If you are a slave to alcohol and can't break the grip then join the club will millions of other active alcoholics.
Using these excuses to drink simply doesn't work. We have a choice. We can grow or give up. Today, I choose to learn and grow. I learned I needed to stop being everything to everyone and just become a better person. This takes time and work. Recovery is work. But, it sure beats the hell out of waking up every day in terror and misery. That's the alternative. So the work that is required is worth it.
The first thing we need to establish if we want to learn how to stop drinking alcohol is that moderation, cutting back, and control are impossible. Impossible if you are suffering from alcoholism. People who claim it is possible are deceiving us. When someone is selling me on the "you can control your drinking" solution I can guarantee one of two things. The person selling the "control it" idea is not an alcoholic or they are an alcoholic who's in denial.
Alcoholism is a disease. Understanding alcoholism is vital since there is a great deal miscommunication and misinterpretation about the disease. Alcoholism is not curable. It is not the result of weak willpower. Well intentioned people (just like me) thought I just had to try harder and exercise more willpower to manage my drinking. Alcoholics try to quit. Alcoholics fail. Alcoholics make promises and really try to keep their promises to cut back, slow down, moderation or quit, but they can't. Alcoholics continue to disregard the fact, they cannot quit on their own. Alcoholics continue to justify why they need to drink. For example, a stressful day, death in the family, financial problems, relationship problems, I deserve a treat. Anything! An individual either has alcoholism or they don't. And if a person has the disease of alcoholism, they will never have the ability to drink alcohol like a normal person; ever.Listed below are two critical points we need to understand about alcoholism:
2. Alcoholics have an abnormal desire to drink. A constant preoccupation is how I would best describe it. Alcohol is everywhere in an alcoholic's life. A constant awareness of it with everyday planned around alcohol. An alcoholic is usually thinking about it. For example; when will I drink next, how much I will drink, when I will buy it, how much I will buy. An alcoholic doesn't necessarily drink all the time; however the thought of it is not far from the mind. Normal drinkers don't do this.
When we learn how to stop drinking alcohol, it's no different. We need to plug into a source that will light up our lives. We can't just say "I am going to quit drinking" then do nothing and expect to be sober in 30 days. We always fail. Always. If you are an alcoholic, you will turn back to drinking, always. We can only white knuckle it so long before the grip of alcohol has got us again. Then back to the merry-go-round life of misery. We need a source and we need to be plugged in all the time.
Here's the thing, we are going to hit rocky times when trying to stop drinking alcohol. We are going to be tempted. We are going to experience cravings. It's true. It will suck, but there is hope. That hope is in a strong recovery program. The recovery program becomes the source, the strength, the light in our lives. We cannot expect to stop drinking alcohol when we are plugged into the wrong sources, like money, people, jobs, and our own competence. We will simply fail. We need a strong program. We need to be reflecting, mediating, praying, meeting with other alcoholics, keeping a journal, eating well, exercising, getting enough sleep, on the list goes on. Our lives need to take a 180 degree turn if we are going to learn how to stop drinking alcohol. We need to be willing to let go of our old ideas. We need to practise recovery daily and we find good sources of recovery so we keep motivated avoiding the traps of relapse.
If you need assistance finding help, you can send me an email at sober.coach.one@gmail.com
Using these excuses to drink simply doesn't work. We have a choice. We can grow or give up. Today, I choose to learn and grow. I learned I needed to stop being everything to everyone and just become a better person. This takes time and work. Recovery is work. But, it sure beats the hell out of waking up every day in terror and misery. That's the alternative. So the work that is required is worth it.
The first thing we need to establish if we want to learn how to stop drinking alcohol is that moderation, cutting back, and control are impossible. Impossible if you are suffering from alcoholism. People who claim it is possible are deceiving us. When someone is selling me on the "you can control your drinking" solution I can guarantee one of two things. The person selling the "control it" idea is not an alcoholic or they are an alcoholic who's in denial.
Alcoholism is a disease. Understanding alcoholism is vital since there is a great deal miscommunication and misinterpretation about the disease. Alcoholism is not curable. It is not the result of weak willpower. Well intentioned people (just like me) thought I just had to try harder and exercise more willpower to manage my drinking. Alcoholics try to quit. Alcoholics fail. Alcoholics make promises and really try to keep their promises to cut back, slow down, moderation or quit, but they can't. Alcoholics continue to disregard the fact, they cannot quit on their own. Alcoholics continue to justify why they need to drink. For example, a stressful day, death in the family, financial problems, relationship problems, I deserve a treat. Anything! An individual either has alcoholism or they don't. And if a person has the disease of alcoholism, they will never have the ability to drink alcohol like a normal person; ever.Listed below are two critical points we need to understand about alcoholism:
2. Alcoholics have an abnormal desire to drink. A constant preoccupation is how I would best describe it. Alcohol is everywhere in an alcoholic's life. A constant awareness of it with everyday planned around alcohol. An alcoholic is usually thinking about it. For example; when will I drink next, how much I will drink, when I will buy it, how much I will buy. An alcoholic doesn't necessarily drink all the time; however the thought of it is not far from the mind. Normal drinkers don't do this.
When we learn how to stop drinking alcohol, it's no different. We need to plug into a source that will light up our lives. We can't just say "I am going to quit drinking" then do nothing and expect to be sober in 30 days. We always fail. Always. If you are an alcoholic, you will turn back to drinking, always. We can only white knuckle it so long before the grip of alcohol has got us again. Then back to the merry-go-round life of misery. We need a source and we need to be plugged in all the time.
Here's the thing, we are going to hit rocky times when trying to stop drinking alcohol. We are going to be tempted. We are going to experience cravings. It's true. It will suck, but there is hope. That hope is in a strong recovery program. The recovery program becomes the source, the strength, the light in our lives. We cannot expect to stop drinking alcohol when we are plugged into the wrong sources, like money, people, jobs, and our own competence. We will simply fail. We need a strong program. We need to be reflecting, mediating, praying, meeting with other alcoholics, keeping a journal, eating well, exercising, getting enough sleep, on the list goes on. Our lives need to take a 180 degree turn if we are going to learn how to stop drinking alcohol. We need to be willing to let go of our old ideas. We need to practise recovery daily and we find good sources of recovery so we keep motivated avoiding the traps of relapse.
If you need assistance finding help, you can send me an email at sober.coach.one@gmail.com
About the Author:
Want to find out more about how to stop drinking alcohol, then visit Sober Coach Dave's site and get helpful advice about alcohol abuse.
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