We all suffer with the obsession of new year’s resolutions.
The pressure is high, and if we mess up, do we have to wait til next year to start again?
White knuckling it seldom helps, and I should know!
Last January I decided to quit, and relapsed a few days later, only to succeed in February.
You don’t need to identify as an alcoholic to put the bottle down for a month.
Promise, sober life is not as boring or intimidating as you first might think!
Here’s some tips inspired by @milligooch on how to quit!
- Find some substitute drinks you actually enjoy
Mocktails and alcoholfree beer usually just reminds us of what we would have before.
Many in recovery love their cola a bit too much, otherwise flavoured water or soda, iced or herbal tea might become your new favourite!
2. Educate yourself on why you’re doing this!
Watch documentaries such as Risky Drinking or fiction movies such as The Girl On The Train.
Read self-help books such as , The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober by Catherine Gray, Recovery by Russel Brand Quit Like A Woman by Holly Whitaker.
They will remind you why you’re doing this and give you hope.
3. Surround yourself with other sober people
There’s lots of Facebook groups where people share their stories (they’re not all sad, promise!) as well as sober podcasts such as Love Sober. Taking the stigma and fear out of sober life will not only open up the space for tips but also enable connection and community which we may looked for with alcohol!
4. No more shame!
If you’re taking a break from alcohol, you should feel proud in your decision. Having an honest conversation with your family and friends might alleviate the weight on more people than you might think. You’re out of your comfort zone, and writing down your experiences can help.
You’re likely to experience mood swings. Allow yourself to cry and feel it all.
5. Treat yourself!
You’ll see just how much money you save. What a relief not to wake up after a night out and realising we spent way more than we had planned. It’s fun to calculate how much you usually spent on alcohol and plan on spending your saved treasure on self-care. I am getting myself a keyboard to pick up playing piano again!
If you are embarking on this journey, you’re in for a treat.
Being out in nature as well as getting back into creative hobbies can also help.
Obvious tips are yoga, meditation and breathing exercises, as well as writing down your reasons why you quit (or recording yourself saying them) and going through those when in doubt.
In any case, you’ve got this! I also recommend 12 steps fellowships as they helped me to quit.
If you got any questions, I’d be happy to help in the comments!
Reparent Your Soul 
These are great tips and ideas to ease the switch of the mindset. I don’t practice making resolutions but I set intentions. I do these daily, weekly and yearly. It’s a very powerful practice. I’m happy that you realized you were hurting yourself by abusing alcohol and quit. It takes a lot of self love and care, inner strength and tenacity to make that commitment with yourself. Good on you and for also for guiding others❤ it heals your heart further.
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What a sweet comment, thank you! As they say it’s simple but not always easy to quit, and once you get through the first few weeks and physical withdrawals are over (drugs were more my thing tbh), it gets so much more manageable. I’m also a big fan of intentions and focusing our energy, I’m so glad they helped you too. Thanks for spreading your positivity x
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I have devised my own unique way…
I just stop giving the importance to smoking and alcoholism , infact quiting was never a target, it just happened.
Infact whatever I have targeted, I have missed.
Freedom from these habits was a byproduct of conscious living coupled with self restraint.
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I had to read that last sentence three times, so strong! I’m so happy for you, well done on quitting! Some manage to become free with conscious decisions, others who have gone too far have undergone a change in their brain chemistry when they are biologically addicted and willpower is not enough anymore. This post is mostly for the former though like you, which is so inspiring! Many addicts however keep promising to change on self-will which then keeps them from seeking help so I thought this was worth mentioning.
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I agree with you, there are deeper vices that get so engrained that they become your habit. I am facing them now and had to start over so many times that I was loosing hope.
So yes I can feel and understand what you are saying. All of these habits have a deeper reason, a deeper root from where it all began. My goal is to reach there and behold myself at that moment. To say that it’s okay , you dont need to this, that we can fill the void within is through ourselves.
I hope We all make meaningful progression towards our real self , and understand truly who we are, and then spread on the love to others!
Good luck and lots of love
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