How to Stop Drinking Alcohol & Get Help

How to Stop Drinking Alcohol & Get Help

Once you are addicted to drinking alcohol, it can be extremely difficult to stop. You cannot blame yourself for not knowing or having the ability to stop drinking alcohol all on your own. It doesn’t mean that you are a weak person or that you don’t have will power.

Even though alcohol may take up a large part of your life, it does not have to continue to do so It’s possible for you to learn how to stop drinking alcohol and live the life that you always wanted to live. You can do it if you have the tools for recovery.

The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine’s Rules for Recovery

The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine’s Rules for Recovery give you specific actions to take to get to the sobriety you are seeking, but they also help you change your way of thinking. These are one of many sets of guiding principles that can be used to support you in your path to recovery. The following five rules can help lead you out of alcohol’s grip on your life:

Make a Life Change

You cannot think that all you have to do is stop drinking; you must also know how you are going to live your entire life differently from now on. If you fail to do this, you will look around and notice that something is missing, but since you didn’t add anything positive to the mix, you may feel the urge to start drinking again. The trick is to find new and positive activities and people so that you can live a fulfilling and joyful existence.

Honesty Is the Best Policy!

Substance abuse often requires that you tell lie after lie to keep the truth from your family, friends or boss. This has to stop when you are in recovery if you want to end the problem once and for all. Therefore, when you are meeting with your counselors and in substance abuse groups, you will need to allow yourself to be uncomfortable in complete and total honesty. This will make it possible for you to understand what motivates you to drink. It will also help you heal the rifts that exist between you and your family members.

There Is No Shame in Asking for Help

Rather than ask for help, some people will try to stop drinking on their own, but when they fail, they know that they need someone else’s help. You don’t have to fail first. You can reach out for help anytime. This is the first step in moving forward to a sober life. Both individual therapy and group therapy are beneficial because having support dramatically increases your chances of a long-term recovery.

Take Good Care of Yourself

While you are dependent on alcohol, food and rest may not be priorities for you. Living your life this way leads to exhaustion, and alcohol is not far behind at times like these. You can even use alcohol as a reward for doing a good job, and it takes the place of taking care of yourself because you’re more interested in drinking.

To take good care of yourself, you must give yourself adequate care before you are exhausted, and you can do this by engaging in mind-body techniques. Studies have shown that mind-body techniques can actually prevent you from taking up drinking again.

Stick to the Plan

When your counselors give you the tools to use and guidelines to follow, you must follow them whether you believe they are helpful or not. You must take your treatment seriously and stick with it until your counselors say that you can move forward. If you don’t, you will not be ready to move on, and your sobriety will be in jeopardy.

Recovery Techniques

The following recovery techniques have been proven to help people struggling with substance abuse and may help you as well:

Remove temptations: Don’t be afraid to throw all of your alcohol away. You must have in mind that you are determined not to take another drink.

Make exercise a priority: Exercise is great because it causes endorphins to flow through your body, and you will feel better. You’ll build up your strength and be surprised by what your body can do.

Tell people about your sobriety: Let the people close to you know the steps you are taking to live a sober life. They will be happy to help you along the way.

Keep a journal of your experiences: If you are still drinking, a journal will be useful for writing down the reasons that you decide to take a drink. The thoughts that you have during these times will also be highly valuable, so you can recognize your emotional triggers and make a different choice in the future.

Stay away from your triggers: Notice what is going on around you and what happens to your body when you start to have cravings. Then, you can make an effort to avoid those triggers.

Start thinking of yourself as healthy: You can either be someone who believes that alcohol is a thing of the past, or you can be someone who believes that alcohol will always be with you. If you think that alcohol is in your past, present and future, you are a “denied user,” but to stop drinking permanently, you have to believe that you have the power to not drink again.

Treatment for Substance Abuse

Treatment for alcohol abuse should begin with a detoxification program. This will ensure that you complete the detox process without any adverse reactions. The withdrawal symptoms can also be managed so that you can detox more comfortably. Physicians and nurses will also ensure that you receive nutritious food.

After detox is over, the alcohol will be out of your system, but you need further treatment to help you remain free of alcohol for the rest of your life. You can obtain this treatment in an inpatient substance abuse treatment facility. This type of facility will offer you a combination of one-on-one counseling, group therapy, holistic therapy and other therapies.

An outpatient program takes place in various types of facilities. It could incorporate transitional housing or staying at home and going to a facility during the day or evening to participate in therapy sessions.

The best way to ensure that you remain free of alcohol forever after you leave your facility of choice is to participate in an after care program. One of these is Alcoholics Anonymous, and it offers you a support group that is invested in helping you maintain your sobriety. If you need to, you can also move into a sober living facility that will provide you with an alcohol-free environment.

If you or a loved one has a substance abuse or addiction problem, St John’s Recovery Place can help you. Call our admissions department today to start your road to recovery.