Feb 23 2009
How to Stop Drinking for Newcomers
In early sobriety we might struggle just to stay dry for another 24 hours at a time. We might struggle to stay sober for a 24 hour period and in order to make it through this tough time we might have to focus on networking and getting help from the fellowship. This is OK but as you stay sober for longer you’ll realize that you are becoming more reliant on your self and on your level of growth. This is not to say that you are eventually cured or that you do not need other people to stay sober, but only that there is a shift in focus on these priorities. Long term sobriety is about passionate living, while early recovery is about support and fellowship and learning. Both stages have all of these attributes in them, but the focus is a bit different for those who are successful in living a sober life.
So you want to know how to stop drinking? My first piece of advice is that you seek out a professional facility to dry out in. This is critical because detoxifying from alcohol can be fatal if you don’t do it right. There is also a plus side to attending rehab that you will meet a ton of peers who can help you on your journey. The networking that you get from your peers in early recovery is of vital importance, and going to a treatment center will automatically introduce you to these types of connections. Because of these 2 reasons I highly recommend attending a treatment center if you are serious about quitting drinking.
Now at this point many people think that their job is done when they walk out of the treatment center but in fact it has not even started yet. The real challenge in recovery is in living your life sober without resorting back to resentment and anger and eventually relapsing. It is not always the booze that got us into trouble but also the life that went along with the drinking. If you leave treatment and try to stay off the sauce but revert right back to the same lifestyle then you’re probably not going to stay sober. We have to make large, sweeping change in our daily routine if we are going to maintain recovery. This is not impossible but it does require action.
Most of those who leave a treatment center don’t follow through on their aftercare plan. If you want to make recovery work for you then you need to approach it with overwhelming force. We put a bunch of time and energy into our drinking so we have to put an equal amount of energy into getting well. Most alcoholics do not realize how much effort it will take to quit drinking at first. The secret is to go way above and beyond what you think is necessary to keep you clean.
And that is the bottom line right there: If you want to stop drinking then you have to take action. At first your goal in recovery will be very concentrated on staying sober one day at a time and figuring out how to live again without drinking. But as time goes on in recovery your actions must shift towards those of personal growth and development. In early recovery the support you get from other people is really important. In long term sobriety your drive for personal growth and holistic health is what is key.
