It’s important to recognize that the strategy we use is as important as our willpower in learning how to overcome alcoholism.
Despite this fact, many people get discouraged at their seeming inability to get their drinking under control. They believe their failure is a reflection of their own lack of willpower.
Outlined below are 5 distinct approaches that most people take when trying to overcome alcoholism. Look at each of these and you’ll likely see the method YOU used – and perhaps one you haven’t yet tried.
1. Cold Turkey. Everyone’s favorite AND least favorite! This method is most popular around New Year’s when so many millions of people are looking to quit drinking alcohol. Simply put, beginning on a certain date you quit ALL drinking with NO exceptions. It’s not for everyone, it’s hard to do, it often requires several attempts, but for some people it’s the only way to overcome alcoholism.
2. Gradual Cutback of Number of Alcoholic Drinks. In this method you simply begin to slowly reduce the number of drinks you consume on a daily or weekly basis. By drinking just one less drink per day you begin to move your life in the direction you want. This method works fine for some people, but others find the self-control aspect difficult. Remember, it only works if you consistently reduce the number of drinks you consume.
3. Gradual Cutback of the Alcoholic Content in Your Drink. This method is a little different from the one above as you’re not attempting to reduce the NUMBER of drinks you consume, but rather the ALCOHOLIC CONTENT of each drink. You can do this in a myriad of ways, but it’s usually accomplished by switching to a lower-alcohol-content brand of the same beverage you’ve been consuming. An average beer or wine would become a lighter beer or wine, and other drinks would get an extra couple of ice cubes or more water or mixer.
Keep in mind that while this method allows you to cut back by a 1/4 or a 1/3 or more of your alcohol intake, you are still consuming alcohol. If alcoholism has caused problems in your life, you may want to consider one of the other steps. (article continues below)