Alcohol addiction is a very common condition that affects people regardless of their class and race. This condition is characterized by uncontrolled drinking and preoccupation with alcohol. If you’re consuming more than three drinks a day and more than seven drinks per week (for women) or more than four drinks a day and more than 14 drinks per week (for men), then you definitely have alcohol dependence.
Fortunately, there are steps you can take to control your drinking habits and stop drinking alcohol completely. These steps won’t help you get over your addiction overnight but work gradually. If you’re determined enough, you should be able to do away with your addiction and get more out of your life.
How to Quit Alcohol and Control Your Drinking Habits Fast
1. Admit Your Have An Addiction
If you’re drinking above the recommended daily intake, then you have an addiction, but you will need to accept that before you can successfully decide to quit. Sometimes, it goes beyond the recommended daily intake, If your drinking is preventing you from living the life you want, then you’re definitely an alcoholic.
Here are some symptoms of alcoholism that you should also look out for.
- Anxiety
- Nausea
- Aggression
- Compulsive behavior
- Dizziness
- General discontent
- Loneliness
- Slurred speech
2. Be Determined To Quit
Alcoholism is due to both physical and emotional dependence on alcohol so if you want to quit or control your drinking habit, you will have to make up your mind to do so.
To build up your determination, you can focus on the long-term and short-term benefits of quitting. You can also focus on the things you have lost and the things you should have gained if you had been a moderate drinker.
These things will help you decide if giving up alcohol is worth it and if you will be better with less alcohol.
3. Look Out For Triggers
Surely you aren’t drinking for no reason. Look out for the things that make you more likely to drink. It could stress, or during outings with your pals, or while you’re watching the news or sports. Look out for the things that make you want to take out a bottle of beer and cut them off.
During outings, you should stick to your no-alcohol-rule. Best of all, you can ditch your drinking pals because, sincerely, they are no good for you. To combat stress, you can turn to yoga, medication, or simply go swimming whenever you feel stressed out. These actions are more relaxing than taking a bottle of beer.
4. Quit Slowly
Withdrawing completely from alcohol could be catastrophic, especially if you’re only interested in the immediate results. During the first few hours or days of the recovery timeline, you will experience a strong urge to drink again. Besides that, you will also experience the following symptoms:
- High temperature
- High blood pressure
- Tremors
- Insomnia
If you’re a chronic alcoholic, you might experience seizures just because you decided to quit. However, these signs do not mean that alcohol is good for your system. Rather, it’s your body’s way of detaching itself from its dependence on alcohol.
If you remain determined, you will be able to pass through this withdrawal stage and recover completely.
5. Decide How You Want To Quit
How many bottles or glasses of beer do you want to drop per day? If you’re taking 7 or 8 a day, you might decide to take only 5 or 6 per day for a week. The next week, you can decide to take 4 or 5 per day and the week after that, you can focus on 3 or 4 per day. You can keep going till you’re in full control of your drinking habits.
6. Get Some Help
There is no shame in getting help about your drinking problem. Sometimes, it could be extremely difficult to get over alcoholism on your own. You can make things easier and your recovery faster by meeting up with other people who have gotten over alcohol addiction.
You can join several communities and meet up with counselors who will provide you with helpful tips that will help you control your drinking habits.
