In this article I will explain how to stop drinking alcohol forever and detoxify from this substance so negative for your health. Alcohol contains a very high addictive component, so overcoming an addiction to this substance usually requires great willpower.
If you are addicted to alcohol and stop drinking abruptly, you may have what is known as withdrawal syndrome. They are all those physical and psychological symptoms that the fact of not consuming the substance to which we are addicted produces us.
The main idea if you want to stop drinking alcohol is that you will have to do it progressively. If you try to do it overnight it will be more complicated, because you will suffer from withdrawal syndrome and because you are already used to it. On the other hand, it is important that you replace the activity of drinking with other healthy habits.
Each substance can produce a different withdrawal syndrome. With regard to alcohol, the most frequent symptoms are:
Normally, the appearance of these symptoms together with the need to drink, imminently precipitates a relapse in consumption, since when drinking alcohol again, these symptoms will disappear.
This is why if you want to overcome your addiction to alcohol, it is important that you do it in an organized and planned way, and develop the necessary skills to overcome all difficult moments..
The first step to be able to overcome an addiction is to build a positive attitude… But what exactly does this mean??
Building a positive attitude means creating and maintaining a predisposition, a way of facing the situation that arises.
Overcoming an addiction is not a simple thing, nor is it something that others can do for you, nor is it something that can be done magically through wonderful techniques or medications..
If you want to overcome alcohol addiction, you must start a war between you and your addiction, and therefore, first of all, you must make sure that you can win it..
It will be of no use to you if you decide to stop drinking but are not convinced to do so, if you are not willing to make an effort or sacrifice or if you are not motivated
Therefore, before starting, I recommend that you convince yourself that you can do it, motivate yourself and build in your mind a final goal:
Make a list of all the reasons that lead you to give up alcohol, all the inconveniences that being addicted to this substance has for you (health problems, financial problems, problems with other people, etc.)
Make a list of the barriers that you think you may encounter along the way (desire or need to drink, discomfort from not drinking alcohol, loss of gratification, etc.)
Write down those aspects of your personality that you think can favor change: willpower, ability to overcome, sacrifice, etc..
Make a list of self-words that can help you in delicate moments:: "I am stronger than alcohol, I can do it, I will change my life"
The idea is that between the three lists you configure how you will be during the change, what will be your strengths that will allow you to give up alcohol, what will be your points and what will be the motivation that will follow you at all times.
Once you have the necessary attitude to start giving up alcohol, the next step you should take is to reduce consumption. In this case, reducing consumption does not mean stopping drinking in a radical way, but it does mean trying to drink less and less often..
The goal is that your drunkenness practically disappears, that you drink fewer times a day than you are used to but continue to supply alcohol to your brain.
In this way you will avoid withdrawal syndrome, since your brain will continue to receive alcohol but you will get used to drinking less.
For example, at the beginning you can limit alcohol consumption to 2 or 3 times a day, monitoring the amounts and type of alcohol consumed (better if you consume low alcohol drinks) so that you can control yourself each time you drink.
At this point it is crucial that when you drink you do not consume very high amounts of alcohol, since if you do, you can lose control and be unable to reduce consumption. When you do, think that it is better to drink just a little and know that in a while you will be able to drink a little more..
On the other hand, as time passes you will decrease these amounts until consumption is zero. If you do it gradually, it will not be so complicated and you will not suffer from withdrawal syndrome. Example:
The more things you do, the less time you will have to drink alcohol, so the best way to help reduce your consumption is to keep busy in all those moments that you do not drink.
Look for activities that are of your interest, it does not matter much the characteristics of this, since most will be incompatible with alcohol.
But for example, if you are used to going to the bar in the afternoon, look for an alternative activity.
Decide to go for a walk in the park, play soccer games with your friends, go to the library for a good book if you like to read or join the municipal swimming pool to go swimming for a while.
The important thing is that you increase your occupation and replace some of the moments that you used to drink for other things, since if you do not do it you will suffer much more to reduce your consumption.
At the same time that you are substituting alcohol for other activities, you have to eliminate those stimuli that make you drink.
If, for example, whenever you enter the bar below your house you end up with a few drinks on your table, try not to go there. If whenever you meet a friend you drink a few beers, stop meeting him, if when you go out at night you usually end up drinking more than necessary, try to stay home ...
Ideally, you should make a list of those stimuli that you think most influence your consumption and decide what type of avoidance you will do.
For example:
If you do it alone, it will cost you much more than if you have someone to support you and accompany you along the way..
Sometimes we may think that seeking help to overcome our problems makes us seem weak or incapable, but that is not the case. Counting on the help of others is the most logical and most convenient.
The life of the human being cannot be explained without the relationship between people, so to overcome complicated situations it should not be an exception.
Choose those most trusted people, friends, parents, siblings, children, etc. And tell them your problem, why you want to change the situation and how you plan to overcome it.
If they get involved and help you, you will have a great advantage.
When your consumption has already been decreasing and you feel more or less comfortable with that situation, it is time to mark one or more dates.
It consists of deciding what will be the day that you will stop drinking altogether, or what days you will have goals to meet.
Doing this is vitally important so that the process acquires structure and you do not stop drinking aimlessly.
So, sit down with those people who are helping you to stop drinking and together agree on the dates. Let's see an example:
To reduce consumption, a very effective technique is to drink only when you eat food or in special situations, such as celebrations or parties.
Drinking more or less controlled amounts when you eat will allow you to make sure that you will not reach a state of intoxication.
So, whenever you can, try to drink when you eat or dine instead of at other times.
Sometimes the motivation will be simple, since if you have been meeting your goals, you will be satisfied with your performance and this will increase your motivation. However, there are times when motivation can be more complicated..
If one day you do not meet your goals, you drink more than necessary or you are not able to follow the "plan" you have set, do not despair.
At that moment you should not think that all the work has been thrown overboard, but that it has been a misstep that will not happen again.
Stay firm with the attitude that you have built at the beginning, with the motivation that has led you to meet various objectives, get up and continue.
Along the way, not everything will be easy or flowers and colors, there will be critical moments and situations in which you will have a bad time.
That is why you must learn to control your emotions when you find yourself in a situation that exceeds you..
In those moments that you notice that you cannot hold without drinking, try to calm down, go to a place where you are alone, breathe deeply, take out your list of self-words to motivate yourself and call one of your supports to help you.
If you do this, you will be able to change your thoughts in those situations, and realize that this discomfort will only last for a while, so all you have to do is try to hold the moment to continue with your goals..
Finally, once you have satisfied all the previous points, the best way to maintain your overcoming of addiction is to carry out activities that are incompatible with drinking, and among them, the one I recommend the most is to exercise..
In this way, you will not only change your habit of drinking in isolation, but you will change your unhealthy lifestyle habits globally, for lifestyle habits that are more suitable for health..
If you manage to exercise, physical activity or a sport that you like regularly, alcohol will no longer have a place in your life.
Here you can read more benefits of exercise.
According to the WHO:
According to drugfreeworld.org:
Have you ever overcome an addiction to alcohol? Share it with us, your experience can be of great help to readers!!
Yet No Comments