How to quit drinking?

male alcohol addiction

Answer the question,how to stop drinkingpretty simple. The more difficult this mechanism is to implement, the morealone. . . But if you find yourself on this page, asking yourself this question, then you have set yourself a goal, and this is already a big part of the problem on your way to implementing your plan.

So,How to stop drinking?The diagram looks like this:

  1. Find the reason
  2. Identify the engine
  3. Psychological work
  4. Suitability

Pretty simple isn't it? But this is just the first look. To do it, it simply becomes that as we analyze each point, you capture the essence, the so-called thought wave.

A psychologist (psychotherapist) will help to understand all problems, find the right attitude, relieve moral tension, get rid of the mentality of dependence. Or will you consider yourself weak if you seek outside help? This is a big misconception, because in deciding on a problem with addiction, the decisive factor is not the will, not the character of the person, but the professionalism in the field of psychotherapy. clearly defined. Are you a narcissist-psychologist?

Willpower is about: 1. setting clear goals, 2. making solid decisions, 3. getting things done. And in matters that require competence, engage experts. And if you're not a psychotherapist yourself, in most cases refusing to see a professional leads to lost time, prolonged abandonment, and ultimately to depression. collapse.

Even if you decidestop drinking alone, you can go to a psychotherapist at any stage to solve any problem (reason, motivation, relaxation, self-esteem, adaptation, etc. ).

To understand how to stop drinking, you need to understand why you drink.

Having eliminated the cause of drunkenness, the effect (the need for alcohol) becomes in itself unnecessary, uninteresting, simply meaningless. At this point you must be afraid with a sober perspective, you are thinking of ways to quit drinking so that life does not become boring, does not turn into existence. And people who don't drink live worse than you?

Humans are forced to drink pretty much the most varied needs of individuals:

  • Kill time
  • It's not boring at all
  • Interesting
  • Relax, feel good
  • Reduce psychological stress
  • Forget it, drown out the unhappiness
  • More confidence (meaning "for courage")

Satisfying these needs with the help of alcohol reduces the quality of life compared to the former sober life, not to mention health. As a result the person still comes to the question,how to stop drinking. . . And not many people manage to do this alone.

Kill time, get rid of boredom. Surely you notice that they are highlighted by the first reasons. As this happens most often, the saying "they drink because there's nothing to do" is quite reasonable. A big role in this is played by the psychological moment, the state of anxiety, when a person is obsessively looking for anything, just to take over himself. He simply doesn't know other professions besides alcohol in his spare time. This reason is most evident in beer addicts, as beer is drunk longer, while hands, mouth and attention are constantly occupied.

Joy, relaxation, comfort. You don't know how to enjoy other things. This shows that there is nothing in one's life that brings joy and pleasure. Either he has no interest in anything, this is a mental disorder, depression, or the person is too lazy to do even the things that bring him positive emotions. In 90% of cases, the first is still fundamental.

Psychological stress, stress, grief. This is the main reason why alcoholics quickly become intoxicated after some strong negative emotional upheaval in life. It is also the main reason for systematic use by people who live in near-constant stress and negative experiences.

Self-doubt. This reason is much less common than the others, mainly among young people, when a person is just entering adulthood, and it can be quite difficult to find a common language with you. peers, a new society, such as at an institute.

These are the main reasons people drink alcohol, and as you have already understood, they are all closely related to the human psyche. After understanding this, we can now move on to the question of how you can stop drinking alone.

Identify your main motivation for quitting alcohol yourself

Ask yourself why are you looking for information on how to quit drinking on your own? What makes you think about it? If you can't find the answer, close your eyes and imagine that once you quit drinking, how has your life changed? What exactly became different? The first thing that comes to mind is most likely your primary motive. Each has its own, you can distinguish the most common:

  • Family, children (planning, wanting to have children are completely incompatible with alcoholism, as well as young children, delusional thinking that they are foolish, do not see or understand at all. They understand! And they do. experiencing great psychological trauma. The threat of losing a family is also not comparable to alcohol Left alone, a person gets drunk many times faster, reaching the bottom)
  • Health (although this reason is the most important (damage to the brain, heart, liver, kidneys), but a person's main motives, alas, as a rule, are not the only exceptions to conditions. situation when there is a question of life and death. But there's no point in complaining it's sad, what's the situation)
  • Career (of course, the prospect of personal achievement, the recognition of a person as an expert is very important, especially for a man. Active, and it is greatly reduced when drinking. alcohol)
  • Fame (like health, the main driver of fame is extremely rare, this is also due to the fact that alcoholics experience a deterioration in personality, self-esteem ceases to be a value. extremely important to you, it's worth fighting for)
  • Drunk fatigue (this is the moral exhaustion that, from day to day, finally does not see the edge. is from this life a person no longer experiences the satisfaction of the needs that he originally had. the first is the cause of drunkenness)
  • Significant life changes (not common, as this is a matter of chance, but powerful motivation. ) When something extremely important happens that changes your life or is expected to happen. There is such a change. And most importantly, this change is very important to you, it is of great importance. This is a powerful motivator for two reasons: the expectation of a bright future. and knowledge of the gray present, a clear advantage of the former)

Very important!Correct tuning, always motivated tostop drinking alone. . .

