Have you admitted to yourself that you have a drinking problem? Or maybe you want to see some of the benefits that quitting alcohol can bring? Or hey, maybe a judge is forcing you to abstain (there’s no judgement here).
What ever reason it is that has brought you here makes no difference. If you are here it means you are interested in the different methods one can use when looking to quit the booze.
In this article I am going to be looking at the 3 main methods you can use to quit drinking and at the end provide some practical advice on how to enact these changes.
Go Cold Turkey
Quitting alcohol ‘cold turkey’ means no alcohol at all. That is as soon as you decide to quit you do not consume another drop. It’s pretty much what people expect you to be doing when you say you are going to stop drinking.
Cold turkey is appealing to a lot of drinkers as it removes alcohol from the equation altogether. You don’t need to worry about 1 or 2 turning into 10 or 20 as you won’t be having the 1 or 2 to start with.
It is easier to avoid going overboard when you don’t get on board in the first place.
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Stopping drinking by going cold turkey requires incredible willpower. To suddenly go from having lots of alcohol in your life to having none overnight can sometimes be overwhelming psychologically. That is why when quitting cold turkey it is crucial that you have other support mechanisms in place (AA, friends, therapy, hobbies etc.)
For people who have a physical addiction to alcohol going cold turkey can potentially be dangerous. That is why before going cold turkey it is wise to speak with a medical professional.
Here is a good video that shows what you should expect when experiencing alcohol withdrawal:
You are more likely to get withdrawal symptoms from going cold turkey if you:
- Have been drinking every day for multiple consecutive days
- Have drank an excessive amount of alcohol leading up to quitting
- Have previously had withdrawal symptoms from a prior incident
If you are concerned about alcohol withdrawals then the cold turkey method is probably not for you. You might instead consider…
Tapering
Some people can go cold turkey without seeing any withdrawal symptoms. People who are physically dependent on alcohol though are unlikely to be so lucky.
For these people tapering may be a better solution.
Tapering isn’t an overnight “fix” like cold turkey-ing (can be perceived to be) but it still doesn’t need to be a long drawn out process.
The idea behind tapering is that you gradually reduce the amount of alcohol you intake day-by-day until eventually you are not drinking any alcohol at all.
Pro: The gradual detoxification process stops your body from experiencing withdrawal symptoms
Con: If it was easy to limit our alcohol intake when drunk we wouldn’t be trying to stop. ‘Pringles’ drinkers will struggle with tapering.
How: Follow the 10% rule. Calculate your current intake in terms of ‘drinks’ (https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/what-standard-drink). Then reduce by 10% of the starting total each day.
E.g. If you currently have 20 drinks a day. Go through tomorrow with 18. Then 16. 14. And so on.
Medical Assistance
There are a number of medical options available. These can range quite drastically depending on your location (and insurance) and can consist of home treatment, in-hospital, residency or even a couple month stay at a rehab center.
Usually these involve a medical professional overseeing the detox process and providing medications where necessary.
Now, as I have mentioned numerous times before, I am not a medical professional. I am just a guy going through the recovery process, maybe the same as you.
With that in mind I do not feel comfortable diving in too deep into the medical aspects, particularly the ones I have no experience with.
Instead I recommend you set up an appointment to discuss how to medically detox with your Doctor. In the meantime the below readings should give you a good starting point on what to expect:
https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/treatment-alcohol-problems-finding-and-getting-help
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/drug-addiction-getting-help/ (Yes alcohol is a drug)
https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/overcoming-addiction
Practical Advice
Some people can accomplish the above on just sheer willpower alone but for the rest of us mere mortals we’re going to need something more. Remember this advice:
- Don’t go it alone – Make sure you have a support network in place. Whether this is just conversations with friends and family, taking in a few meetings or a more formal therapeutic relationship, talking out the issues will help in recovery.
- Keep busy – the devil makes work for idle hands. Find something to fill the time void left that drinking used to fill. Maybe pick up a hobby?
- Get rid of all temptation – Do you really need to keep alcohol in the house? Get rid of it. Gift it out to friends or just bin it if need be.
- Keep an eye out for peer pressure – “Just say No” will become your new motto. Not everyone is going to be supportive. Either through ignorance or malice people will try to pressure you into drinking
Rounding off
Whichever method you use just know there are many others out there doing the same. If you want to read more about quitting I recommend this post:
How to Quit Drinking – The 8 “Simple” Steps to a New Sober You
