Two and a half years ago years ago I was a down and out alcoholic and my life was a mess. I had been alcohol-dependent for over 25 years, but still found it difficult to accept that I had a severe problem. I tried on a regular basis to stop drinking alcohol but all time I failed, I just could not conceive of a life without it. I also tried controlling my drinking, but that didn’t work either.

I would start each day with a can of strong cider and I’d proceed to drink for the rest of the day. I would often drive my motorcar while under the influence of alcohol, putting not only myself but other people in danger. I’m embarrassed and nauseated to acknowledge it now, but I would often wake up in the morning after a hard nights drinking, not only with a hangover but in a pool of my own urine.

I serially cheated on my partners and put myself in peril of catching venereal diseases and giving them to my partner. I often had blackouts and woke up in strange places with no recall of how I got there. I would forever do things that I regretted while under the charm of alcohol and yet in spite of all this I continued to drink. I at last decided that enough was enough after an unsuccessful suicide attempt and I haven’t had a drop since.

Here is the precise method that I used to stop drinking alcohol and I am confident that if you follow these simple steps you will be able to give up drinking too.

Admit that you have a problem

Accepting that you have a problem with alcohol is the first step that you must take. The individual who is ready to quit drinking alcohol is someone who is not in denial. The alcoholic’s finds it difficult to admit that they have a problem and will reel off lame excuses for their habit . It took me over 25 years to be able to say that I was an alcoholic and to stop using excuses for my addiction.

Make a commitment to stop drinking alcohol

When you have admitted to yourself that you are an alcoholic, the following thing you need to do is to establish the cause of your addiction, ask yourself some questions. For example, why is the thought of a life without alcohol unbearable? What incites you to drink? why do you carry on drinking even though it’s destroying your relationships and your health? I’m certain you can think of several other questions, just get a pen and paper and write down everything that springs to mind.

Seek medical assistance

A chronic alcoholic will need to quit alcohol under medical supervision, and if you are chemically dependent on alcohol then you will need medical help, as to quit without it can be fatal. Fix an appointment to see a doctor and talk to them truthfully about your drinking habits and your intention to stop. They will be able to prescribe you with medicinal drugs to make the withdrawal process a comfortable experience.

Quit drinking

Once you have stopped drinking alcohol it will be essential in the early days to avoid the people and places you connect with alcohol. It may also be a good idea you to find a support group where you can discuss your feelings and ask for help should you need it. I would recommend that you look at SMART and Rational Recovery as these are two good resources accessible to you on the Internet. I personally would not recommend Alcoholics Anonymous as I didn’t find them helpful and I don’t believe that their recovery statistics are that great, but that is only my opinion.

Create a plan

Now you have stopped drinking alcohol, develop a strategy to keep yourself from returning to it. In the early days of not drinking you will come up with all manner of excuses to return to to the habit. You may believe that you will be able to control it and will start to see it as less of a problem and you will only remember only the good times that you had whilst drinking etc. For every argument you will need to have a solid counter argument. So think about all of the reasons why returning to drinking could be an option and write them down along with all of the reasons why you prefer to stay stopped.

Get support from your family and friends

Tell your family and friends how sincere you are about quitting drinking and ask them to be considerate of your decision. Ask them not to drink around you in the early days and avoid having alcohol in the house. The support of your family will make not drinking a lot easier.

Keep a journal

It’s a very good idea to keep a journal when you quit drinking and it can serve as a effective tool in your recovery. Writing down how you are feeling and all the problems that you are experiencing can be liberating and will keep you firmly committed to defeating your addiction


About the Author

Rob Maggs is a reformed alcoholic dedicated to self improvement and personal development. He is a developer of powerful meditation software.