How to overcome alcohol addiction

how to overcome alcohol addiction

You will easily become addicted to alcohol if you are not careful, especially when your social life revolves around pubs or frequent drinking on weekends. In this article, you will learn how to overcome alcohol addiction effectively!

Things are very difficult to control if you continue to keep this habit, so you need to start making lifestyle changes and have the plan to reduce alcohol consumption now. It’s essential when you believe you’ve crossed the line between casual drinking and alcohol abuse. You should learn the steps below to curb your drinking habit before you really become addicted.

Limit Alcohol Drink

Do not bring alcohol home

Drinking alcohol can easily become a daily habit if you keep it at hand when the wine cabinet is always full to satisfy the craving. If you always have a half-finished bottle of wine or a pack of 6 cans of beer in the refrigerator, it is very difficult for you to overcome the temptation.

So the first step in preventing alcoholism is not to stock up unless you’re going to be entertaining guests that day. If you don’t want to give up alcohol completely, but just want to reduce your drinking to a healthy level, don’t keep a lot of alcohol in the house.

Keep a drink in your kitchen ready to replace alcohol whenever you need something to refresh you. Tea, carbonated water, lemonade, soft drinks, and sodas, are suitable substitutes for alcohol.

If there is a lot of alcohol left over at the party, you should give it to your friends to bring. If no one wants to take it, they should throw it all away. You shouldn’t have the mindset that you have to drink it all so you don’t have to throw it away.

Do not drink when you are sad

Drinking when you’re depressed, lonely, stressed, or when you have negative emotions tends to make you dependent on alcohol. Since alcohol is a depressant, it only makes it worse. You only drink on social occasions, when people are having fun and have a reason to celebrate.

Avoid the habit of celebrating every day. You only drink on really special occasions like when someone has something to celebrate.

Drink slowly

If you have a habit of binge drinking, the chances of you drinking too much are very high. You should drink slowly, taking time to sip each time you drink. To do that, you should order pure alcohol, do not mix other drinks to avoid losing the real taste of alcohol, which is an opportunity for you to think that you don’t drink alcohol. You should drink a glass of water or a light drink after each drink.

Drinking water helps you to fill your stomach and also to hydrate the body. You can hardly drink a lot of alcohol if you are well-hydrated and feel full.

Do not participate in beer-drinking contests or any activity that requires consuming large amounts of beer in a short time.

Don’t go to the pub often

Since the purpose of these bars is to sell alcohol, you automatically feel like you have to buy a bottle. The dim lights, the fragrance of perfumes, and the stirrings created by the people around are all factors that create an atmosphere that makes you irresistible. The pub environment always tends to lead people to drink more, so it’s best to avoid going to all pubs if you want to cut back.

When you’re invited to an event at a pub, like an occasion to have fun with your boss and co-workers, it’s a good idea to order a soda or a non-alcoholic drink. If the restaurant serves food, you order a dish to sip, creating the feeling that you are still pampering yourself even though you don’t drink beer.

When entering the bar, you should choose a place where you can exercise a lot instead of sitting in a place where you only drink beer, like finding a place to have some pastime to distract yourself. You should not choose a table where the focus of the fun is drinking a lot of beer.

Participate in activities that do not involve alcohol

Group therapy can help you overcome alcohol addiction
Group therapy can help you overcome alcohol addiction

People only sit for a long time in the bar when they have nothing to do to entertain and entertain. Next time you get together, suggest playing a sport that everyone can participate in, such as going for a walk, watching a movie, going to a play, or going to music and art shows. In general, you should choose a place that does not sell alcohol, and has no activities that lead to drinking beer or alcohol.

This way not only helps you reduce alcohol consumption but also benefits your health in general, creating a dynamic body.

Make friends with people who don’t drink

Some people are always trying to get you to drink even if you invite them to participate in activities outside the pub. They will pack the wine in bags and bring it to the cinema, or bring a few cans on an outing. If you really want to quit drinking, don’t hang out with them, but choose someone with the same intentions as you.

Here’s how you don’t have to deal with alcohol every time you want to have fun.

This means you have to cut them out of your life if they’re annoying. If you really like someone who drinks a lot, then you should learn to say no when you’re together. It can’t be because he likes to drink so you have to drink too. It is likely that they will follow your example and make an effort to reduce their drinking.

