Stop drinking. It’s not as hard as you might think. Here are some tips and tricks on how to stop drinking alcohol, along with some resources if you need them:
Try A ‘Drink Less’ Mindset. Click HERE!
Recognize that you are an alcoholic
Recognizing that you are an alcoholic is the first step in getting help. You need to understand what alcohol dependence is and realize that you have a problem. Alcohol dependence is defined as “a chronic physical and psychological syndrome characterized by a primary use of alcohol despite harmful consequences.” If you continue to drink despite the negative effects it has on your life, then this may be an indication that there are other issues at work here like depression or anxiety disorders.
In order to identify if someone has become dependent on their drinking habit, they need to answer questions such as: Am I able to stop drinking when I want (or have been asked)? Do I have an urge for more alcohol than usual? Do I feel guilt or regret after drinking too much? When am I most likely going out for drinks with friends? These questions can help determine whether or not someone has become dependent on their drinking habit over time which leads us into our next point:
There are many different types of counseling, so it’s important to find a therapist or counselor that specializes in addiction. This can be done by asking friends and family for recommendations, calling local treatment centers (such as Alcoholics Anonymous) and asking what type of counseling they provide, or searching online for local therapists who specialize in addictionsIf you’re feeling a bit lost in this post, that’s okay! I’m not here to tell you what to do with your life–I just want to give you the tools and resources that can help you solve your problems for yourselfIf you are concerned about your drinking habits and have answered yes to any of the questions above then it is time to seek help. You should not feel guilty or ashamed over having a problem with alcohol, but instead should look into getting treatment as soon as possible…
Get a therapist or sponsor
It is important to get help from a professional. A therapist or sponsor can help you learn new behaviors and skills that will help you stop drinking. They will also provide support after you’ve stopped drinking so that you don’t relapse again.
A friend or family member may be able to provide support as well, but it’s best if they are trained in addiction counseling and understand what it means for an alcoholic to deal with their problems without alcohol. If possible try getting counseling through Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), which provides free treatment at AA meetings around the country every day of the year.
If neither of these options works out for any reason then consider getting individual therapy as soon as possible!
Recognizing what triggers your addictive behaviors, and learning how to avoid them. This may mean saying “no” more often than you say “yes”, or it might mean cutting out certain people from your life who encourage these behaviors.
Figure out what triggers your drinking behavior
The first step to stopping drinking is figuring out what triggers your behavior. It’s important to think about what might be causing you to drink when you don’t want to, so that you can avoid those situations in the future.
If possible, try to avoid triggering situations altogether—for example, by not going out with friends when they’re drinking excessively or staying home on weekends instead of going out with friends who are drinking heavily. If this isn’t feasible for whatever reason (for example: work is busy), then try coping with the situation as best as possible. For example: “I know I have some issues around alcohol and sometimes need some space from my friends after I’ve been drinking too much,” or “I’m not sure why I’m so triggered by alcohol right now but it’s just something I’ll have deal with because otherwise everyone else will notice how stressed out I am.”
If avoidance isn’t possible (or if coping doesn’t work), then try moderation! If your trigger is having a drink before bedtime at home but doing this every night makes things worse for both physical health reasons (elderly people shouldn’t mix sleeping pills with alcohol) AND emotional health reasons (drinking before bedtime causes depression). Try cutting back how much alcohol until there’s no more negative effect on yourself after an evening spent getting drunk–then gradually increase again over time until finally moving onto something else entirely new like meditation practice instead of obsessing over whether someone likes them anymore based solely off their appearance alone without any real substance behind those feelings inside themselves first before reacting outwardly towards others’ opinions.”
Accept yourself and your addictions, while still working on them.
Acceptance is the first step to recovery. It means that you are not in denial about your addiction, and it means that you have a plan for recovery. You can’t fix something if you don’t accept it.
Accepting an addiction doesn’t mean saying “I’m going to stop drinking now!” or “I’m going to stop eating sugar!” It does mean:
- Accepting where your life has been before any changes were made; even if it wasn’t pretty, or fun at all times (and sometimes especially so).
- Understanding why people do what they do—their reasons for drinking or eating differently than others might be different from yours; this understanding will help put things into perspective and make sense out of behaviors that seem crazy or illogical at first glance.* Learning from past experiences instead of repeating them over again because they feel familiar–even though they aren’t necessarily good ones
