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One morning in the Fall of 2024, I woke up and a realization came to me. I did not want to drink alcohol anymore. I had been sober-curious for a few years by now but this feeling was different. I just felt done with alcohol. While the decision was a step in the right direction, after 30 years of drinking, I needed to equip myself for success. Here is a collection of tips and advice about how to quit drinking successfully.
How to quit drinking successfully
Understanding why we drink
There are two crucial questions to ask yourself before making this life-changing decision. The first one is “Why do we drink alcohol”?
The answer will be quite different for each of us. However, it’s important to answer truthfully. There are no right or wrong reasons and you may have multiple explanations. Below are some common motives. Reflect on each of them to see if you can relate to them. Check as many of them as you feel apply to you.
- To cope with regular life stress
- To cope with unprocessed emotions
- To be more social and open with others
- To help you fall asleep
- To manage boredom
- To fit in/peer pressure
- Because you like the taste
- Because you like the feeling it provides
- You use it as a reward
- It’s a habit
- I’m more fun when I drink
- Other reason(s)
You now want to disprove each of the statements. Go through every reason you drink one at a time and write why this might not be true. It’s possible that you cannot fully believe the disproving statement yet, you might need to validate it in real life.
Some may be true now, but try arguing why it shouldn’t be. For example, I drink out of habit. This might be true today, but could you replace the drinking habit? Why would you not find a different habit? The reason why you don’t want to replace your drinking habit is more likely to be the valid reason why you drink such as: I need to destress, or that’s what I do with my partner at night.
Here is another example. If I don’t drink, I won’t fit in. Do you actually know that to be true? Will your friends and family reject you if you don’t drink alcohol? What if you tried it to see what happens? You might be surprised. I found that nobody seemed to care. They’ll ask, but once I decline the drink, I’ve never had someone ask me again the same night.
Now that you have a comprehensive list of reasons why you drink, let’s look into why we want to quit drinking.
Understanding why we want to quit drinking
This second question is equally important. Our “why” will be our anchor for years to come.
Your “why” can be anything you’d like however, a strong “why statement” should be something that will resonate for years to come. Here are some examples of powerful why I have seen people create for their sobriety journey.
- To live a long and healthy life
- To be present in each moment
- To have memories of all of my life’s events
- To improve my health today and for the future
- To prevent cancer and other diseases
- To not dull out my feelings and truly experience life
- To save money
- To improve my sleep
- To provide a good role model for my children
- To have more energy, do more, and be more fulfilled with life
- To improve my ability to deeply connect with others
- To be in better control of my life and the decisions I am making
It’s okay to have multiple reasons why you want to stop drinking. As long as they are truly meaningful to you, they will be fantastic tools to return to often during your sobriety journey.
Find a support system
During your amazing journey to sobriety, it is important to find a support system or community of like-minded people. This is even more crucial if most people in your real life drink alcohol.
While AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) is a fabulous program for some, it doesn’t resonate well with all of us. There are many other philosophies out there and groups you can join (some online, some in person). Ultimately, you need to find the group that follows the thought process that best resonates with you.
A good technique to find this community is to read some books on how to quit drinking or be a non-drinker. Many authors also have online platforms that you can join to find a sense of community.
Here are some book suggestions:
- This Naked Mind by Annie Grace
- Quit like a woman by Holly Whitaker
- The unexpected joy of being sober by Catherine Gray
Tips and advice
- Have a plan. Before you go to a social event, decide that you will not drink, plan what you will drink instead, and plan what your answer will be when people offer you a drink.
- Make your whys easily accessible. Take a photo on your phone so that you can review them when tempted to drink.
- Play it forward. When the temptation arises, project yourself to the next morning. How do you feel after waking up? Was the drink worth it?
- Find drink replacements that you like. If water or soda does it for you, this is great. But if you need to find NA (non-alcoholic) beer, wine, or spirit, do so.
- Share your alcohol-related successes with a friend or a sober community. Share the “not so successful” moments too, they are part of the journey.
- Write the benefits you are experiencing as you go through your sober journey.
- Be selfish (a bit). Especially in the early days, make the decisions that are best for YOU. Decline the party invite, remove alcohol from your house if needed, and focus on activities that are supportive of your goals.
Lastly, don’t be too hard on yourself. Your adventure to sobriety is likely to not be linear. You might have some step-backs. That’s okay. You will learn along the way and find your perfect lifestyle.
In conclusion..
Life without alcohol is amazing. The emotions are stronger and every event can be experienced to the fullest. No more vague recollection of last night. No more unproductive days because you are hungover. No more regrets because you said things you shouldn’t have. I hope this article focused on how to quit drinking successfully has been helpful to you and is helping you get started on your own journey. Imagine where you will be next year!?
Thanks for reading.
Cat xx
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