Three Tips to Quit Drinking Alcohol

Quitting drinking alcohol is hard. Especially if you have an alcohol dependency. In a survey done in May of 2020 conducted by the Recovery Village 55% reported an increase in alcohol consumption. Today in the US alone about 18 million Americans have an Alcohol Abuse Disorder. AAD is also called, Alcoholism, alcohol dependence and alcohol addiction.

Maybe you have been thinking about quitting drinking lately or you have had periods of sobriety. Congratulations if you have. Awareness is key and if you have been questioning your relationship with alcohol over the last few years, then its time you start listening to the inner voice. Now it’s time to act.

I understand what it was like to have a dependence on alcohol. I quit drinking alcohol August, 18^th 2012. I spent a decade in my addiction and what I describe as a very toxic relationship with alcohol. I tried for many years to make the relationship with alcohol work and it always led me back to the same dysfunction.

Here are three ways to help you quit drinking alcohol starting now.

1. Seek Help: There is no shame in finding help. In today’s world it is so easy to find help just by typing in “sober” on Instagram. Therapists, Twelve Step Programs, Rehabs, and Sober Coaches. All of them can help you get started today. They will start helping you navigate your life alcohol-free. While providing you with wonderful tools and resources. Find what avenue of help clicks for you. What works for your neighbor Sally may not work with you. Sobriety and Recovery is not a one size fits all deal. Find your vibe.
2. Remember Your Why: This one is huge! You cannot forget it. You have to remember every day WHY you are choosing not to drink. Connect to your why. Don’t pretend the stuff that happened in your active addiction with alcohol doesn’t exist. If you pretend it never happened, why would quit drinking alcohol? Connect to the feeling of being massively hungover, having crippling anxiety or the look of disappointment your children give you while you’re drunk. Maybe you cannot live with the shame feeling anymore and you want to finally forgive yourself. Which you totally can. You don’t have to continue the cycle you are currently in. Stick to your why every day and see how much it helps.
3. Take it One Day at A Time: Keep your journey simple by focusing on not drinking alcohol today. It’s very easy to feel very overwhelmed by the whole process. It is easy to start having massive future thoughts of you drinking alcohol at your brother’s wedding three years from now. Even if your brother isn’t engaged. These drinking event thoughts come up. Honor them and say, “But today, I am not drinking alcohol.” You would be surprised on how just focusing on today and then tomorrow you eventually string together a week, thirty days and ninety days of sobriety. They add up. Focus on today.

Now is the perfect time for you to quit drinking alcohol and these three tips will help. You can do it, I believe in you.

Courtney Andersen is an Author, Host of the Sober Vibes Podcast, Founder of National Sober Day and Sober Coach. She helps women quit drinking alcohol and thrive in Sobriety. She founded Sober Vibes in 2016, an online community for Sober and Sober curious women. Follow Sober Vibes on Instagram for daily motivation and support in your sobriety journey. For more information visit www.courtneyrecovered.com.