How Do I Stop Drinking? 6 Tips to Get Clean

An addiction to alcohol is a difficult obstacle to overcome. Fortunately, if you want to stop drinking, alcohol detoxification is easier than ever before, thanks to the advances of modern medicine. Medications are even available that help discourage drinking by causing uncomfortable physical reactions to alcohol. If you need to stop drinking so you can regain control of your life, this guide that covers six tips to quit drinking can help get you on the road to recovery.

1) Understand the Alcohol Addiction Facts

Even though it’s readily available under most circumstances, alcohol is one of the most dangerous substances when it’s not used properly. Because having too much alcohol significantly impairs judgment, people who have had too much to drink often take part in reckless activities such as unprotected sex, violence, driving while intoxicated, and other behaviors that endanger themselves or others. Unfortunately, many people don’t know about alcohol addiction facts and don’t realize that alcohol abuse leads to long-term problems if it carries on for a period of time. The consequences of alcohol abuse include serious conditions, such as throat and liver cancer, liver disease, dementia, and cardiovascular disease. Learn as much as you can about alcohol addiction facts to make sure you’re properly prepared for the alcohol detoxification process. To successfully stop drinking, the first thing you need to do is admit you have a problem that could lead to very serious consequences.

2) Check with Your Doctor

Before you start the process of alcohol detoxification, set up an appointment with your primary care physician to discuss tips to quit drinking, and whether or not you are healthy enough to stop drinking. In some cases, patients who are having health problems will be advised to wait to stop drinking until they’re better. Alcohol detoxification only typically causes uncomfortable symptoms, but some of these symptoms can be dangerous under rare circumstances. Your doctor can tell you if you’re in good enough health to stop drinking. It’s not advisable to attempt to stop drinking at home without the approval of your primary care physician.

3) Ask Your Doctor about Medications

Several medications can make a big difference in your path to recovery by making the alcohol detoxification process easier. One alcohol detoxification medication is disulfiram, which forces you to stop drinking by causing uncomfortable physical reactions when you consume alcohol. Another alcohol detoxification medication is acamprosate, a medication that assists in alcohol detoxification by reducing withdrawal symptoms to make the alcohol detoxification process as comfortable as possible. If neither of these alcohol detoxification medications sound like they would help you stop drinking, consider asking your doctor about naltrexone, which simply blocks your brain’s ability to enjoy the highs that can come from consuming alcohol. Talk to your doctor for more alcohol addiction facts and advice on whether or not these medications might help you stop drinking.

4) Join a Support Group

Joining a support group in your area is a great way to develop friendships with others who know exactly what you’re going through. One of the reasons it’s hard to stop drinking is because drinking is a social activity. When you’re surrounded by people who are drinking, it can be difficult to resist the temptation to join them. If you are part of a support group, you can make new friends who will not pressure you to give up on your goal to become sober. This does not mean you have to stop associating with your old friends, but it helps to know you have other social options once you stop drinking. However, you may have no choice but to distance yourself from some of your old friends if they can’t understand why you want to stop drinking. In some cases when people decide to stop drinking, their peers believe that their newly sober friends think they are better than everyone else. This leads to resentment and a desire to break the commitment to stop drinking.

5) Enroll in a 12 Step Program

Structured 12 step programs are very useful tools on the journey to recovery. They also provide a wealth of alcohol addiction facts. For some who have dealt with alcohol addiction, the only things that helped them stop drinking were 12 Step programs. One classic organization that uses a 12 step program is Alcoholics Anonymous, a support-group style organization that has a program in almost every neighborhood. 12 step programs are sets of specific guiding or spiritual principles that outline recovery plans for people who suffer from addiction, regardless of what that addiction might be. However, unlike regular support groups, most 12 step programs focus on some level of anonymity to ensure no one feels like it would not be safe to open up to the other members. If you’re looking for a way to make new friends, make sure you join a regular support group as well.

6) Stay at a Detox Center

For many people, staying at a detox center is either impractical or impossible, but detox centers make a world of difference for the patients who have the freedom to visit one. Even if you have a medication such as acamprosate, it can be uncomfortable to stop drinking at home. However, at a detox center, you have access to a variety of helpful medications that will soothe your symptoms and make it easier to stop drinking. The staff members at quality detox centers are compassionate, professional, and used to dealing with even the worst withdrawal symptoms people can experience when they first stop drinking. Because it’s potentially dangerous to stop drinking if your body is dependent on alcohol, going through the detox process under the supervision of trained medical professionals is one of the safest ways you can detox. Best of all, when you go to a detox center, you have no chance of relapsing in the middle of the detoxification process. If you go to a detox center, you can rest assured you will be going home sober.