TIPS on how to quit drinking ALCOHOL......very good suggestions/tips

[TomGshotput]

How about just don't fucking take a sip. God damnit.

If drinking makes a person happier than not drinking, that's what they will do

If not drinking makes a person happier than drinking, that's the choice they are going to make

 

[Dude]

I quit over 11 years ago and have never come close to a drink since that day. I tried the AA thing a few times but that definitely wasnt for me. They put to much emphasis on god and this higher power shit and the bottom line is, its mind over matter. Make the decision to quit and that's it. I do miss it occasionally because some of the best times i ever had were when i was wasted,but everything bad that ever happened to me was when i was drinking. I get reminded every Sunday what a good decision I made when I tee off at 8:30 am and the same guys i used to be drinking with are the same ones that are cracking beers on the second hole and they now look 10 years older than me and are actually at least 5 years younger then me..

 

[xpanda]

Fish, when I quit smoking almost three months ago, I did it by reading Allen Carr's Easy Way to Quit Smoking. He also has a book about drug/alcohol addiction. His approach is much like point #2 that you make above, that it's the attitude that matters most. The physical withdrawal from any addiction hard, but temporary. It's the lifelong struggle that makes quitting anything so overwhelming. If you can get yourself to a place where you don't feel deprived, you're winning.

The only time I think about smoking now is when someone asks me. Honestly, I just don't think about it.

Anyway, might be worth looking into. You can probably download the book from a torrent site.

Good luck to you, as well. Overcoming any addiction is a great test of character, and you have shitloads of that. Plus you have a super-hot bride you need to live long and healthy for.

 

[seanm0520]

Congrats to people who have and are in the process of quitting but I'll stick to my vices, thank you very much.

 

[Dante]

Unfortunately for thousands and thousands of alcoholics, it's very tough........not matter the circumstances.

what did you do to finally quit fisher ..when you were a alcoholic?

 

[Stylez]

I would consider it , but growing up my father always told me that no one likes a quitter. So i better not

 

[ParlaysStoleMyMoney]

If drinking makes a person happier than not drinking, that's what they will do

If not drinking makes a person happier than drinking, that's the choice they are going to make

I understand that. I drink socially, and usually every Saturday during football season. I will drink a beer once or twice after work each week. I am just saying, if you have a problem just quit! I used to smoke during college and knew it was bad. I decided one day to quit and did just that. Every once in a blue moon when I am out drinking a beer I might smoke a few but never like during the weekdays or even on the weekends (unless I am out drinking and decide to). It really isn't that hard, you just have to make your mind up that you ACTUALLY want to quit.

 

[lax_gunman]

I understand that. I drink socially, and usually every Saturday during football season. I will drink a beer once or twice after work each week. I am just saying, if you have a problem just quit! I used to smoke during college and knew it was bad. I decided one day to quit and did just that. Every once in a blue moon when I am out drinking a beer I might smoke a few but never like during the weekdays or even on the weekends (unless I am out drinking and decide to). It really isn't that hard, you just have to make your mind up that you ACTUALLY want to quit.

The point for post 1 is things that can help you quit permanently. Not quit but still do it sometimes. Trust me I know what you mean. I'm glad you cut back but it just isn't the same.

 

[ParlaysStoleMyMoney]

The point for post 1 is things that can help you quit permanently. Not quit but still do it sometimes. Trust me I know what you mean. I'm glad you cut back but it just isn't the same.

I guess it isn't EXACTLY the same thing but since I decided to quit I have probably smoked an average of once a month (and really probably not even that). I just feel like it is all up to the person to decide that they actually want to quit and just not say it. I told myself during college when I was smoking almost a pack a day that I needed to stop. I just never actually WANTED to. Of course every once in a while I would stop for a day or two but then I would just pick it back up again because deep down inside I really didn't want to quit.

 

[kermit16]

Info provided by WIKIhow


1
Talk to your doctor. If you choose not to, bear in mind that alcohol withdrawal can potentially be deadly. If you start experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms (panic attacks, severe anxiety pressure you should seek immediate medical assistance. The condition could potentially deteriorate to deadly delerium tremens if left untreated.


