1. Confront the Truth About Your Drinking
You can't stop drinking if you don't believe that it's a problem. Before you can quit, you first need to acknowledge the fact that alcohol is damaging your life and then resolve to do what it takes to end it. Ask yourself some tough questions about your drinking habits. Do you often drink alone? Have you ever been late to work or class because of drinking? Are friends or family members bothered by your drinking? Are there times when you can't remember what you did when you were drunk? If these questions have troubling answers, you need to acknowledge them and resolve to stop drinking.
2. Set Goals to End Your Drinking
Write down a set of goals for you to meet in order to help end your drinking. It needn't be "quit cold turkey," although stopping for good should be your ultimate goal. You can choose to restrict your drinking to one or two glasses a day. You can resolve to drink only during meals, or pick a day a week that will be "alcohol free." Don't stop once you have met you initial goals. Instead, create new goals that build upon and expand the ones you have met. Resolve to go from one drink a day to one drink a week. Instead of one alcohol-free day per week, resolve to make it two or three. Very few people can stop drinking overnight, but by setting achievable goals and moving steadily toward them, you can eliminate alcohol from your life.
3. Monitor How and When You Drink
Make yourself aware of your drinking and keep track of how many times you have a drink. Make a diary that lists both how many drinks you take a day, and what the circumstances are. Watch to see whether you binge drink, and resolve to go at least 1 or 2 hours between drinks. When you do drink, drink slowly and try to combine it with meals, since food helps absorb the alcohol. If you drink at a specific place, resolve to stay away from that place in the future. The more aware you become of your drinking habits, the more readily you can exert control over them.
4. Remove All Temptations
Get rid of the alcohol in your house. Commit to staying away from bars and parties where you may be tempted to drink. Learn how to say "no" when someone offers you a drink, and avoid anyone who hassles you about abstaining. You may note a specific trigger: an incident or a time which fills you with an urge to drink. Learn to avoid it, or to plan specific non-drinking activities during that time. Schedule activities that don't involve alcohol, such as exercising or running errands, during periods when you would normally drink.
5. Talk to a Doctor
A doctor can prescribe specific medications which can help reduce the urge to drink. Some work on the brain to remove the cravings for alcohol, while others will make you physically sick whenever you drink. A few treat the symptoms of withdrawal such as the shakes. If you're struggling with alcohol addiction, don't be afraid to ask your doctor for medicinal help.
