DR. CORAL ARVON: Hi, my name is Doctor Coral Arvon. I'm a licensed clinical psychotherapist with Arvon and Associates in Counseling in Aventura, Florida. This is the beginner's guide to quitting alcohol. Alcohol causes more accidents about 100,000 accidents a year, so one of the leading causes of death. Alcohol is something that will take you over physically and mentally. There are eight steps that I would recommend to quitting alcohol. Number one, first, try to go cold turkey if you can, and if you can't enlist a support of your friends, maybe to go to an AA meeting with you or to find a support group. That usually will be very helpful. Ask for family and friends to not drink around you for a little while in the beginning. Set realistic goals and have different life changes. Be around different people, do different things, try a healthier lifestyle so that you won't have the need to drink. The first few weeks will be very difficult, but after that you start having fun and you start realizing that you can feel good in the inside without alcohol. If this is a problem and you cannot do it by yourself, you can always go for professional help. Besides their 12-step programs, there are counselors and addiction therapists that are trained to help you do this. If you need to, you can go to a hospital and then detox and get everything out of your system. But you will live a healthier life, you will feel better, and it is something that you can do. Try to treat it early. The more that you let it go, the more difficult it is. It is addicting, physically and emotionally. The five things to remember about quitting alcohol are: one, recognize you have a problem; two, admit that problem to yourself and others; three, look for support groups preferably AA, the 12-step program; four, you might seek help from a counselor and addiction specialist; and five, believe in yourself. Know that you can do this if you try.
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