2
Change your attitude about quitting! Remember, you're not being forced to give up a good friend who has treated you well. Instead, you are finally ridding yourself of an awful enemy who has robbed you of many great pleasures in life.
3
Constantly remind yourself of what a great thing you are doing and hold tightly to your quit. Remember that you are pardoning yourself from a life sentence in the prison of alcoholism and you will always hold the key.
4
Try to pick some significant date to quit. Be ambitious, but reasonable. If you are very heavy drinker you must first slow down to avoid withdrawal symptoms (in this case it is best to have your doctor help you plan your quitting date).
5
Get rid of all bottles, cans, etc. And don't feel that just because you are having guests over that you need to offer them a beer, wine, or cocktail. It is perfectly fine to offer people tea, lemonade, coke, or the like.
6
Feel your feelings. Cry when you need to. Laugh when you can. Eat when you are hungry. Sleep when you are tired. This is going to be really weird at first, but embrace it. You haven't felt your feelings for a long time. You will have a learning curve.
7
Don't do anything you don't feel ready to do. If going to the beach is a time when you drank a lot. Don't go this year. If going to a certain friend's home for dinner is a time when you drank a lot - get a rain check this time. Protecting your sobriety is the most important thing you are doing right now. Take care of you! Don't worry about everyone else right now.
8
There's an old saying about 'Playgrounds and Playmates' - look at yours - you may need to leave some of your old drinking buddies and watering holes behind. That said - It can be quite a revelation to find out that the friends you used to drink with were drinking with you only occasionally and were having two beers or two glasses of wine to your five.
9
Revise recipes that call for wine so you do not have it in the kitchen, or use non-alcoholic sparkling wine.
10
Buy a wallet and whenever you think about buying a bottle or a drink, put that amount of money in your sober wallet. It will shock you. Use this for healthier stress relief: massage, visit to a day spa, yoga class...
11
Buy a small piece of inexpensive jewelry like a ring or bracelet, or henna your hand, or get a special manicure to remind you that these hands no longer buy or touch alcohol.
12
Drink a lot of water.
13
Consider joining a support group like Alcoholics Anonymous. But do not feel guilty or defeated if you do not find AA to be a fit for you. It is not for everyone. Most people who quit do so without the help of AA. The vast majority of people who have quit drinking and put that phase of their lives behind them have done so by making a conscious commitment to themselves to stop drinking once and for all - and never look back.
14
Never take another sip.
15
After 90 days completely sober your whole outlook will be changed and your body will be in full recovery mode. You will be like a completely different person and you will likely have lost weight!
16
Make lists of ways to 'do' all the things you did by using alcohol without alcohol. A list of ways to celebrate. A list of ways to have a romantic dinner. A list of ways to relax and unwind. A list of ways to be sociable.
17
Feel how good it feels to go to sleep at night without 'slipping into a coma' only to awaken at 3 a.m. with a dry mouth and a splitting head.
18
Don't try to explain quitting to people. Most people do not drink like we did. They are not like us and therefore they cannot understand the fact that we truly have a problem with alcohol. Of course, there are others who have the problem too - Either way the people are going to say 'You don't have problem!' When you quit drinking just say 'No thanks, I'll have a Diet Coke - I'm trying to watch my weight.' If you hang out with them very much they'll figure it out - and they'll think 'Good for him!'
19
Admit to yourself, and remember it, that there is absolutely nothing in your life more important than this one thing.
20
Have a good reason! Like - I never want to miss work because I have a hateful hangover again. Or I never want to embarrass my child in front of her friends again. Or I never want to be ugly to my spouse because I've had one too many again. Or I never want to get a DUI(again). Or I never want to 'drunk dial' my friends and relatives and act like an idiot again. Or I never want to hide bottles all over the house again. Or I never want to have to pretend I remember what happened the night before when I do not recall anything after X o'clock again. Or I don't want to lose this marriage the way I lost my first marriage to the ravishes of alcohol again. Or I wonder what it would be like to feel good again.
21
Do not avoid all situations where you would normally drink. Instead approach them with a good attitude and remember that you can have a good time without drinking.
22
Memorize a prayer, poem or something (i.e. Hamlet's speech "To be or not to be") to repeat to yourself when you are losing your mind; trying to remember it will keep your head together sometimes.
23
Give yourself a prize for every day or every hour that you haven't had a drink.
24
Talk to your doctor. If you chose not to, bear in mind that alcohol withdrawal can potentially be DEADLY. If you start experiencing withdrawal symptoms such as severe anxiety or elevated blood pressure you should seek immediate medical assistance before the condition deteriorates to delerium tremens.
25
"He who conquers others is mighty. He who conquers himself is almighty."
26
"Pick up yoga! It will help you deal with stress and calm your mind."
27
Take a B-vitamin supplement daily for your first week off alcohol. Alcohol affects the ability of the body to absorb these (specifically thiamine). Deficiency can cause severe cognitive impairment (Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome or wet brain).
28
If you are tempted, try to visualize what you might look like totally out of control. Do you really want to be that person again?
29
If you are a scheduled drinker, like after work or when you go home, change your routine to involve another activity like visiting your parents or a friend.
30
Have food before you drink, this will reduce your interest for drinking.
31
In the initial stage, reduce the quantity of alcohol intake. Imagine that due to excess alcohol, you are vomiting and having head ache on the next day and stop drinking any more.
32
Learn meditation. Do meditation regularly especially in the morning and at the end of the session, vow not to drink alcohol. Remember your calm mind of meditation later when you feel like drinking. It will distract you.
33
Don’t give up on yourself – Many people will find excuses like, “I’ve been drinking for so long, it probably won’t make any difference” or “I’ve tried so many times, I just can’t do it”. Some will feel hopelessly defeated if they find that they have something highly progressive like Cirrhosis of the liver. Quitting drinking can extend life no matter what’s going on. How long it extends is entirely up to the individual; everyone’s physical makeup is different and some are more resilient. You should remind yourself that if you were willing to try quitting so many times in the past, you have the ability to try again. There is no age limit nor is it EVER too late to try to quit drinking.
<LI class="steps_li final_li">34
Don’t let guilt consume you – Some will feel a sense of foolishness and guilt over not having done something sooner. Don’t pass blame to anyone including you. Alcohol is the enemy. It has been whispering in your ear and telling you that it’s more important than anything else. There is nothing more important than you. You are of no use to anyone if you die. Hence, YOU must overthrow the oppressive rule of alcohol and start fresh, just as any country in revolution. It will be hard and you must learn from the past, but remember that you were mislead and lied to by alcohol; now that it’s gone you can really start living. Those around you will appreciate it too.

