Are you ready to give up on your drinking habit? Great decision. Don’t know where to start? Don’t know how to keep up with this decision? Do you also keep falling back into the dark pit of alcoholism? We get that you’re flustered, and it’s okay to feel confused, too. But if you manage to read this blog post till the very end, you’ll have all of the tips you’ll need on your journey to wean off alcohol.
Thousands of people have followed these tips, and now they live both alcohol and alcohol-related stress-free. Are you prepared to embark on this journey of a healthier and happier you? Let’s help you wean off alcohol and live your life in a better way.
1. Get Professional Help
Now, before we dig into some practical tips on how to wean off alcohol, you need to understand that chronic addiction to alcohol is not just an addiction. It is an actual condition that needs assistance in the form of trained professionals who will provide you with guidance depending upon your specific needs. The sooner you understand this, the better for you.
2. Start Slowly
No habit is built overnight, and no habit can be given up overnight as well. The same is true for alcoholism, too. You cannot go from ten drinks a day to no drinks at all in just one day. Even if you try, you’ll hardly be able to keep this up for a maximum of 2-3 days.
So, it’s better to start slow and build your tolerance over time. If you have 10 drinks a day, start by reducing it to 9 or 8 drinks and then gradually build up your pace. This way you are more likely to not quit in the middle of your rehab journey.
3. Keep A Diary
Keep a record of your daily alcohol intake in a diary. Mention everything from how many drinks you reduced today to any drink you were not supposed to take. This will not only keep you accountable but will also help you keep track of how far you’ve come since the day you started. This will also give you much-needed motivation whenever you feel low.
4. Increase Your Drinking Intervals
Next, you want to increase the intervals between your drinks. A long interval between each drink means less number of drinks per day. Don’t push yourself too hard, and start by increasing the one or two-hour gap gradually. You can also go for alternate drinks for your non-alcohol hours if that works for you. The longer you can go without having a drink, the better.
5. Focus More On Mindful Drinking
Mindfulness is helpful in every aspect of life, and you can also speed up your alcohol-weaning process if you practice mindful drinking. How? Mindful drinking helps you focus on your body’s cues. You understand what your body needs when your body needs it, and this helps you make more informed choices about your drinking pattern.
6. Get Proper Nutrition
If you’re a severe alcohol addict, you’ve probably caused your body severe damage, too. And while your body is working hard to help you wean off alcohol, you also need to help your body recover from the damage alcohol has caused. Treat yourself with good and nutritious food, and stay hydrated to feel healthier and to help your body recover faster.
7. Practice Stress-Reducing Techniques
Stress is a very common trigger for people who are on their journey to wean off alcohol. So, if stress is an issue for you, too, you should learn and incorporate some stress-reducing techniques in your daily life. This can include deep breathing exercises or even physical exercises like yoga or pilates, whatever works for you. These practices will not only help you overcome your stress and stay consistent with your alcohol wean-off journey but will also help you improve your overall health and well-being.
8. Celebrate Every Tiny Milestone
Weaning off alcohol is a slow process and can take as long as years for you to recover completely. In such a situation where you don’t see very evident and promising results, it is very easy for anyone to detract from the right path. To prevent this from happening, you should set and celebrate small milestones. This can be anything like a week without alcohol or a 10% reduction in overall alcohol consumption. Always remember that in your journey of alcohol weaning off, no achievement is small.
9. Keep Looking For New Ways
In alcohol weaning, no one method suits all, and it is normal that one technique does wonders for others and does nothing for you at all. This is exactly why you should keep yourself updated on the latest techniques and methods being introduced in the alcohol wean-off circle around you. Stay in touch with your peers who are on the same path as you. Learn from their experiences and pick any message from their story that fits your equation, too.
10. Give Yourself Time
This stands true for both yourself and the technique you’re using to wean off alcohol. If you choose a technique, give it some time to work. Put all your sincerity and follow the technique with all your heart before you form an opinion or switch to another technique. And even after all the time and work, if it still doesn’t work out, look for another way.
Similarly, you need to give your body and yourself time, too. If the results are not showing just yet, stay consistent, wait and the results will follow.
Take Home Message
If you’ve decided to get rid of alcohol from your life, first of all, congratulations and bravo! You made a good decision, and soon enough, you’ll see how your life will change because of this one decision. Now, we do know that to wean off alcohol is not going to be easy for you. But is it going to be worth it? One hundred per cent! Give it your best; you’ve got this!
