“I‘m Never Drinking Again”
How often have you heard that phrase or even said it yourself? After a long night of drinking and then waking up with a splitting headache. It’s probably the first thing on everyone’s mind. Nobody enjoys dealing with a hangover and nobody wants to feel awful on a Saturday or Sunday morning after a bustling night out.
Yet, we still do it again the next weekend. Especially during the holidays when the social obligations are at an all time high.
So why do we do this to ourselves? Why do we party ourselves silly, only to feel awful the next morning and vow never to do it again, just to break that promise we made to ourselves in a few days? Let’s face it, saying those four words means absolutely nothing and is just something we mutter because we hate the feeling of a hangover.
If you truly want to say “I’m never drinking again” and actually mean it, then we’ve put together this helpful guide that will give you an excellent chance of achieving sobriety.
Understand the “Why”
Partying often means drinking and drinking can usually mean partying. The reason for drinking if obvious – likely, because everyone else is doing it! But what is your reason for attending a party or event in the first place? In most cases, it’s probably because you’re scared of being left behind. Maybe all of your friends are going out to a club and you don’t want to be left out. Aside from this type of peer pressure it may be because your family or coworkers are toasting with a cup of wine and you don’t want to stand out by being the only person drinking a cola.
By understanding why you party, you can start to break it down and figure out why it’s so easy to break your promise. Once you identify your reasons for going out with your friends or drinking, you can start building a strategy to help you get off the alcohol for good.
Quitting Cold Turkey
Quitting cold turkey may not be the best practice. This is especially true if you’ve built up a dependence on alcohol. A lot of people make a snap decision to stop drinking and go cold turkey, but the problem with this is that your body will start to function in strange ways because you’re starving it of something that it’s grown accustomed to. In a situation like this, your body could become very weak and sick, and you may even need to contact an alcohol addiction treatment center for more advice or emergency services. Going cold turkey can be problematic regardless of what type of addiction or vice you have, as it will slowly introduce more problems. Aside from the physical withdrawals, it is likely such a sudden departure will set you back on the path sooner.
Small Steps and Goals
The right way to quit a bad habit is to work on it slowly. You need to focus on the reasons why you want to quit, but you also need to be realistic with your goals. Don’t just expect that you can cut out a bad habit in just a few days or even a week. This is something that could take months or even years to do. The key truly is to take it one day at a time. There is a reason why support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous give golden badges after certain periods (e.g., 30 days, 60 days). It is in part because they encourage this small goal setting mindset.
Regardless of your reasons for drinking. The notion that you wan to help yourself, is in and of itself, a step in the right direction.
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