Several people want to get rid f their drinking habit, but despite knowing all its detrimental effects on health, many struggle to hold themselves accountable for this habit.
This post discusses five useful tips on how you can cut alcohol out of your life. Read on for an actionable list of steps to get rid of your addiction and embrace a healthier lifestyle.
1. Take some time to understand your drinking habits
Before you embark on this life-changing journey, understand why you want to do it. What is it that’s motivating you and making you wish to quit alcohol. Here are some questions to help you ponder:
- Why do you drink so often?
- How much do you actually drink?
- What habits do you do after drinking that make this problematic?
Next, consider your approach. Figure out ways to have a healthier relationship with alcohol in such a way that you control it, and not the other way round. You should only drink when you consciously wish to, and not when your body compels you or you feel you absolutely have to drink now.
Once you’ve got this figured, you can move on to the next steps.
2. Find a community
Involve your friends and family. Talk to them about why you plan to quit alcohol and how you intend to go about it. You can also join groups and find a community to do it together with.
In case you still struggle to hold yourself accountable, you can download a free habit tracker to maintain your progress. When you mark the days on the calendar when you’ve gone without alcohol, it will compel you to keep that streak up and not break it.
You can also hire a certified accountability coach from the directory of coaches to track your progress, celebrate your small successes, and help you get back on track if you sometimes fall off the wagon.
3. Change your environment
If you keep your fridge stocked with alcohol or your minibar constantly in sight, you might feel your motivation weaken. Instead, change your environment and get rid of all the alcohol at home.
If your daily commute from work to home involves driving through a bar, change your route and pick one that doesn’t involve you seeing a bar or an alcohol shop. When you get rid of the triggers, you will find it easier to stick to your habit.
Varying your routine and filling your usual time for drinking with other activities can help. You can also find a new favorite drink — if sipping while working has become a habit.
4. Prioritize self-care
While embarking on such a life-changing journey as quitting alcohol can require a lot of determination, you can make things easier if you prioritize self-care.
- Make it a point to eat healthily and exercise regularly.
- Stay hydrated.
- Make time in your schedule to rediscover old hobbies.
- Explore new ways to cope like reading a book or maintaining a journal.
These activities will keep your spirits high (no pun intended) and make sure you don’t fall into the need for alcohol again. It might seem you’re being extraordinarily hard on yourself, but finding ways to reward yourself in other ways will help take care of your mental and emotional well-being.
5. Learn from experts
You can learn from the experts at Better Humans and follow all the steps they took to get rid of alcohol from their daily routine. Such a huge habit change is not meant to be easy, but reading stories from people who have successfully done it will make you feel like you’re part of a community and not in this struggle alone.