We all known it very well that alcohol is not good for our body or the mind. However, if you are an occasional drinker and you always stay within your limits, your body might be easily able to cope up with the alcohol you drink on a special blue moon night. When the frequency of drinking increases, you start to become dependent on alcohol and things start to take a turn where your body becomes so habituated with alcohol that it starts to show withdrawal symptoms when you stop drinking.
You might set two types of goals for yourself in this regard. Either you can quit alcohol completely or you can cut back on the amount of alcohol you take in. If you are an alcoholic, cutting back on the habit completely is the best way to go, as reducing the amount of alcohol consumption slowly might be impossible for you. However, if you just want to reduce the amount of drink due to health reasons, you can also do that through self-control and following the right measures. Here is a step by step guide to help you reach your goal
Decide your goal
The first thing that you need to do in this regard is to decided if you want to quit drinking completely or you just want to cut back on your total alcohol consumption. This decision is really important as it will serve as your ultimate goal. Once you have decided your objective write it down in a diary, so that you can refer to it whenever you need. If you have opted to cut back on your drinking, but not to quit it altogether, it is the time when you should decide from when you want to start. It is best if you take the same day as the day to start the process. If you postpone the plan for tomorrow, the tomorrow might never come.
Chalk out a plan
Once you have your goal at hand, all you need to do is to chalk out a step by step plan to reach the goal. If your goal is to take down drinking only to two days in a week, from 7 days, first you should set a timeline to achieve your final objective. Make sure that you set the time limit logically. Once you have set the time limit, now decide how you should reach the goal in that span. It is best to first start with reducing the amount of alcohol you take daily and once you have lowered the amount of alcohol you consume in a day considerably, skip the day all together.
Announce your decision publicly
Announcing your decision about cutting down your alcohol consumption can give a bunch of benefits. First of all, it will help your family and close ones to prepare mentally to provide you with all the support that you might need in this span. Moreover, disclosing your plans openly, will also inform your friends with whom you booze, about your objectives and they will not ask you for an extra drink. Disclosing your objective openly will also make it more important for you to stick to it.
Discard the stock at your home
When you are trying to cut back on your drinking, it is best to get rid of the collection of drink at your home. Having great drinks at hand, is sure to make cutting back on alcohol even more difficult for you. So, it is best to not to keep any or only a very minimum amount of alcohol at home. If needed, develop the practice of buying your alcohol quota right on the day you want to have it, and stop maintaining a stock for future.
Avoid temptations
Going out with friends who cannot do it without a drink or the ones who are sure to force you to have more than your new set limits is never a good option. Simply stay away from those companies and it is sure to make it much easier for you to stop drinking daily. Also avoid going to a pub where the chance of drinking more is higher.
Do not drink all alone
When you are trying to cut back on your drinking, drinking alone is not a good way. Drinking alone often results into breaking your limits. Make it a point to have someone who is aware about your new limits talking with you when you are drinking. This will not only help you to have a control on the amount of drink you take, but you will also have someone to stop you if you seem to step over your limits.
Do not drink when you are sad or upset
Being sad or upset on a particular day is usual for everyone, but when you start drinking on that day, you actually drink for killing that sad feeling and you are sure to end up stepping over your limits. So, if there is a problem at work or at family on a sudden day, make sure that you do not drink that day, because these are days when people tend to break their own rules.
Make smaller pegs and drink slowly
One of the very effective ways to cut down your alcohol consumption and to slowly stop drinking daily is to opt for smaller pegs. Make pegs with less alcohol and dilute it with a fruit juice, lemon cordial or simply water. Also drink slowly. Drinking quickly or in a rush is sure to make you drink more. So take your time and enjoy your drink without hurrying. This can considerably reduce your total alcohol consumption and can be helpful to skip drinking on particular days.
Start learning something new
When you are trying to stop drinking daily, this trick can be actually helpful. Start learning something new. Join a class at the time when you drink and you are sure to forget about it. Just make sure that you learn something that you really enjoy. A dance class, a new language course, a yoga practice session anything that can keep you engrossed during that particular time can work. Engaging your time in something more creative is always helpful to forget about drinking and to cut back on the habit.
Practice meditation
Practicing meditation can be a very effective way to stop drinking daily. Meditation helps in relaxing your nerves and senses which can help you to relax even without having a drink. Meditation also helps extensively in coping up with the alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Apart from that meditation makes you more aware about yourself and increases your own control over your mind and body, which can be very effective to limit the habit of drinking, or even to stop it all together. Meditation is a simple process to practice and can give you the best results in cutting back your alcohol consumption.
Follow your diary
As you will continue progressing through the plan that you have fixed at the beginning, it is important to check the diary and to keep a track that you are following the plan step by step and achieving the goals right within the time limits. The feeling of being able to achieve the goals on a day to day basis can work as the best reward for you to stick to the plan till the end.
Once you are able to reduce the amount of alcohol you drink on a day, start skipping it all together on few days and increase the number of clean days in a week slowly, to reach a point when you can decide when to have a drink and when not to have one, instead your cravings leading you to the drink. If you find that you are not able to cut back on your drinking habits even after trying to follow the measures mentioned above, it is best to take assistance from a doctor or a therapist who can help you to come over the addiction.
