How to Stop Drinking Alcohol

There are many reasons to stop drinking alcohol - personal, health, religious, addiction recovery, and more. This is a guide to abstaining from drinking alcohol.

Things You'll Need

• Willpower

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Instructions

• 1

  Announce to your family and friends that you have decided to stop drinking alcohol of all kinds. You will likely get some flak and more than a few jokes, but try to shrug it off.

• 2

  Often, you will get questions as to why you have decided to stop drinking alchohol. The best answer is whatever is true for you. Perhaps you are recovering from alcoholism. Many religious sects forbid drinking alcohol. Others do not like the long term ill-effects alcohol can have on the liver and the brain. Still others do not like the idea of being intoxicated and out of control.

• 3

  If you feel funny abstaining from alcohol when the rest of your friends and family are drinking, or you fear disapproving comments, the best strategy is to always be drinking something (a virgin or alcohol-free drink) when other people are drinking.

• 4

  If someone asks you for the practical benefits of your decision to stop drinking alcohol, tell them that alcohol is an unnecessary expense. It has virtually no food value, containing only empty calories. It also kills four times as many people as all illegal drugs combined.

• 5

  There are obviously reasons why others choose to drink alcohol, even though you have chosen to stop drinking. So try to act non-judgmental and calmly state what you believe and why you believe it. Your lifestyle reflects only upon yourself.

• 6

  If you are recovering from an addiction, you may want to seek the help of an addiction recovery support group. Always carry a cell phone with you. If you feel tempted to drink, immediately call a member of the group or a supportive friend or family member.