How to Overcome Alcohol Abuse
Overcoming addiction requires a great deal of courage and effort. But first, you must admit that you have a problem; that you have an addiction. This is very difficult part. Only when you recognize and admit to yourself that you have an addiction will you be able to start overcoming it. Remember, true courage comes accepting weakness and trying to do something about it.
The following are few ideas to help you overcome the alcohol abuse:
- Determine the negative effects that alcohol has on your life and list down your reasons for quitting. It could include the effects of heavy alcohol use such as liver problems, gaining too much weight or personal reasons such hurting your family, or not able to achieve certain goal. Think of what you can gain by overcoming the addiction habit.
- Maintain a sober lifestyle by taking up new, healthy hobbies such as sports, art, music and volunteer work. Fill your time constructively, something recreational like painting or learning a new language. Sport activity or work-out routine could help you overcome your addiction since you can see the negative effects of exercising then drinking afterwards, and clearly, these two don’t match.
- Join a support group and attend the meetings regularly. Surround yourself with people that that healthy goals and willing to support one another. Remember how it feels when people say “I understand.” Talk with people after the support group. Find someone you can call and talk to when you feel the urge to drink.
- Eliminate things from your life that encourage you to drink. Recovering from an addiction to alcohol means making significant changes to your life. Throw out your alcohol. Stop hanging out in bars or pubs. Avoid hanging out with friends or family members who like to drink alcohol in large qualities. If you have a spouse or roommate who drinks, ask them to support you by not drinking around you. This is a step you must take if you’re serious about quitting alcohol.
- Create reasonable goals toward quitting drinking. Keep goals obtainable. Don’t set your goals so high that you can’t reach them and leave you frustrated. Maybe you can’t just quit all at once. At least set a goal of having one less drink today and then one less than that tomorrow. Small steps are the way to go and obtaining it motivates you to make greater improvements.
Overcoming addiction is difficult and yet possible. Remember that it is normal to relapse, feel down and challenged mentally and physically. Yet, never give up and do not lose the sight why you do it. Picture yourself how you would look in the future when you’re completely alcohol-free. Visualization is very powerful in helping you make the right decisions.
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