How To Quit Drinking
How to Quit Drinking
Habits are very difficult to break. Most of the time they are invisible to us although others may notice them. You may not even realize that you have become a habitual drinker, slipping from moderation to drinking more and drinking more often over time. It is especially difficult to overcome because it merges so seamlessly with our culture. One of the largest hurdles to quitting or reducing one’s drinking is that alcohol is tremendously effective in changing the way a person feels. It allows people to temporarily forget about problems at work, relationship troubles, financial hardship, social anxieties, or even just boredom. People develop an emotional attachment to the ease and predictability drinking offers to alter their state of mind
Why is it so difficult to quit drinking?
This is one of the most common questions I get. Depending who you talk to there are many answers. If learning how to quit drinking were easy, you wouldn’t need assistance in managing your alcohol consumption.
For most habitual drinkers, alcohol consumption becomes a type of “Swiss army knife” solution for all situations where you are feeling a bit “off.” If you are feeling low it, it brings you up; if you feel anxious it calms you down. But when alcohol is used in this manner, it becomes very seductive and easily becomes a habit. Your body and mind begin to expect the modification in pleasure or relief that alcohol produces.
When a person who has developed a repetitive drinking pattern, stopping drinking leaves a big void.–what to do with your time, for entertainment, for rewarding yourself, for socializing but, most importantly, the void feeling uncomfortable in your own skin. Just suggesting that they remove this central mechanism causes alcohol abusers to feel great fear. So when a drinker really does try to quit drinking, these voids become a vacuum and sucks people back into the habitual behavior that they are trying to change.
People often call these feeling cravings. At this point, it becomes a major challenge to avoid drinking. But you can—if you learn the right strategy..
How to Quit Drinking
If your alcohol consumption has gone from moderate to “out of control” and painful to you and others, you may be ready to learn how to quit or reduce you’re drinking. And there are many options available to you.
You can seek out a support group, try hypnotherapy, seek salvation from religion, or live alone on a desert island. There are, however, alternatives that are much more practical and have proven successful.
I have made it my personal goal to help people modify their behaviors without social embarrassment and without shame or blame. I have been there myself. I have tried or studied most of the approaches to ending problem drinking and found what works. I have been successful at helping people overcome their drinking problems for more than 30 years. I can help you find the right method to quit–or greatly reduce–your dependence on drinking.
In most cases, it is wise to seek out some type of guidance when trying to eliminate or alter your drinking patterns. If you’d like to learn more about how to quit drinking or how to take more control of your drinking habits, contact me today.