Trying to read all this BS just got me started drinking again. A nice glass of Stag's Leap Cab never hurt anyone !

 

[lax_gunman]

I guess it isn't EXACTLY the same thing but since I decided to quit I have probably smoked an average of once a month (and really probably not even that). I just feel like it is all up to the person to decide that they actually want to quit and just not say it. I told myself during college when I was smoking almost a pack a day that I needed to stop. I just never actually WANTED to. Of course every once in a while I would stop for a day or two but then I would just pick it back up again because deep down inside I really didn't want to quit.

Just cutting down can be difficult...the hardest time for me is driving to work...I have long commutes and I am used to smoking during that time...I smoke about a pack a week now

 

[EYErunLA]

Please Don't Drink and Drive... you might spill your beer!

 

[ParlaysStoleMyMoney]

Please Don't Drink and Drive... you might spill your beer!

 

[ALSportsJunkie]

I am really surprised at the number of people who were at one time alcoholics in this site...makes me wonder how many others have problems but won't admit it. Further proof that gamblers are more prone to be dependent on drugs or alcohol. Best of luck those who are and need to get help.

 

[seanm0520]

I wanna quit smoking cigs a lot more than I wanna quit drinking but unfortunately they go hand in hand...and I enjoy partaking in both.

 

[GilRenard]

For some people, the older they get, their body won't allow them to recover from a hard night like when in younger days a cold shower and a morning soda or coffee would get you back to sobriety. I have had some lu lu's of hangovers in my time like most Americans and you finally realize the older you get that the intense sickness that accompanies heavy alcohol consumption just isn't worth it any more. The list above is very interesting and I encourage and support anyone who feels that alcohol might not be the answer to life's problems. Most Americans do enjoy a cold suds after work with friends and co workers and that is fine for some folks but others just choose to pass. Just be yousrelf and everything else is gravy.

