When you quit drinking it will be hard and you will be exposed frequently to temptation. In the early days you may find it hard to pass the alcohol aisle in the supermarket and you can expect the inner voice of your addiction to be battling with your willpower. I would recommend that you try to avoid the places and people you associate with drinking in the early days or it is likely that you will succumb to temptation.

It took me a few weeks before I became comfortable around alcohol and there have been times when I found it hard. To beat alcohol you might find it helpful to give yourself “choice”, what I mean by that is that you acknowledge that you can drink if you want to but you choose not to.

If you use “choice” then you will be able to overcome the anger and frustration that you will feel about not being able to drink and it will be a lot easier to stay sober. This is why Alcoholics Anonymous fails, because members are told that it is ok to have a relapse. That in essence allows you to fail and gives you permission to “go on a bender” when things get tough.

Make a list of why you quit drinking and put it somewhere where you can see it regularly, do you really want to go back to such a self-destructive habit? Remind yourself of all the bad times that you had as a result of your drinking. You may have fond memories of being drunk, but the bad ones will by far outweigh the good. Remember this as it is important and will stop you from returning to drink.

It has been over two years for me and I have only been tempted to drink on two occasions, both whilst on holiday in Spain. Holidays and seasonal festivities will be hard, but as long as you remember why you quit and why you want to stay sober you will succeed, I am a living example of that fact.