How to Stop Drinking

In early sobriety we might struggle just to stay dry for another 24 hours at a time. We might struggle to stay sober for a 24 hour period and in order to make it through this tough time we might have to focus on networking and getting help from the fellowship. This is OK but as you stay sober for longer you'll realize that you are becoming more reliant on your self and on your level of growth. This does not mean that you are permanently healed of alcoholism or that you no longer need others to recover, but only that there is a shift in what you focus on. Recovery is fueled by passion and purpose and the striving for personal growth, whereas early recovery is more about learning and networking with others. Both stages have all of these attributes in them, but the focus is a bit different for those who are successful in living a sober life.

So you want to know how to stop drinking alcohol? My first message to you is one of safety - you need to find a medical treatment center to sober up in. This is important because stopping drinking can literally kill you if you are not careful. There is also the added bonus that if you go to a treatment center to detox then you will also receive a ton of support from doing so. The networking that you get from your peers in early recovery is of vital importance, and going to a treatment center will automatically introduce you to these types of connections. Because of these 2 reasons I highly recommend attending a treatment center if you are serious about quitting drinking.

Now at this point many people think that their job is done when they walk out of the treatment center but in fact it has not even started yet. The real challenge in recovery is in living your life sober without resorting back to resentment and anger and eventually relapsing. It is not always the booze that got us into trouble but also the life that went along with the drinking. If you leave rehab and try to remain sober but go back to the same old life situation then you might have a hard time with sobriety. We have to make large, sweeping change in our daily routine if we are going to maintain recovery. This is not unachievable but it takes some real work on your part.

Most alcoholics who leave rehab don't do what is necessary to maintain recovery. If you want to make recovery work for you then you need to approach it with overwhelming force. We put a lot of effort into our drinking and we need to put just as much, if not more, into our recovery. Most people underestimate what it will take to stay sober. The answer is to go further than what you think it will take in order to remain sober.

And that is the bottom line right there: If you want to stop drinking then you have to take action. At first your goal in recovery will be very concentrated on staying sober one day at a time and figuring out how to live again without drinking. But after a while in sobriety your focus must change to that of caring for your self and trying to grow. In early recovery your networking and support from others is critical. In long term sobriety your drive for personal growth and holistic health is what is key.