There are many reasons that a person will choose to stop drinking. You may have a drinking problem or a health condition that has led your doctor to advise you to stop. These tips will help you being your journey and learn how to stop.
Write down your Reasons for Stopping your Drinking
This will help you set your goals. Why do you want to stop drinking? Do you want to improve your health or sleep better? If you have issues with addiction, you my want to have better relationships with friends and loved ones. Or perhaps you are just tired of the after effects of the partying lifestyle like the headaches, blackouts, hangovers and the consequences of having a drinking problem such as being late for work or missing work completely.
Set your Goals
Decide on a limit for how much you will drink. If you are stopping drinking completely, you may choose to taper off gradually. If your goal is to cut down drinking, Collegedrinkingprevention.gov suggests these limits:
Women - No more than one drink a day
Men - No more than two drinks a day
A Drink is:
A 12 ounce bottle of beer
A 5 ounce glass of wine
A 1 ½ ounce shot of liquor
These limits are just suggestions. For certain people who have certain medical problems, who are older or who have a lower tolerance, these limits may be too high.
Write your goal on a piece of paper and post it in an area where you will see it often like your computer screen, mirror or refrigerator.
Keep a "Drinking Diary"
If you have set a goal to stop drinking or to cut back on drinking, you should track what you do and how much your consume. This is a vital key to learning how to stop drinking. Log your drinks each day. Have a column for the number of drinks you drank that day, the types and where you consumed them. This can be a real eye opener for you to see just how much you really do drink so be honest with yourself.
Employ the 7 Keys
1. Be careful at home - when you are sitting at home it can be easy for drinking to get away from you. Reduce the temptation by keeping very little alcohol or no alcohol at home.
2. Slow down - When you are drinking, sip as opposed to gulping. Break for at least one hour between each alcoholic drink and choose soda, water or juice instead. Also make sure that you eat food, never drink on an empty stomach.
3. Take a break - Choose one or two days a week that you do not consume any alcoholic beverages. Next, try to go a full week without drinking. Record in your diary how you feel both physically and emotionally on the days that you don't drink. The more successful that you are, the better you will tend to feel.
4. Just say NO - When others around you are drinking, there is not rule that says that you must drink as well. Don't be afraid to say no and don't feel obligated to drink just because someone gave you an alcoholic beverage. If certain people give you a tough time for not drinking, stay away from them.
5. Stay active - Find other things to do that do not involve drinking. Take the money that you would normally spend on drinking and use it on other activities. Do something with your family or friends. You may be surprised to find that you can have fun without the drink in your hand.
6. Construct a support system - It can be tough sometimes to stop drinking. For those difficult times, develop a support system to help you through. Ask your family and friends to help you. You may even want to check out Alcoholics Anonymous for additional help and support.
7. Keep an eye out for temptation - Be alert for circumstances, people, times and places that you are more prone to drinking. Make a plan for combating those temptations when you encounter them.
The number one tip for how to stop drinking is to never give up. It probably won't happen overnight, but you can do it. Hang in there and don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it.
Dr.Eswararamanan is the author of this article. Learn resources and tips on how to stop drinking alcohol at the website http://www.usfreeads.com/1044478-cls.html This article is available for reprint on your website. But the links in this article should be complete and active including this message.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr._Eswararamanan_VR
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Tips For Helping Someone With Alcoholism
When a person is effected by alcoholism in their family they often want to find a way to help the alcoholic. There are some great tips for helping someone with alcoholism. Alcoholism effects everyone the alcoholic knows and for someone to offer the alcoholic help will benefit everyone in the end. It is important for people to understand, though, that alcoholism is hard to fight and it takes dedication, time and understanding to be successful.
The following is a list of tips for helping someone with alcoholism:
Keep focused on the task at hand.
It can be frustrating but when the person helping the alcoholic shows frustration or anger the goal is lost. An alcoholic is more likely to listen and work with someone who isn't judgmental or pushy.
Maintain a normal environment.
Trying to change everything about an alcoholics life will just cause them stress which triggers their alcoholism. It is important when helping that a person tries to keep things normal with the exception of eliminating alcohol.
Find activities to replace the old alcohol-related ones.
Since helping the alcoholic means taking alcohol out of their life it is important to eliminate activities where drinking is a part. For example, if the alcoholic went to the ball game every Saturday and drank while there, then that activity needs to be altered. It is often best to completely avoid the activity for a while until the alcoholic is further into recovery, so in the mean time the person helping could find a new Saturday past time.
Don't make excuses for the alcoholic.
Part of getting over alcoholism is learning to deal with the problems it caused. If the person helping is taking responsibility or making excuses for the behavior of the alcoholic then they will never be able to completely recover.
These four tips cover only the beginning of what a person can do to help someone with alcoholism. Alcoholism is a hard disease to fight, but with help alcoholics have a better chance of winning that fight.
Robert Thatcher is a freelance author based in Cupertino, California. He publishes articles and reports in various ezines and contributes on a regular basis to FreeNetPublishing.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Thatcher
The following is a list of tips for helping someone with alcoholism:
Keep focused on the task at hand.
