If you are wondering how to stop drinking alcohol – or even reduce your drinking to a bare minimum – then you MUST first follow the 4 simple rules as outlined below.
To deviate from them will only make it HARDER for you to quit drinking.
Rule #1: There is No “Easy Button” – Stop looking for a magic wand to do the work for you. There isn’t one simple thing that you need to do, or say, or think, that will suddenly be the answer to your addiction. You didn’t start abusing alcohol because of one reason alone, but for a myriad of reasons.
Likewise, to stop drinking alcohol you need to make several changes to your daily habits, as well as the way you think and act. Start your road to sobriety by reading 10 Steps to Quit Drinking Alcohol. The bottom line is that you are going to have to CHANGE YOUR BEHAVIOR if you ever expect to get sober.
Rule #2: Stop Thinking, Start Doing – DO SOMETHING, even if it’s just to take a baby step towards sobriety. You can read a 1000 self-help articles, and agree with every word written, but until you DO SOMETHING about your problem nothing will change. The good news is that you can start with something that is very small (and very easy) as this will help you get moving in the right direction towards sobriety. The very second you finish reading this article you should DO SOMETHING so you can stop abusing alcohol. Choose something EASY to do. For example, figure out a new way home from work so you DON’T pass the local bar. Or swear on the Bible to stop drinking in front of your kids. DO SOMETHING, even if it’s the easiest thing to do!
Rule #3: Food is Your Friend, Alcohol is Not – Avoid the 2 BIG mistakes that most alcoholics make. By avoiding these 2 mistakes you make it a WHOLE lot easier to control your temptation to drink alcohol. These mistakes are so detrimental to our health that – if we continue to make them – they alone have the power to completely sabotage all of our efforts to control our drinking. Conversely, by avoiding these two mistakes we continually empower ourselves, and our day-to-day resolve to avoid alcohol grows stronger and stronger. What are those 2 big mistakes? They are skipping meals and storing alcohol at home. When you stop doing those two things you have taken a gigantic step towards being happy and healthy. Check out: Get Sober by Avoiding These 2 Mistakes
Rule #4: Don’t Be Afraid to Change Strategy – While continuing to take the necessary steps to remove alcohol from your life, take note of what is effective and what isn’t. It’s important to note that you can overcome alcoholism by changing your strategy when what you’ve tried the first time didn’t work. There are dozens of different ways to combat alcoholism, and the more directions and angles you attack it from the easier it will be to conquer. Just because ONE WAY didn’t work doesn’t mean ANOTHER WAY can’t. Keep experimenting until you find the way that is most effective for YOU. For example, think back to the last time you tried quitting. Maybe you were trying to do too much at once? Or, maybe you were focusing on the wrong thing? Analyze why your past attempts to stop drinking didn’t work, and CHANGE your approach to one that will be more effective.
Remember, never give up on your decision to stop drinking alcohol because inside of you is a better you that can’t wait to show all the talent, skills and personality that alcohol had hidden from the world. ♦