In this article I will explain How to stop drinking alcohol Forever and detoxify you from this substance so negative for your health.
Alcohol contains a very high addictive component, so overcoming an addiction to this substance usually requires a strong will.
How can I stop drinking alcohol?
If you are addicted to alcohol and stop using alcohol abruptly, you can present what is known as abstinence syndrome .
The abstinence syndrome are all that physical and psychological symptoms caused by not consuming the substance to which we are addicted.
Each substance can produce a different abstinence syndrome. With regard to alcohol the most frequent symptoms are:
Anxiety and nervousness.
Depressive states and mood swings.
Irritability and impulsivity.
Headache.
Insomnia.
Nausea and vomiting.
Sweating, cold skin and trembling.
Incrise of cardiac frecuency.
Usually, the appearance of these symptoms together with the need to drink, imminently precipitates the relapse in consumption, since when re-drinking Alcohol, those symptoms will disappear.
That is why if you want to overcome your addiction to alcohol, it is important that you do it in an organized and planned, and develop the skills Necessary to overcome all the difficult moments.
10 steps to quitting alcohol
1. Build a good attitude
The first step in overcoming 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, it is not something that others can do for you, or that can be performed in a magical way through Techniques or wonderful medicines.
If you want to overcome the addiction to alcohol you must start a war between your addiction and you, and therefore before you do, you must make sure that you can win.
It will not be worth anything if you decide to stop drinking but you are not convinced to do it, if you are not willing to try hard or sacrifice yourself or if you are not Motivated
So before you start 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 leave the alcohol, all the inconveniences that have for you to be addicted to this substance (Health problems, economic problems, problems with other people, etc.)
Make a list of the barriers that you think you can find along the way (desire or need to drink, discomfort for not ingesting alcohol, lost Of gratification, etc.)
Point out those aspects of your personality that you think can promote change: Willpower, ability to overcome, sacrifice, etc.
Make a list of self-words that can help you in sensitive moments:"I am stronger than alcohol, I can do it, I will change my life"
It is about the three lists you set up how you will be during the change, what will be your strengths that will allow you to leave the alcohol, which Will be your points and what will be the motivation that will follow you at all times.
2. Reduces consumption
Once you have the attitude necessary to start giving up alcohol, the next step you should do is to decrease the consumption.
In this case, decreasing consumption does not mean to stop drinking in a radical way, but to try to drink less and on fewer occasions.
The goal is that your drunkenness practically disappears, drink less times the day you are accustomed but continue to supply Alcohol to your brain.
In this way you will avoid the withdrawal syndrome, since your brain will continue to receive alcohol but you will get used to drinking less.
For example, you can limit alcohol consumption to 3 or 4 times a day, keeping an eye on the amounts and type of alcohol consumed (better if you consume Drinks with little graduation) so that you can control every time you drink.
At this point it is crucial that when you drink do not consume very high amounts of alochol, because if you do you can lose control and be unable to Decrease consumption.
When you do think that it is better to drink just a little and know that in a while you can drink a little more.
3. Substitute alcohol for other activities
The more things you do, the less time you will have to drink alcohol, so the best way to help decrease your consumption is to stay busy In all those moments that you do not drink.
Look for activities that are of interest to you, it does not really matter the characteristics of this, since most will be incompatible with alcohol.
But for example, if you're used to going to the bar in the evenings, look for an alternative activity.
Decide to go for a walk in the park, play football with your friends, go to the library for a good book if you like reading or join the pool Municipal to go for a while to swim.
The important thing is that you increase your occupation and replace some of the moments that you went to drink for other things, because if you do not you will suffer Much more to reduce your consumption.
4. Eliminate stimuli
At the same time that you substitute alcohol for other activities, you have to make the elimination of 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 to that place. Yes, whenever You stay with a friend you drink a few beers stop being with him, if when you go out at night you usually end up drinking more than the count tries stay at home…
Ideally, make a list of those stimuli that you believe most influence your consumption and decide what type of avoidance you will do.
For example:
- Stimulus 1: bar below my house -> Elimination: I will not go any further and I will go to other places
- Stimulus 2: Stay with my friend -> Elimination: I will stay only once every two weeks.
- Stimulus 3: Go out at night -> Elimination: I will leave only once a month.
5. Seek support
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 appear weak or incapable, but that is not so. To count on the help of The others are the most logical and the most convenient.
The life of the human being is not explained without the relationship between people, so to overcome complicated situations should not be an exception.
Choose the most trusted people, friends, parents, siblings, children, etc. And tell them your problem, why you want to change the situation and how you have Thought to overcome it.
If they get involved and help you, you'll have a big plus.
