How to Motivate Yourself to Quit Drinking
“How can I motivate myself to quit drinking?”
Sometimes we feel trapped. Caught up in a cycle of drinking, we feel that the only way that we can have fun and feel normal is to keep on drinking. At the same time, our lives might be spinning out of control, and we find ourselves getting into all sorts of different trouble. Our friends and loved ones want to see us get help and be healthy, but we feel that we can’t possibly live a normal life without alcohol. We feel trapped.
If you have ever felt or thought this way, then you have reached a significant point in your life. This is an opportunity. It’s decision time. You have a chance to turn your life around and make a difference. And it is fear that holds you back. The fear of facing a life without alcohol. The idea of going the rest of your life without taking a drink. It seems absurd. And it’s scary as hell.
Finding the Motivation to Quit Drinking
But to continue on with drinking is becoming unthinkable as well. Things are getting worse as you continue to drink–not better–otherwise, why would you be reading this? If alcohol is a problem for you, then the problem is always growing. Alcohol abuse only gets worse. The only way it gets better is if you make a decision to get help.
If you think that you might have a drinking problem, chances are good that you do. Most “normal” people don’t sit around and wonder if they might be an alcoholic. So if you are questioning yourself about your drinking–even a little bit–then it might be worth taking a closer look at. At the very least you stand to learn something about yourself. So here are some steps to take once you’ve made the decision to make this change in your life.
1. Fully commit to it – If your drinking is not a problem, then don’t quit. If it is a problem, then face it for what it is–a serious addiction–and treat it as such. Recognize that overcoming any serious addiction requires overwhelming force. If you make a half-hearted decision to quit, or even if you are holding back just a tiny little bit, you are bound to fail. Only a full commitment to recovery can overcome a serious addiction.
2. Realize the consequences – For all deaths related to alcoholism, the average years of potential life that are lost is 31 years per person. This is a jarring statistic that should be an eye opener for anyone who thinks they might have a drinking problem. In addition to this steep mortality rate, there are countless others who continue to live but suffer from alcohol related illnesses, and many who are sitting in prison for crimes committed while intoxicated. So much wasted life…
3. Realize that life will be fun again once you are sober – I never believed this one myself when they told me that life would fun and exciting again someday without any alcohol involved whatsoever. I didn’t believe them. But it’s absolutely true–you will learn to have fun again without using alcohol. Life is a trip, with or without drugs and alcohol.
4. Imagine the freedom – of living a life without depending on chemicals. Admit it–at this point, you have to drink just to feel normal. It is no longer fun for you like it used to be. Those fun times are gone….time to make a change. Life can be fun again without drinking.
5. Proceed with caution – if you do stop drinking, you might need medical supervision. Alcohol withdrawal can be fatal. Heavy drinkers may need a medically supervised detox.
There is a whole life out there for you that is worth living without drugs and alcohol. If you make the decision to get help, your life will start getting better, and soon life will be worth living again. You will find a new joy in living from the simple things in life, and the idea that drinking is “fun” will seem ridiculous. Admit it–drinking stopped being fun a long time ago. You have nothing to lose by giving recovery a chance. Life does get better.
Make a decision.
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same plight here my friends. i have no friend, about to lose job, sanity, and family and life above all.
I’ve found that no one manages well with beer. i am a special person, i became an alcoholic and became sober through hate of myself. i soon found myself drunk again and without the same internal guidance, as a matter of fact, there was more self loathing than ever before. I know its impossible to hate myself,but to hate the person inside of myself, the EGO, the one that drives me to think that I am MYSELF. I understand and try to calm my being, yet i still manage to kill an 18 pack of pounders each night. If I strive hard enough, I can quit for a week, tops, but then I’m into the same people, places, and things. life is hard in a small town, but i was sober once for 18 months and can do it again. the more that you talk to others, the better you’ll be. we’ve all got embarrassing secrets, and i know you grow once you shed them. good luck to all, and god bless.
i have been reading up about alcahol and know im an alcaholic . buttt how do i live without it .im sober 3 months now but the stinking tinking is starting again and im full of fear im afraid to drink/and not to,can anyone truthfully say there happy alcahol free
I want to thank all of you for being courageous to post on here I just happend upon this site and it gives me great inspiration! I am an alchoholic and about to lose my 18 year marriage due to it…that was my wake up call! Please for those of you who don’t know where to turn just go to an AA meeting, talk it out with a family member… BUT DON’T DRINK! believe me it is not worth it! For me I will eventually be Okay But one thing is for sure I will do it with out the alcohol! Good luck to all of us!!
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