal! In addition, more than half of humanity lives a sober life!
- Be true to your word! We have decided to stop drinking - don't succumb to delusion! No glass, no "small" one. Remember that there is a new round of usage behind this. Don't rely on willpower to save you, not to save you! After the first glass, self-control becomes dull and then disappears entirely. There is willpower as long as you stay sober!
- Learn to reduce stress and relax! It can be any hobby, yoga, pilates, meditation, communication, reading books, music, self development, cross stitch - find yours! This is a prerequisite for getting used to a different kind of relaxation without a glass.
- Sport is a good mood! And not so much because it is beneficial to health. It promotes the production of endorphins - happiness hormones. When you are in a good mood, it will make life easier for you to cope with.
- Don't get bored! Because they have nothing to do, many start drinking, smoking, and injecting drugs. Boredom is the greatest enemy! Write yourself a plan for all types of employment: work, housework (you have probably drank a lot while you were drinking), life and family development things.
- Change the environment! To keep your past life from going bad again, consider changing your social circle to one that includes the same people you want to become. Communication on a new level and competitive spirit will help you here.
- Don't avoid drinkers! Is it strange? Yes, but effective! You will see it anywhere and anytime in your life after you decide to stop drinking. Therefore, you need to get used to them first.
How can you stop drinking with the help of specialists?
A lot of people ask how to stop drinking when you can't do it yourself.The answer to this question is simple - with the help of professionals, in whose arsenal there are two effective methods:
- coding for alcoholism;
- Rehabilitation center for alcoholics.
Coding will help you block alcohol cravings for a while (1-2 years). If, during this period, you learn to relax, enjoy life, find a hobby, choose your sport, in other words, you can do anything under the terms of the previous chapter, after the coding period is over, you don't want to go back to your old yourselfReturn to life.
If, for some reason, you understand that you cannot meet the necessary conditions on your own, psychotherapists will come to the rescue with a rehabilitation program in which you will discover a new world, your skills and opportunities, make new friends, learn the pleasure of oneto receive sober life.