It can be frustrating but when the person helping the alcoholic shows frustration or anger the goal is lost. An alcoholic is more likely to listen and work with someone who isn't judgmental or pushy.
Maintain a normal environment.
Trying to change everything about an alcoholics life will just cause them stress which triggers their alcoholism. It is important when helping that a person tries to keep things normal with the exception of eliminating alcohol.
Find activities to replace the old alcohol-related ones.
Since helping the alcoholic means taking alcohol out of their life it is important to eliminate activities where drinking is a part. For example, if the alcoholic went to the ball game every Saturday and drank while there, then that activity needs to be altered. It is often best to completely avoid the activity for a while until the alcoholic is further into recovery, so in the mean time the person helping could find a new Saturday past time.
Don't make excuses for the alcoholic.
Part of getting over alcoholism is learning to deal with the problems it caused. If the person helping is taking responsibility or making excuses for the behavior of the alcoholic then they will never be able to completely recover.
These four tips cover only the beginning of what a person can do to help someone with alcoholism. Alcoholism is a hard disease to fight, but with help alcoholics have a better chance of winning that fight.
Robert Thatcher is a freelance author based in Cupertino, California. He publishes articles and reports in various ezines and contributes on a regular basis to FreeNetPublishing.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Thatcher
7 Tips to Stand Up to Your Alcoholic Husband
Are you living with an alcoholic husband? Do you feel like you are being taken advantage of? A number of women I treat in this position feel like a doormat and their self-esteem suffers each time they put up with the extreme selfishness of a spouse that is deep in his addiction.
I am a psychiatrist that specializes in addiction and I understand what spouses endure when living with an alcoholic.
Here is one of my recent cases:
H.Z. is 58 years old and has been married for 20 years. Her first husband was an alcoholic. She left him and took their 2 young kids with her. He had been very successful and then lost everything. Her second husband drank often. He also was very successful. He became clean and sober only when she threatened to leave him and he was able to maintain his sobriety for 5 years.
However, he started drinking thinking he could control his consumption. His drinking became progressively worse. He started coming home late. At times, he did not come home at all. He ignored her phone calls and her texts. They fought over his drinking. He would respond, "Is that all you care about?". Over time, H.Z. became quite depressed and her husband chose to be around her less and less. She started feeling worthless as her husband treated her "lower than dirt" (as she put it). However, she put up with this terrible treatment.
What could H. Z. have done? Here are 7 tips to stand up to your alcoholic husband:
1) Talk to your alcoholic spouse about his drinking only when he is sober. Talk in a calm manner and tell him you will be making changes in your own life because you can not depend on him to quit drinking alcohol.
2) Reach out and start developing a support system. Call friends that you have been afraid to open up to and tell them the truth about your situation. Go to Al- Anon meetings and get support from other women who have gone through similar situations.
3) Find a therapist and start working on your own codependency issues. If you can not afford individual therapy, find a therapist that does group therapy.
4) If you have not worked in a long time, get a part time job to ease back into the work world and put yourself on a track not to be 100% financially dependent on your alcoholic husband.
5) Consider going back to school and retraining in an area that will ultimately land you a good job.
6) Get your kids some help because they are growing up in an alcoholic family which leads to life-long issues. Find a therapist, school counselor, or even send them to teen-anon. Betty Ford has an excellent program for younger children in several different cities.
7) Consider a separation if you have tried these things and your life has not improved.
Bottom line: You are the only one that can change your situation. You deserve a great life. Be proactive and your situation will improve.
Remember: It is up to you, not up to him.
Dr. Sarita Uhr is a psychiatrist that specializes in alcoholism and addiction. If you think you or someone you know has a spouse with an alcohol problem, click the link alcoholichusband to sign up for her free report on, "The 5 Proven Methods For a Healthier Marriage With Your Alcoholic Spouse". It may save your family's life. The information in this report gives you very simple strategies that could very well save your marriage. Dr. Uhr's method has stunning results.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sarita_Uhr
I am a psychiatrist that specializes in addiction and I understand what spouses endure when living with an alcoholic.
Here is one of my recent cases:
H.Z. is 58 years old and has been married for 20 years. Her first husband was an alcoholic. She left him and took their 2 young kids with her. He had been very successful and then lost everything. Her second husband drank often. He also was very successful. He became clean and sober only when she threatened to leave him and he was able to maintain his sobriety for 5 years.
However, he started drinking thinking he could control his consumption. His drinking became progressively worse. He started coming home late. At times, he did not come home at all. He ignored her phone calls and her texts. They fought over his drinking. He would respond, "Is that all you care about?". Over time, H.Z. became quite depressed and her husband chose to be around her less and less. She started feeling worthless as her husband treated her "lower than dirt" (as she put it). However, she put up with this terrible treatment.
What could H. Z. have done? Here are 7 tips to stand up to your alcoholic husband:
1) Talk to your alcoholic spouse about his drinking only when he is sober. Talk in a calm manner and tell him you will be making changes in your own life because you can not depend on him to quit drinking alcohol.
