5 Easy Tips to Stop Drinking Addiction Within A Month

So you have decided that you want to stop drinking. Like any successful project, stopping alcohol use requires some thought and planning. Consider this venture as you would any other and follow these stop drinking tips.

Consider the reasons why, when, where and with whom you  usually drink. You will likely need a strategy to address these. If you usually grab a drink after work to unwind, brainstorm other ways to de-stress after work. Come up with several ideas of things you can do in the evening that will both help you unwind and avoid the temptation to grab a cold one.

If playing golf always involves drinking, you might want to avoid the golf course for a while. Find another activity that doesn’t place you at risk of drinking. Do you have certain friends that you drink with routinely? You might want to tell them what you are doing and ask for their support, or only see them when they are not drinking.

Find a few people who can offer support when things get tough or you are having a particularly bad day. Those are the times you are most at risk of sabotaging your plan. Everyone needs support. Chances are that you usually turn to the people you drink with when you need someone to talk to or something to do during stressful times.

It is important to remember that if you keep doing what you have always done, you will get the same results. Include your doctor as part of your support team, and consider seeing a counselor or going to a support group if you think it will help.

Alcohol takes a toll on your body and brain. The first few weeks of sober living may be difficult physically and emotionally, depending on how much alcohol you generally use and how long you have been drinking. Get a physical and tell your doctor that you plan to stop drinking. S/he may offer other tips for giving up alcohol.  In some cases, your doctor may provide medication to make the process easier and safer.
Also, note that exercise can help you recover from addictions.

Many who drink alcohol are deficient in important vitamins and minerals (which often leads to cravings). You should adopt a healthy diet with essential nutrients and foods that curb cravings for alcohol. Talk to a nutritionist about your diet and drinking history for recommendations. If your diet is unhealthy, a nutritionist can also help you find simple dietary changes to support your goal to stop drinking within the next month.

It helps to have concrete reminders of why you want to stop drinking. Make a list of why you want to stop and what  your life will look like when you are not drinking. Instead of focusing only on the negative things that have happened because of your drinking, consider how things will be better when you are not drinking. For example:
“I will be more involved with my children and be a better parent.”
“I will be a better husband/wife/partner and have stronger relationships.”
“I will return to school and finish my degree.”
“As my health improves, I will feel/sleep/think better.”
“I will do a better job at work and have more opportunities for advancement.”

4 Healthy Habits In Addiction Recovery

Many who have been drinking for a long time have given up on their hopes and dreams. While having hopes and dreams is important to good mental health and may help you stay the course of sobriety, taking on too many changes at once can lead to overwhelm and failure. If you want to go back to college, plan to do so in six months – not six weeks. Give yourself time to recover physically and psychologically before you add lots of new stressors.

As you begin to feel better and have more energy, you may want to take on new things. Many who drink have difficulty with moderation in other areas of life, and most are not good at delayed gratification. Waiting to pursue long term goals may be difficult, but you can take on some short-term goals in the interim. If you really think now is the time to go for one of your goals, try baby steps. Instead of enrolling full time at the local college, take one class the first semester. Rather than training for a marathon the first month, consider starting off with a 5 mile ride/run/walk for the first event, and work up to the marathon a bit later.

That being said, many who stop drinking find themselves with lots of surplus energy, both mentally and physically. Alcohol may have been how you managed to contain/suppress all that energy. Find healthy outlets such as hobbies and projects to keep you busy and focus your interests. Just try to avoid doing anything for the sake of numbing out. Talk to your doctor or counselor about this, as you may have some underlying anxiety or other issues that lead you to drink initially. Some reports indicate that over 20% of alcoholics have an anxiety disorder.

You have likely come to the decision to stop drinking addiction within the next month for a variety of reasons. Whatever the reason, these tips  for quitting alcohol addiction will help you succeed.

Anoop is Health blogger and Passionate in the ways of tech, music, cars and all things fun! Contact him on Twitter @philosopher
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