Have you Decided to Quit Drinking?

Have you Decided to Quit Drinking?

Decisions, decisions. Every day, people make decisions on how to live their life. Some people make decisions on whether to go out or just stay at home. They make decisions on what channel to watch on television. Even the process of selecting what to wear today is a decision. The decisions that people make may be about trivial concerns such as what to wear or life-changing decisions such as what to study in college or which doctor to go to. The decision to quit drinking is an important decision to make for someone who’s so used to drinking in parties or even at home. The people who make this type of decision are taking their first steps in living a healthier life.

How can a person quit drinking alcohol? For some, this may be one of the easiest decisions to make especially if they’re not yet serious alcoholics. For others, it may involve a total change in their lifestyle and in their habits.

The first step a person can do is to list down the reasons why he/she wants to stop drinking alcohol. Different people have different reasons for doing a certain thing. They may want to be healthier. Someone might have intervened and made him/her realize that it is best to get rid of this habit. It may be draining him/her financially. It may be affecting their capability to work and live normally. The list of reasons for a person to quit goes on and on. It’s important for a person to list down these reasons so that whenever he/she is tempted to go astray or to pick up the bottle, all they have to do is to look at their list of reasons to remind themselves what they’re quitting for.

Another step that helps a person quit is to decide whether to cut down on the drinking or to get rid of the habit altogether. There are some people who find quitting “cold turkey” difficult and may prefer to halt gradually. If they do decide to cut down, they should decide on a limit for their drinking and gradually set this limit lower until they’re used to not drinking at all.  Some experts also advise keeping a diary of what drinks and how much they’ve had to consume regularly so that the person can keep track of his/her goal.

Avoiding temptation is another important step to take in getting rid of your alcohol problem. Try to avoid keeping liquor or beer at home. Temporarily abstain from meeting up with old friends when you know there’s going to be some drinking going on. Your friends will understand the reason why you won’t be able to attend during this time. They may even support you or gather inspiration from you and stop drinking themselves.  Enlist the help and support of your friends and family since they’ll understand the situation that you’re going through and help you go through those days when you might want to fall back on your drinking habits. Try to keep active by doing things you normally wouldn’t do just to keep your mind off your urge to drink. Read a book, go jogging, play sports – anything that’ll keep you occupied during the first few days.

Last but not the least, learn when and how to say “no”. There will always be those days when you’re tempted to drink. Tell yourself “no” and do something to keep you occupied in order to help you quit drinking. Keep your willpower strong and you’ll find being sober easier as the days go by.