10 Tips to Stop Drinking Alcohol

Frequently when people come to one of my alcohol awareness classes, they know that they need to stop drinking alcohol.  But they don’t know exactly how they should  stop.  Here are some ideas  that you might find useful: 

1. Don’t  associate with   people who are drinkers or who might tempt you to drink.

2. Don't go to places where you might be tempted to drink.    Don't go  to the taverns  where you used to drink alcohol  and don't hang out  with people who might  encourage  you to drink.

3. Look through your cabinets and search for and throw away every single bottle of alcohol. If you have a spouse or roommate who drinks alcohol, kindly ask them if they would drink when you're not around.

4. Advertise it to the world that you want to quit drinking. Try to get support and encouragement from your family  friends, and people who have been in your shoesand can help you with your goal.

5. Get help with the psychological and emotional issues related to your drinking Many people begin drinking alcohol to get away from problems. Or some people find that their alcoholism is something that has been going on in the family for some time. Find a professional therapist you feel comfortable talking to about your problems.

6. Find positive and interesting hobbies to keep you busy. Sometimes something as simple as a distraction can push away the thoughts of drinking.

7. Give yourself reachable  goals and take it one step at a time. possibly you can't stop  all at once, so maybe  you could just gradually slow down  your drinking day by day.

8. Reward yourself when you don't consume  alcohol. For every day, week, or month that passes and you don't drink, celebrate with a gift! Give yourself incentives to keep going.

9.  Visualize yourself and how you will feel  when you've completely ended your drinking.  Visualization is super  powerful in instilling into your subconscious that you are committed to this goal. Do these visualization exercises in the morning and at night. 

10. Find yourself  an alcohol class so you can find out more about your drinking and it’s effects on you. Knowledge is power!

Remember that stopping drinking is hard. Sometimes it takes more than willpower... don't forget to seek professional medical advice!