Quitting Drinking - 7 Steps to Achieve This Goal

Alcoholism is one of the hardest addictions to kick.

Due to its widespread availability, alcohol has become one of the most prevalent forms of addiction today.. If you are unfortunate enough to be hooked on alcohol then now’s the time to take action. The sooner you act and begin fighting your addiction, the better it will be for your health. Long-term alcoholism increases your risk of liver failure, as well as a number of other painful conditions and diseases.

This article will advise on seven steps you can follow to achieve your goal of being sober.

Considering A Stay in Rehab

A stay in rehab could be the best thing for you if you are interested in overcoming your addiction to alcohol once and for all. A lot of people make the mistake of forgoing rehab altogether when they are in the early stages of recovery. The only search term you need is inpatient alcohol rehab near me if you are looking for somewhere to go to fight your addiction. Bear in mind that not all clinics are of equal quality; some are far better than others. For your recovery to be as smooth and seamless as possible, you need to find the one that’s best in your area. You can do that by conducting a simple internet search and reading reviews.

Joining Alcoholics Anonymous

AA is one of the world’s leading charities. It helps alcoholics all over the globe. AA should be available in your town or city. If it is not, it is likely there are other similar groups operating. AA meetings give alcoholics like yourself somewhere relaxing and safe to unwind and talk about their issues. In AA meetings you’ll have the chance to meet others in your situation and also hear the stories of people who have already recovered. What a lot of people do not realize about fighting alcoholism is that it does not end with your final drink. You will still have urges that need to be overcome. Having a network of friends that share your struggles will help make the process of recovery much, much easier.

Understanding the Harm It Causes

If you want to overcome alcohol once and for all, you need to take some time to learn about the harm that addiction to it causes. A lot of people only want to quit drinking because they are tired of the stupid things that they do when they are drunk. However, it is also valuable to look into the danger of prolonged alcohol addiction as such research can be very motivational. When you actually realize how bad alcohol is for the body it’s pretty easy to want to stay away from it. As noted in the introduction to this post, prolonged use can actually lead to liver failure. Liver failure is very serious and is not something that should be ignored, especially if you drink a lot in your daily life.

Accepting That You Have A Problem

Upon joining AA or going into rehab, you’ll be told that the first step of recovery is admitting that you have a problem. A lot of alcoholics refuse to believe that they are addicts and instead claim their drinking is healthy or minimal. If you cannot get through the day without a drink or if during stressful situations you are able to cope without alcohol, you are an addict. Admitting that you have a problem is one of the most effective ways of moving on from your addiction. People who’re still in the middle of an addiction tend to be in denial relative to it. If you can actually admit that you have one then you are ready to move on and start working through your addiction, eventually overcoming it.

Eliminating Negative Influences

A lot of people who’re addicted to alcohol are surrounded by negative influences. Negative people and influences can be detrimental to your recovery as they won’t ever truly care about your problems and will just want a drink. If you have any friends or family members that you drink with or that try to encourage you to drink, now’s the time to cut them out of your life. Once you are a stronger person and you are in better control of yourself you can think about letting such people back in. For now, though, while you are quitting, get as far away from them as you possibly can. If you do not remove these people from your life, then they will drag you down and you will never overcome alcoholism.

Finding Meaningful Work

Once you have been clean for a little while, or even in the middle to late stages of recovery, consider finding a job. A lot of people who’re alcoholics spend all of their time at home, alone. Such individuals find it hard to move forwards from their addiction because they do not live normal lives. No matter who you are, isolating yourself from the world is not normal. If you do not find a job or friends to be around then overcoming addiction will be an extremely hard thing to do. By immersing yourself in the real world you’ll quickly realize alcoholism is abnormal and so too is your behavior and self-isolation. A job will also give you something more important to focus your time on.

Reconnecting with Your Family

A lot of alcoholics cause rifts in their families due to their bad behavior and poor decisions. If you are one such individual then consider getting back in touch with your loved ones and explaining to them that you want to kick your addiction. More often than not, this is exactly what family members want to hear. If you are going to get in touch with them and share your intentions of quitting with them, make sure you do not ask them for anything, i.e., money or gifts, as they’ll suspect you are lying. If you do need things from them then at least wait until you have been sober for a while before you ask.

Alcoholism can be a very hard addiction to overcome. However, with the right attitude and personal motivation, overcoming addiction is achievable. Make sure you take the steps outlined above in this post, as doing so will give you the best shot at sobriety.