How to Stop Drinking Alcohol

In early recovery it is all we can do to just stay sober for another day. We might struggle to stay sober for a 24 hour period and in order to make it through this tough time we might have to focus on networking and getting help from the fellowship. This is OK but as you stay sober for longer you’ll realize that you are becoming more reliant on your self and on your level of growth. This does not mean that you are permanently healed of alcoholism or that you no longer need others to recover, but only that there is a shift in what you focus on. Recovery is fueled by passion and purpose and the striving for personal growth, whereas early recovery is more about learning and networking with others. Both stages have all of these attributes in them, but the focus is a bit different for those who are successful in living a sober life.

So you're curious how to stop drinking? My first message to you is one of safety – you need to find a medical treatment center to sober up in. This is important because stopping drinking can literally kill you if you are not careful. There is also a plus side to attending rehab that you will meet a ton of peers who can help you on your journey. The networking that you get from your peers in early recovery is of vital importance, and going to a treatment center will automatically introduce you to these types of connections. Because of these 2 reasons I highly recommend attending a treatment center if you are serious about quitting drinking.

At this point in time, most alcoholics believe that they are basically cured now that they are leaving rehab but actually this is where the true test begins. The real challenge in recovery is in living your life sober without resorting back to resentment and anger and eventually relapsing. It is not just the liquor that got us into a world of hurt, but also the fast life that came with it. If you leave treatment and try to stay off the sauce but revert right back to the same lifestyle then you’re probably not going to stay sober. We need to really change our life in a major way if we’re going to stay sober in the long run. This is not unrealistic but it does require some effort.

Most of those who leave a treatment center don’t follow through on their aftercare plan. If you want to be successful with your sobriety then you’re going to have to go way overboard when it comes to your recovery strategy. We put a lot of effort into our drinking and we need to put just as much, if not more, into our recovery. Most alcoholics do not realize how much effort it will take to quit drinking at first. The answer is to go further than what you think it will take in order to remain sober.

And that is the bottom line right there: If you want to stop drinking then you have to take action. At first your actions will be very specific and focus on getting you detoxed and learning how to live a sober life. But after a while in sobriety your focus must change to that of caring for your self and trying to grow. In early sobriety the help and connections you make with other is crucial. In long term sobriety your drive for personal growth and holistic health is what is key.