How do I stop drinking alcohol? How do I cut back? How do I get a loved one to stop or cut back?
These are questions that all of us face when we think we may be drinking too much. Normal people can drink when they want and stop when they want.
There are some, however, that will struggle with the bottle and the thought of quitting their entire lives. We hope that on this page you will find some help and tips on what you need to do to stop or cut back on drinking, or get help for alcohol addiction.
A good rule of thumb is to check with your medical professional to see if a more intensive alcohol treatment program is needed to address your drinking problem.
If you feel you need to just cut back or help with stopping, there are some strategies you can follow.
First, you should take time to make a list of reasons for cutting down or stopping. It may be because you want to improve your life, your relationships with others, or your health. Take time and formulate a list of reasons. These can be things you can reflect upon. The reasons can be indicators to you why you need to keep moving forward with your efforts to fix your drinking struggle.
Cutting back or quitting can be a little easier with a change of attitude. Remember, you are doing this to help yourself and those you care about. You cannot look back at drinking with fondness, or you will just want to drink. Instead, see alcohol abuse for the negatives it brought to your life and move forward.
Set goals for yourself when it comes to drinking. If it is about cutting down, set limits for yourself on the number of drinks you may have, or limit the days of the week that you may drink. “BE SURE TO WRITE THESE GOALS DOWN. They will mean more to you if you have committed to them on paper. Equally important TELL SOMEONE ABOUT your goals. Make sure it is someone who can hold you responsible.
You will probably need to get rid of any and all alcohol you have in your home. The temptation to drink might be too difficult knowing that it is there. You may also need to change where and who you hang out with. It is highly difficult to abstain when you are hanging out in a bar! You will need to make some lifestyle changes in your effort to cut back or to quit.
As you make these changes, you will find that you have time to fill. Boredom is the enemy. You will need to fill this time with something. Constructive activities have shown to be very positive in the lives of those who are overcoming an alcohol problem. Get out and do something. Plan family activities, or take up a new hobby. The internet is full of stories of individuals who have turned to athletics as a way to help them quit drinking. Now, we are not saying start today to train for a triathlon, but find something constructive you can do to fill this newfound time you have without alcohol.
If it is too tough to cut down, you may need more support and help with alcohol abuse. You can ask your friends or family members to help you with keeping your goals. Another valuable support for those who need to quit drinking is Alcoholics Anonymous. You can go to meetings. You can work with a sponsor. You can even work a program that was designed to help people
Well, what if I have tried to stop and I just cannot? For some individuals, drinking gets to a point where it is alcohol addiction. Alcoholism is when you get physically sick and withdraw when you stop. You have the shakes when sober.
When you are this physically dependent on drinking, it is most likely you need help stopping. If this is the case, you should have a completely new set of goals that do not involve cutting back. They involve quitting completely because if you do not you will just continue to drink and have an increasing number of physical, emotional and social difficulties.
If this is the case you may need to detox with the help of a medical professional. Detoxing gets the alcohol out of your system and helps you address withdrawals. It is a misconception that this is enough treatment to help those with alcoholism. It does get you sober but does not help you with the therapies and modifications needed to stay that way.