As is often the case when we decide to quit drinking on our own. We feel terrible today, we curse the wine of yesterday, we are determined to send it all away and forever. Right attitude! We understand why we started drinking (why we drink), we know why we want to quit (our own motivation). The soul sings with joy, it seems that we can turn the world upside down.

A sober lifestyle continues for several days. But it does not bring anything good, for it does not leave behind the feeling that you have lost your life, but have not found a new one, your health is not important, your desire to drink is obsessive, and in the real eveningboring and nothing to do. There are thoughts that you can drink a bottle of beer to improve your mood, it won't do any harm, because no matter how many days you have endured, it will not be difficult to hold on after a bottle.

The excitement in the beginning gives you the feeling that everything will go more smoothly and easily. And this is far from the case, since the enthusiasm won't last long. So it is necessary to adjust to what is going to be difficult in the beginning, but only for the first time, while you are rebuilding your life in a new way, to adapt.

Psychological work before and after you quit drinking

Any addiction, including alcohol, is mostly mental, to a much lesser extent (according to alcoholics themselves, but not doctors) - physical. Physical includes feeling unwell after stopping use (hangover, withdrawal symptoms). This is not an addiction as such, just a reluctance to endure a painful overload. The feeling of a hangover is quite easy and quick to get rid of.

After you quit drinking, the body will quickly get used to the absence of ethanol and rebuild, there is no longer a physical craving for alcohol. The state of psychological craving to satisfy needs is much more complicated for the reasons listed at the beginning of the article. Therefore, before giving up alcohol, especially on your own, make a plan to work against these causes.

When you learn to satisfy your need without alcohol, the very meaning of it disappears, and with it the craving. Good health, great mood, freedom from addiction (and this is moral oppression) will quickly, but not immediately, of course, form an "anti-alcohol" program in the mind. your mind to not go back to the past.

So, there are not so many main directions for psychological work, but you can have completely different directions, different from everyone:

  1. Get rid of boredom, find something to do in your spare time
  2. Learn to relax, have fun
  3. Reduce psychological stress
  4. Raise self-esteem, build confidence

Activities and hobbies. It's worth finding many other joys, and it's better to start with those that don't go well with alcohol, as another motivation, how will you cheer up, find something to do in your free time, andmost importantly you will not need alcohol, there will be nothing to replace it.

Relax. If you learn to relax yourself without the aid of any substance, you will make yourself the most precious gift in life. A comfortable state that gives the body rest, otherwise the body rapidly deteriorates, gives excellent health and mood, calms and comforts not only in society, but also in loneliness, and increase mental capacity.

There are quite a few methods of relaxation: meditation, some psychotherapy, yoga, music, massage, etc. v. You will feel that you no longer need to ruin your health, waste time drinking, suffer from hangovers, etc. v. It is necessary to learn how to relax with a psychologist, who will carefully study the peculiarities of your psyche and will correctly choose your relaxation techniques.

It's nice to feel nervous and tired to have a beer and relax. But when you can already do it, and then you're calm, relaxed and in a good mood, then why drink? Why beat this mood with intoxication?

Relaxation is the foundation for all other reasons. It brings serenity and peace of mind, freedom from emotions, fears and worries. With the ability to reach this state, the need for alcohol will gradually dry up, and you will feel good even without it.

After quitting drinking, you need to adjust to your new life.

The main job after a person stops drinking is to get used to the new lifestyle. There will be many new things: you, joy in life, hobbies, habits, profession, environment, feeling, mood, etc. v. It is important to understand at the outset that a serious condition followshow to stop drinking, that discomfort in the absence of alcohol is a consequence of alcoholism.

After all, you will panic, if you think that there will be no drunken gatherings in bars, intimate conversations about life on the topic of "do you respect me? ", partiesNoisy companies with scuffles, beer with kebabs, bottles of foam for an after-work movie to relax. We are so used to these things, the way of life, that we cannot even imagine how they could be replaced in a sober life.

Over time, other moments will inevitably emerge that offer pleasure without alcohol, lots of ways to be happy and cheerful, the ability to soberly relax. But this will not come immediately, you will have to suffer. It will take your time and some work.

And finally. The question often asked is whether people who drink alcohol should avoid it. At first, you will try to avoid them so as not to get damaged. Then you won't care, because the alcohol itself won't interest you, people have nothing to do with it. With friends and acquaintances who drink occasionally, chances are you'll stop communicating due to a lack of common interests. Therefore, immediately prepare yourself to change the people around you.