You're looking at this page, which means you want to quit. That's the good
news. The not-so-good news is that quitting is hard. It's a truth that is
painful, and one shouldn't sugar-coat it. The great news is that medical
technology, integrated communities, and effective psychological counseling
have made it easier than ever to quit. If you feel that you drink too much,
there are many benefits of sobriety: preventing strokes, losing weight, avoiding
hangovers, and reducing the likelihood of liver disease are only a few beside a
general uptick in overall health. If you would like to stop drinking, here are
some tips and strategies to get you back on the path to sobriety.

Part One: Beginning to Quit

1. Talk to your doctor. If you choose to start the path to recovery alone,
bear in mind that alcohol withdrawal can potentially be deadly. If you
start experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms (panic attacks, severe
anxiety, the shakes, rapid heart beat) you should seek immediate
medical assistance. The condition could potentially deteriorate to
delerium tremens, which is deadly, if left untreated.
Don't feel like you need to quit alone. You are carrying a heavy
burden, but plenty of people (including people with medical
degrees) want to help you. It's often easier to quit with the help
of medical intervention than it is to try it cold turkey.
Doctors treating withdrawal from alcohol often prescribe
benzodiazepines to help with symptoms. [1] Benzodiazepines,
which include alprazolam (Xanax), clonazepam (Klonopin),
diazepam (Valium) and lorazepam (Ativan), are psychoactive drugs
used to calm anxiety and quell panic. [2] They are relatively safe
and are rarely fatal when overdosed. [2]
2. Change your attitude about quitting. Remember, you're not being
forced to give up a good friend who has treated you well. Instead, you
are finally ridding yourself of an enemy. Adjust your attitude so that
quitting is made easier. Your better half wants you to quit; your
selfish half wants you to stay the same.
3. Try to pick some significant date to quit. Be ambitious, but
reasonable. If you are very heavy drinker you must first slow down to
avoid withdrawal symptoms (in this case it is best to have your
doctor help you plan your quitting date).
4. Get rid of all bottles, cans, etc. Don't feel that just because you are
having guests over you need to offer them a beer, wine, or cocktail. It
is perfectly fine to offer people tea, lemonade, coke, or the like.
5. Feel your feelings . Cry when you need to. Laugh when you can. Eat
when you are hungry. Sleep when you are tired. This is going to be
really weird at first, but embrace it. You haven't felt your feelings for
a long time. You will have a learning curve.
6. Don't put yourself with people or in situations where you're likely to
drink . There's an old saying about "Playgrounds and Playmates" —
look at yours. You may need to leave some of your old drinking
buddies and watering holes behind. That being said, it can be quite a
revelation to find out that the friends you used to drink with were
drinking with you only occasionally and were having two beers or two
glasses of wine to your five.
Don't do anything you don't feel ready to do. If going to the beach
is a time when you drank a lot, don't go this year. If going to a
certain friend's home for dinner is a time when you drank a lot, get
a rain check this time. Protecting your sobriety is the most
important thing you are doing right now. Take care of you! Don't
worry about everyone else right now.