6. Make a date
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 day you will stop drinking at all, or what days you will have goals to meet.
Doing this is vital for the process to build structure and do not stop drinking aimlessly.
So, sit down with those people who are helping you to leave the drink and among all agree the dates indicated. Let's look at an example:
- Week 1: I will drink only 3 times a day.
- Week 3: I will drink only twice a day and at no time will I be drunk.
- Week 5: I will drink only once a day and at no time will I go drunk.
- Week 7: I will drink only 3 times a week and at no time will I go drunk.
- Week 10: I will stop drinking completely.
7. Drink only when you eat
To reduce consumption, a very effective technique is to drink only when you ingest food.
Drinking more or less controlled amounts when you eat will allow you to make sure you do not get intoxicated.
So, whenever you can, try to drink when you eat or eat, rather than at other times
8. Re-motivate yourself
Sometimes the motivation will be simple since you have been meeting your goals, you will be satisfied with your performance and this Increase your motivation .
However, there are times that motivation can be more complicated.
If someday you do not meet your goals, you drink more of the account or you are not able to follow the"planing"that you have marked do not despair.
At that time you should not think that all the work has been thrown overboard, but it has been a setback that will not happen again.
Stand firm with the attitude you have built at the beginning, with the motivation that has led you to meet several objectives, get up and continue.
9. Control your emotions
Along the way not everything will be easy neither of flowers and colors, there will be critical moments and situations in which you will have bad.
That is why you must learn to Control your emotions When you find yourself in some situation that surpasses you.
In those moments that you can not stand without drinking try to reassure yourself, go to a place where you are alone, breathe deeply, take your list of Self-talk to motivate you 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 that discomfort will only last for a while, so the only thing that You have to do is try to hold the moment to continue with your goals.
10. Exercise
Finally, once you have fulfilled all the above points, the best way to keep yourself from overcoming addiction is to Perform activities incompatible with drinking, and among them, the one I recommend is exercise.
In this way, you will not only change your drinking habit in isolation, but change your unhealthy lifestyle habits globally, by habits Of life more suitable for health.
If you get exercise, physical activity or any sport that you like regularly, alcohol will have no place in your life.
Here you can read more Benefits of exercise .
Statistics to convince you
According the OMS
- Harmful use of alcohol causes more than 200 diseases and disorders.
- 5.1% of global morbidity and injury can be attributed to alcohol consumption, calculated in terms of disability-adjusted life expectancy (DALY).
- There are 3.3 million deaths annually worldwide due to harmful alcohol consumption.
- In the age group of 20-39 years, 25% of deaths are due to alcohol consumption.
According Drugfreeworld.org
- Alcohol kills more teens than all other drugs combined. It is one of the three main causes of death among young people aged 15 to 24: accidents, homicides and suicides.
- Young people who drink alcohol are 7.5 times more likely to use illegal drugs and 50 times more likely to use cocaine.
- Of the approximately 500 million people living in the European Union, some 23 million are alcoholics.
- In the European Union, alcohol contributes to one in ten cases of illness and premature death annually.
- Approximately 40% of violent crimes occur while under the influence of alcohol.
What is an addiction?
Addiction is considered a chronic disease of the brain in which it performs a pathological and recurrent search for reward through abuse of A substance.
Put another way: an addiction occurs when we accustom our brain to consume a substance so that it can function normally.
This means that we need to consume this substance compulsively to ensure our Psychological well-being .
Obviously, this compulsive consumption that our brain forces us when we are addicted to a substance produces multiple negative effects Both physically and psychologically.
And is that no substance abuse is free to have negative effects on our health, so if we become addicted to one of them We will pay dearly.
Alcohol is no exception, and being addicted to this substance can be a very big drawback.
It can cause multiple physical pathologies such as pneumonia, hypertension, adrenal deficit, hypoglycemia, cirrhosis, alcoholic hepatitis among many others.
It may also be a risk factor for psychopathologies such as Wernicke's syndrome , Delirium tremens , Alcoholic Dementia, delusions or dysfunctions Sexual
In addition, apart from the pathologies that can cause, alcohol addiction produces a high feeling of discomfort, can cause multiple problems Personal, and can prevent us from leading a fulfilling life.
Have you ever overcome an addiction to alcohol? Share it with us, your experience can be a great help for readers!
References
- Guardia, J Dr. Jiménez-Arriero, M.A., Pascual, P., Flórez, G., Contel, M. (2012). ALCOHOLISM Clinical Guidelines Based on Scientific Evidence SOCIDROGALCOHOL.
- Norembuenta, P., (2011). Brief interventions to reduce the consumption of alcohol at risk.
- Image source 2.