2) Reach out and start developing a support system. Call friends that you have been afraid to open up to and tell them the truth about your situation. Go to Al- Anon meetings and get support from other women who have gone through similar situations.
3) Find a therapist and start working on your own codependency issues. If you can not afford individual therapy, find a therapist that does group therapy.
4) If you have not worked in a long time, get a part time job to ease back into the work world and put yourself on a track not to be 100% financially dependent on your alcoholic husband.
5) Consider going back to school and retraining in an area that will ultimately land you a good job.
6) Get your kids some help because they are growing up in an alcoholic family which leads to life-long issues. Find a therapist, school counselor, or even send them to teen-anon. Betty Ford has an excellent program for younger children in several different cities.
7) Consider a separation if you have tried these things and your life has not improved.
Bottom line: You are the only one that can change your situation. You deserve a great life. Be proactive and your situation will improve.
Remember: It is up to you, not up to him.
Dr. Sarita Uhr is a psychiatrist that specializes in alcoholism and addiction. If you think you or someone you know has a spouse with an alcohol problem, click the link alcoholichusband to sign up for her free report on, "The 5 Proven Methods For a Healthier Marriage With Your Alcoholic Spouse". It may save your family's life. The information in this report gives you very simple strategies that could very well save your marriage. Dr. Uhr's method has stunning results.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sarita_Uhr
Alcoholism Tips And How To Stop Drinking
The first step anyone must take to stop drinking is to identify your reasons.
Put together a list of all the reasons you have for why you should stop drinking. To make the list complete you may also want to consider asking family members or a close friend for help.
From time to time you should use this list to renew your commitment to stop drinking.
Once you have a list of reasons it is important to put your plan into action by setting a date for when you want to stop drinking.
To stop drinking alcohol you should complete a plan. Post this date on your refrigerator or bathroom mirror, anywhere you can see it often. If it will help you can also consider placing it in more than one place. A good idea is to put it in your purse or wallet on a card.
A plan isn't successful without help, so you should share your plan with others. Tell your family members and close friends. Let them know how they can help you turn your plan into a success. Mark specific dates in your plan and set them aside as days to evaluate your progress.
To make this new behavior a habit you should plan it for every thirty days. On these days you should look over your list of reasons to stop drinking. Add to this list the various benefits you are beginning to notice as you stop drinking.
It doesn't mean you've failed if you have a relapse after you stop drinking. Many people will experience a relapse. Rather than get discouraged, use your experience to learn and start your plan again with a determination to stick to it. Continue to use your new behaviors.
After successfully following them for a period of thirty days do it again for another thirty days. Even with your best interest in mind you can have a hard time changing behaviors.
However, new behaviors will become habit's the more you use and practice them. If you are still unsuccessful after this plan then you should ask your doctor for help in other ways to stop drinking.
Other ideas to can try that may help you stop drinking include avoiding anything that can stumble your plan.
There are many things in your life that can cause you to stop attempting to meet your goal. This might mean you have to make changes in your life that are related to your alcohol use including finding new friends or a new lifestyle.
Always stay focused on your goal and you will eventually succeed.
Discover How To Permanently Stop Drinking Alcohol With In 21 Days - Guaranteed. Click Here For Details: Stop Drinking Alcohol
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=M_Maxy
Put together a list of all the reasons you have for why you should stop drinking. To make the list complete you may also want to consider asking family members or a close friend for help.
From time to time you should use this list to renew your commitment to stop drinking.
Once you have a list of reasons it is important to put your plan into action by setting a date for when you want to stop drinking.
To stop drinking alcohol you should complete a plan. Post this date on your refrigerator or bathroom mirror, anywhere you can see it often. If it will help you can also consider placing it in more than one place. A good idea is to put it in your purse or wallet on a card.
A plan isn't successful without help, so you should share your plan with others. Tell your family members and close friends. Let them know how they can help you turn your plan into a success. Mark specific dates in your plan and set them aside as days to evaluate your progress.
To make this new behavior a habit you should plan it for every thirty days. On these days you should look over your list of reasons to stop drinking. Add to this list the various benefits you are beginning to notice as you stop drinking.
It doesn't mean you've failed if you have a relapse after you stop drinking. Many people will experience a relapse. Rather than get discouraged, use your experience to learn and start your plan again with a determination to stick to it. Continue to use your new behaviors.
After successfully following them for a period of thirty days do it again for another thirty days. Even with your best interest in mind you can have a hard time changing behaviors.
However, new behaviors will become habit's the more you use and practice them. If you are still unsuccessful after this plan then you should ask your doctor for help in other ways to stop drinking.
Other ideas to can try that may help you stop drinking include avoiding anything that can stumble your plan.
There are many things in your life that can cause you to stop attempting to meet your goal. This might mean you have to make changes in your life that are related to your alcohol use including finding new friends or a new lifestyle.
Always stay focused on your goal and you will eventually succeed.
Discover How To Permanently Stop Drinking Alcohol With In 21 Days - Guaranteed. Click Here For Details: Stop Drinking Alcohol
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=M_Maxy
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