How to quit drinking for good

I get it. You’re sick of trying to moderate your drinking. Setting rules, using willpower, making promises to drink less that you never seem to be able to keep. You want to quit drinking for good, but how on earth do you do it?

This journey isn’t quick and there is no magic button. But I promise you: you can get to get to a place where you no longer have any desire to drink. Read my story.

Here are some tips for how you can quit drinking for good:

1. Learn about how alcohol works.

   It’s a highly addictive substance that changes our brain chemistry, increases anxiety and creates a craving for itself. Once you understand what it’s actually doing to your body and brain, you can start to question whether it’s helping you in the way you thought it was.
   How? Read books like This Naked Mind by Annie Grace, Alcohol Explained by William Porter and Drink? by Professor David Nutt. Read my Substack for more information and inspiration.
   
   

2. Notice alcohol in advertising and movies.

   We’re shown messages on a daily basis that tell us that alcohol is fun, creates connection and friendship and helps us enjoy life. Advertising and movies don’t show us the real consequences of drinking.

   How? Start to notice how advertisers are trying to sell us glasses of ethanol, as if it were the elixir of life. Notice how in movies women bond over wine without getting into arguments or having severe anxiety the next day.
   
   

3. Explore your own beliefs.

   How do you believe alcohol is helping you? Do you drink to help you relax? De-stress? Feel calmer? Have fun? Start to bring awareness to the reasons why you are drinking, rather than reaching for a glass before you’ve even thought about what you’re hoping it will give you.
   How? Write down all the reasons you drink, go through each one and ask: is it true? Based on your experiences and what you know about how alcohol works, is it really doing what you think it is?
   
   

4. Practice the pause.

   Next time you notice the thought ‘I want a drink’ - pause. Just notice how you’re feeling. What are you needing right now? Are you tired? Stressed? Upset? Do you need to rest? Go outside? Ask someone for a hug?
   How? Every time you are able to practice the pause - even if you do end up drinking - you are getting to know yourself better. You are asking: do I really want to drink? The more you do this, the more you are rewiring your brain so that eventually you get to a place where the thought doesn’t even pop up. Keep practising and keep going.
   
   

5. Play the tape forward.

   When you practice that pause, play the tape forward. Imagine: what happens when you have this drink? Will it actually be just one drink? And what happens when you have two or three drinks? If there are negative consequences, is a few hours of numbing out really worth it?
   How? If you do drink, remember and write down how you feel. How do you sleep? How do you feel the next day? How long do you feel tired and anxious for? Write it down so next time you’re thinking about drinking you can read it and remind yourself it isn’t worth it. Do the same for when you choose an alcohol-free drink instead of alcohol. How do you sleep? How do you feel the next day? Write down all the positives and when you play the tape forward, make your choice. How would you rather feel?
   
   

6. See it for what it is: poison.

   Alcohol is ethanol. The same stuff that’s used as fuel and to clean bathroom floors. It causes 7 kinds of cancer. It causes or contributes to over 200 diseases, injuries and health conditions. We have to force ourselves to get used to the taste because when we first drink it as young people, our reaction is to go urgh! That’s your body saying: yuck! This is poison! We musn’t drink this!
   How? Learn about alcohol and what it really is. Notice how it tastes. How it smells. Look past the nice bottle and pretty packaging and tell yourself: this is ethanol. Just ethanol, a poisonous substance, mixed with hops or grapes or whatever. Why am I giving it so much power?
   
   

7. Bring yourself compassion and forgiveness.

   You’re not weak and you’re not sick. It makes complete sense that you have lost control over a highly addictive drug. You’re not the problem: the problem is the fact that our society believes that alcohol should be drunk regularly and that if someone becomes addicted, it’s their own fault. It’s NOT your fault. And the fact that you’re reading this means you are incredibly brave because you are choosing to change your relationship with alcohol.

   How? I’ve created a free guide to self-compassion for sobriety to help you on this journey. I also really recommend the work of Tara Brach and Kristen Neff.

Ready to take the next steps?

I’d love to support you to explore all these steps. As a sober coach, I will give you compassionate, unwavering support. I know how hard this is and I know how incredible you are. And I know that you can get to where I am: living a life you may never have dreamed was possible for you, totally free from alcohol.