How to stop drinking? - this question is asked both by alcoholics and their relatives and friends. The point is, it is very difficult to stop drinking, why? Contrary to public opinion that it is a habit, a way of life or a promiscuity, alcoholism is a serious illness, not so much physical as psychological, a change of values and outlookabout life.
Let's also define how you want to stop drinking, this could be:
- Just a way out of the frenzy;
- Desire to quit drinking forever.
In the first case, the article "How to get out of the frenzy" will help you. If you want to stop drinking alcohol forever, let's try to figure it out in this article.
Your first major step to quitting drinking alcohol!
There are several important things to understand when it comes to quitting alcohol.
It is almost impossible to change your inner world, your mentality, your lifestyle, which you have become accustomed to for many years, and start to look at life as a sober person looks at it, overnight. is almost impossible.
It's like throwing a fish on land and waiting for it to immediately become land. To stop drinking, you need to rethink the importance of drinking in your life by answering the following questions:
- You don't have a drinking problem? It is a common misconception that if they did, anyone could stop drinking at any time and not come back to it. But this is not the case?
- Do you think alcohol is not a drug? So why, after the usual withdrawal from the binge, do you come back to use over and over again? Why is it necessary to drink to relieve withdrawal symptoms? Because alcohol is a drug that causes strong physical and psychological dependence!
- Do you still have a reason to drink? And without drinking, do the joys and sorrows of life fade away? Not! If you had a son and didn't drink from it, will your joy be less?
- Does alcohol help you relax and deal with stress? Does this solve these problems? Does stress go away when you are sober? Of course not! In addition, with use, a person loses the ability to relax on their own with the help of other methods.
- Strong Drinks Add Confidence? With whom? For those with whom you can communicate over a bottle, trust is not necessary. And those with whom you lack confidence will not communicate with a drunk person.
- Do you think you drink infrequently? How often do we drink that it is considered rare? Is there a rate and a frequency? Of course not! Tolerance is different for each organism, as is dependence and dependence. That for one - without consequences, for another - alcoholism!
- Is it good for your health in small doses? Yes, poison in small doses, they say, is also helpful, addictive, but the harm it simultaneously causes to the body is out of proportion to the perceived benefit.
- Do you drink because you think alcoholism is incurable? There are many examples of treatment for alcoholism, are you paying attention? Or don't you want to notice them? And they exist! So what is it - an excuse?
What are all these questions for? They clearly indicate that drug addicts praise alcoholic beverages, attach great importance to them. Although, in fact, alcohol has no value in our life. And this is the most important thing to understand if you want to stop drinking alcohol!
How to stop drinking alcohol on your own?
Only after taking the first step, rethink the importance of "drinking" in your life, or rather understand its insignificance, 
you can take the next step - wondering how to stop drinking alcohol on your own. To do this, you must clearly realize that the joys of sober living are brighter, problems must be solved, depression can be managed on your own, the "bottle" will not do it for you!
So, to stop drinking on your own, you need to settle down properly, take into account the important points:
- Don't be afraid of the future! Yes, changing your life can be scary, but think about it, what are you scared of? Only the unknown, because you do not know how to live soberly. But after all, everyone is afraid of everything unknown, it is human nature and it is completely normal! What's more, more than half of humanity lives sober lives!
- Be true to your word! We have decided to quit drinking - don't succumb to self-deception! No glass, no "small". Remember, there is a new cycle of use behind this. Don't rely on the will to save you, not to save you! After the first drink, self-control wanes, then disappears altogether. There is willpower as long as you stay sober!
- Learn how to relieve stress and relax! It can be any hobby, yoga, Pilates, meditation, communication, reading books, music, personal development, cross stitch, finally - find yours! This is a prerequisite that will allow you to get used to another relaxation, without glass.
- Sport is a good mood! And not so much that it has a beneficial effect on health. It promotes the production of endorphins - hormones of happiness. Being in a good mood will make it easier for you to do your chores.
- Don't be bored! Because they have nothing to do, many start to drink, smoke, inject drugs. Boredom is the biggest enemy! Write yourself a plan for all types of jobs: work, housework (you probably accumulated a lot while you were drinking), things for the development of life and family.
- Change the environment! To keep your past life from falling down, be sure to change your social circle to one in which the same people you want to become. Here, a new level of communication and a competitive spirit will help you.
- Don't avoid drinkers! Is this strange? Yes, but effective! You will see it always and everywhere throughout your life after you decide to stop drinking. Therefore, you have to get used to it initially.
How to stop drinking with the help of specialists?
A lot of people wonder how to stop drinking alcohol if you can't do it yourself?
The answer to this question is simple - with the help of professionals, in the arsenal of which there are two effective methods:
- encoding alcoholism;
- rehabilitation center for alcoholics.
Coding will help you block the craving for alcohol for a while (1-2 years), if during this time you learn to relax, enjoy life, find a hobby, choose your sport, in other words, you can all accomplish the conditions of the previous chapter, then when the encoding period expires, you yourself do not want to go back to your old life.
If for some reason you understand that you cannot fulfill the necessary conditions on your own, psychotherapists will come to the rescue with a rehabilitation program, where you will discover a new world, your abilities and opportunities, youwill make new friends, to receive the pleasure of a sober life.