Helpful Tips for Giving Up Alcohol
The following tips can help you or a loved one in their quest to give up alcohol.
25/05/2020
Booze is among the world’s most loved beverages. Alcohol is often used as a social lubricant and is culturally accepted all over the world. Other than the high it provides, alcohol can have several benefits to the user if taken in moderation. For instance, it is known to help induce sleep in some people, can decrease the risk of diabetes, and can even improve libido. However, it becomes destructive to the body when higher than recommended amounts are taken more frequently (abuse). One could also easily become a victim of alcohol dependence, and addiction. Alcohol abuse also increased during the pandemic.
Once the user realizes the dangers they’re exposing themselves to, it’s not unusual to feel the urge to quit alcohol but the urge to take it is even stronger. Many such people simply do not know how to stop drinking, and this is a fact. Quitting alcohol can be one rocky bumpy road but who says it's not possible? The following are some tips that can help you or a loved one in their quest to give up alcohol.
1. Avoid Triggers and Temptations
They say out of sight out of mind. This is all the more reason why you should clear every bottle of alcohol from your home and in the office. Once you clear alcohol from your house, it can be easier to overcome the addiction. Remove all alcohol, barware, and any other alcohol-related stuff that may easily entice you back to drinking. You may also want to avoid going to cinemas, pubs, and restaurants where booze is sold. Identify your triggers points and try as much as possible to cut them off.
2. Do Away With Bad Influences
Quitting alcohol will require some serious sacrifices. You may have to give up on certain friends and social connections, preferably some of your best friends. But it’s all going to pay heftily since some of those buddies will easily lure you back to the same menace of drinking if you continue hooking up with them. Distance yourself even from your own family if they do not support your efforts to quit drinking. If you can't do away with them, set some limits instead. You can, for instance, interact with them when it's really necessary.
3. Set Goals
Do writing on what has pushed you to quit and what you intend to achieve from quitting it. For instance, if your drinking has contributed to the falling apart of your marriage, you’ve been fired from work, or in the worst-case scenario, gotten involved in a car accident, pen it down! Once you list the demerits of alcoholism in your life, this will push you even more to overcome the abuse and addiction.
4. Keep Yourself Busy
An idle mind is a devil's workshop, so say. Well, once you let yourself to stay idle in the process of overcoming alcoholism, it can easily recruit you back to the drinking as you pass time on that couch. Keep yourself occupied as much as you can while at home. You can also pick up new hobbies, hire a tutor for some home music lessons, go biking, join a neighborhood sports club, or go swimming. The list of activities to keep you occupied is literally endless.
An idle mind is a devil's workshop, so say. Well, once you let yourself to stay idle in the process of overcoming alcoholism, it can easily recruit you back to the drinking as you pass time on that couch. Keep yourself occupied as much as you can while at home. You can also pick up new hobbies, hire a tutor for some home music lessons, go biking, join a neighborhood sports club, or go swimming. The list of activities to keep you occupied is literally endless. [In addition, you can also consider a surfing vacation to relax and enjoy the outdoors while staying active and having fun. It helps improve your physical skills, enhances your sense of well-being, and provides a sense of relaxation and connection to nature. It can also boost your confidence and help you to develop better social skills that will give you a sense of accomplishment.
5. Seek Help from a Counselor
To some people, it's virtually impossible to stop drinking on their own. Therefore, counseling and therapy sessions might be your only exit route from the menace. A counselor will help come up with personalized strategies that will help you overcome the addiction with time. Therapy, on the other hand, can help you cope with the triggers and avoids relapse during the recovery period. If the struggle of quitting alcohol has taken a toll on you, then you can always join a rehab center where you will be given professional treatment for alcohol addiction while you detox in a safer environment.
Lastly don't give up. Let nobody tell you it will be an easy wrap. It will require much determination, effort, patience, and sacrifice from your side.