Alcohol is so ingrained in people’s lifestyles that it seems impossible to quit drinking. Even a trip to the grocery store or a favorite restaurant can turn into an array of different temptations. Alcohol might even flow freely at your family events, and you might not be able to escape having someone encourage you to take a sip to celebrate a special occasion. With alcohol being seemingly everywhere, you may wonder how you’ll ever resist temptation and get sober. You might also worry about people judging you differently for refusing a drink, or you might have genuine concerns that stopping drinking too suddenly could lead to severe withdrawal symptoms. Figuring out how do I quit drinking isn’t as hard as it seems at first. Instead, you’ll soon discover that there is a wealth of resources out there just waiting for you to take advantage of them to get sober.
The first step to quitting drinking is to determine how serious your addiction is. Some people are at a higher risk of developing severe and life-threatening withdrawal symptoms. Although this could happen to anyone, you are more likely to need professional support to make it safely through the withdrawal process if any of the following characteristics apply to your situation.
- You’ve had severe withdrawal symptoms in the past
- You frequently go on lengthy binges
- You drink large amounts of strong alcoholic beverages
- You already have health conditions such as heart disease
Connect With Resources That Make Quitting Drinking Easier
An addiction recovery center is one of the first resources that you’ll need to start working on quitting drinking. There, you’ll be able to receive support that makes it possible to get through the first few days after stopping drinking without feeling terribly ill. Your treatment team will monitor your health so that you have less anxiety about your withdrawal symptoms. You’ll also receive emotional support that helps you begin rebuilding your health.
The reason why people tend to be unable to stop drinking at home on their own involves more than just the withdrawal symptoms. People who have alcohol addictions also tend to have started drinking heavily for a reason. If you think about it hard enough, you might be able to identify some of the reasons you started drinking so much. You might’ve tried drowning out your feelings of grief after a loss, or you might prefer to drink rather than deal with conflicts with your spouse. Some people drink to manage mental health symptoms that come with having PTSD or depression.
A rehab center is a judgment-free zone where you can begin to get to the root of your alcohol addiction. While it won’t always be easy, you’ll get the chance to open up to people in ways that you might not have been able to do in the past. Addiction treatment counselors are open-minded people who have gone through extensive training and educational programs to learn how to guide people through life’s difficulties with compassion and expertise. In a treatment program, you can go to individual counseling to address personal issues in your life. Family counseling might also be available to help you learn how to communicate better with your partner or heal from the wounds that addiction caused to your relationship.
When you’ve finished your initial phase of quitting alcohol, you’ll then begin to work with your treatment team to find resources in your community that help you stay sober. This might include going to group therapy sessions. You might also need help with finding a job or volunteer position. The final stages of your transition will include creating a support network at home that you can use to make sure that you don’t return to your old drinking habits.
When quitting drinking seems impossible, it helps too know that there is a wealth of support out there just waiting for you to accept it. We’re available 24-hours a day at 844-844-3463 to help you find the right place to start your recovery.