This. I remember when I was a young pup and drank almost nightly. I remember going at 7AM into the factory maintenance job that I worked in the summers bragging to the older guys that I closed the bars the night before. They always told me that it would catch up to me some day, and I just laughed it off. Were they ever right. Once I hit my mid 30's, it seemed that even drinking maybe a sixer the day before would lead to a tremendous hangover. Now that I'm over 40, it's even worse, I can no longer stay out past midnight without severe physical ramifications that seem to go own for a few days. I don't now how these old fogies in their 60's or over can even physically be alcoholics with the toll that drinking takes on the aging body. I think you'd have to crack a drink first thing upon opening your eyes to make it possible.

 

[ivyconniver]

For YEARS I would go out and tear it up, drinking myself to blackout 3 or 4 nights a week but I was a happy functional drunk and still managed to bag my share of the ladies. Always had a job, never got too out of control. Then for no particular reason I decided to give it up for a little while cold turkey. I'd still go out to the bars, but I would be stone cold sober. Drunk people can get annoying real fast, but I will tell you this - One unexpected benefit of not drinking is that I was basically like Wade Boggs 10/20 vision at the bar seeing the laces on the ball. I could pick the good looking girls out of a crowd, strike up a coherent conversation, and almost instantly realize who was interested and who wasnt. My success rate skyrocketed. These days I'll find a happy medium, have a few drinks with a burger while watching the Yanks game, or sip a good whiskey on the rocks.

Basically you gotta ask yourself, what would the most interesting man in the world do right now, and do that.

 

[JDeuce]

I feel very fortunate to never have fallen into the trap of alcohol addiction like so many others have. I just never enjoyed the taste of booze, which I guess is a good thing. I can't even remember the last time I had a drink...probably when I was in Vegas 6 months ago. I moved into a new condo last summer and still have the same 6 pack of Corona in the fridge that I bought when I got there. 5 are left, and the one was drank by a buddy of mine who stopped over.

Never got into smoking or drugs either. Guess my only vice is gambling...which is why I'm here in the first place. Well, that and eating unhealthy foods...

 

[silver7]

While true that AA "is not necessary", to say that "MOST people quit w/o it" is pure nonsense. AA is the most successful recovery program EVER started. It's long term involvment was not for me. But for the 1st yr PRICELESS!! BTW there is NO SUCH THING as an ex alky. It's a lifetime sentence. Except in very rare cases quitting cold turkey will not kill you. Uncomfortable? YES!! But you'll make it. All these "tips" are fine, but in the end it comes down to one thing. STOP DRINKING!! Simplistic, maybe, but true. The best advice I can give to anyone new to sobriety is, just for today, worry about tomorrow when it gets here. All the AA adages may seem like BS to you young guys, but they've worked for millions for over 75 yrs. Me included. God willing, dry 36 yrs this AUG.! The biggest bonus, reestablishing a relationship w/my kids. BOL to all of us drunks, especially those of you just starting this long road, it WILL get bumpy, but if this "street drunk" did it you can too. ANYONE wanting to talk PM me, anytime.<><>

 

[douglas]

AA does work if you let it but it is true that it is not for everyone. I am an alcoholic who had his last drink on April 22nd 1990. I owe my sobriety to first The VA Medical facilities in my home state as I was very sick back in the Spring of 1990 and then to AA without both I don't know if I would have survived that all important 1st year.

Today I hardly ever think about a drink but back then as someone already said putting a plug in the jug was the most difficult thing I have ever had to do in my life which includes a tour of duty (with a lot of combat) in Vietnam. Not to mention being head mod here at The Rx for six years...Something I could never have done drunk.

If you have a drinking problem - get help, a real alcoholic cannot quit entirely on his own. I know of one poster here at The Rx who has over 30 years of sobriety, I believe he like myself have done it a day at a time for these many years..

Best of luck to anyone trying to quit drinking, wilheim

Just outstanding ...........................you know how AA works ? .................................................Just Fine !
I applaud you and all friends of Bill .