Do exercise

Exercise is a great way to give up alcohol. The habit of drinking beer causes many people to become sluggish, edematous, and gain weight. If you’re aiming to improve your fitness, the effects of alcohol are worrisome for your progress.

Sign up for a marathon or join a soccer club. Once you’ve set a goal, you have to quit drinking the night before the competition to stay fit.

Besides exercising, you must eat well, get enough sleep and take care of your body so that you are no longer attracted to alcohol.

Seek Support

Recognize signs of needing help

You must get immediate help if you determine that your drinking habits have spiraled out of control. You need to recognize some of the signs of abuse and put yourself at risk of alcoholism. These are signs of a predisposition to alcoholism: once you drink, drink a lot, drink while driving, or operate machinery even though you know your actions are illegal and extremely dangerous.

If you have morning and evening cravings, irritability, mood swings, drinking alone or stealthily, binge drinking, depression, or shaking hands and feet, you should ask someone for help. other immediate support.

You should also seek support if you neglect your duties because of drinking. Reasons for neglecting your work could include drinking alcohol, headaches, and being unable to go to work or school.

Because of alcohol, you get into trouble with the law, like getting arrested for being drunk in public, fighting while drunk, or driving while drunk.

The problem is also worrying if you continue to drink despite the efforts of those around you to advise. Your drinking habits are so annoying that others have to remind you if this is the case, it’s time to get help.

You shouldn’t see drinking as a countermeasure. This is an unhealthy practice if you plan to use alcohol to cope with stress, depression, or other problems. If you drink alcohol for this purpose, you should seek help to solve the problem, rather than resort to alcohol.

Refer to the website of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)

You can use a 12-step program developed by AA to help more people find ways to overcome alcoholism. Even if you are not an alcoholic, by taking the measures the program offers, you can prevent your drinking habits from becoming more serious.

After doing your research, you will realize that it is no longer safe to continue drinking according to your current habit. That’s why it’s so important to have an organization ready to help you cope with reality, and to guide you through all the negative effects of alcohol in your life.

You can search online for an AA activity group near you.

AA is an organization based on religious beliefs, so you should only apply this method if you find yourself suitable for such organizations. They use religious messages and guidelines to help you recover, relying on organizers and gatherings to reinforce what they teach.

Join the SMART Recovery program

If you don’t like AA’s activities, you can try the SMART Recovery program. This program uses cognitive-behavioral therapy to specifically address the environmental and emotional factors that lead to alcoholism, and help you interact with those factors in a new, more effective way. The program focuses on guiding students to stop drinking but does not make them think of themselves as patients.

This program requires the patience of the learner, helping you to give up alcohol completely from life. However, SMART Recovery always welcomes those who have not yet taken a firm stance toward giving up alcohol.

The program is suitable for people who do not need a lot of forms and can self-motivate during practice. Cognitive-behavioral therapy requires you to express yourself instead of asking for help from an organizer or activist group as AA does. It depends heavily on your own determination.

See a therapist

You should ask a therapist to monitor your condition if you are having trouble with alcoholism. Drinking habits can be rooted in underlying causes that need to be addressed before a successful withdrawal can be achieved. If you start drinking heavily after a trauma, extreme stress, mental illness, or another cause that your therapist can handle, then you should seek help. their professional support.

In addition, your therapist can give you advice on how to cope with social pressures that cause you to drink, how to avoid the triggers that lead to alcohol, or how to deal with guilt about alcohol abuse. break a promise to quit drinking. They can help you get through those situations and make you stronger during your recovery.

Ask family and friends for help

Quitting drinking on your own can be extremely difficult, so you should ask friends and family to help you through the process. You should ask them not to invite you to the pub or give you a beer on any occasion. This is how you make your determination because everyone around you is careful not to tempt you.

If you have a meeting, you should ask them to organize it without the use of alcohol.

Final thought

You should drink more water, not only because it is good for the body but also to limit your from drinking beer. You can hardly drink a lot of beer if you always feel full.

Alcohol is a stimulant that releases inhibitions, so you have to remember that when you are drunk you can do things that you would never normally dare to do.

Alcohol is a poison and never a basic human need. Either you have to give up completely, the other is to choose other non-alcoholic beverages that are commercially available, but you should be aware that many other soft drinks also contain some alcohol in them.

Top News hopes this article can give you helpful methods to overcome alcohol addiction and become better!

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