The question I asked myself when I thought it was time to stop drinking alcohol is,
"should I quit drinking cold turkey?"
I wanted to quit drinking and knew it was way past time to do so. I have wasted many of years of my life, and other lives as well, all due to my addiction to alcohol. I am sure many alcoholics have thought about stopping drinking alcohol, but were afraid of how they would feel with the abstinence of alcohol in their bodies. Thinking this way will tend to hold up the process of recovery and getting and staying sober.
As for me, I thought, and knew I was doing wrong and harming my body with each drink I consumed, but no matter how I thought, and what other people would say about my drinking, I just wasn't ready to give up the one thing I loved, and the one thing that was a huge part of my life and other lives as well.
The alcoholics really don't realize what harm they are doing not only to themselves, but those that love them and care about them.
I was lucky enough to be able to quit drinking alcohol cold turkey. I had it in my mind that no matter what happened in my life I would never go bad to my old ways of drinking alcohol again. I heard a
life changing whisper that night. I made my mind up once and for all that I had to stop drinking, before it was too late for all involved.
I made a promise to myself that lonely night in the garage drinking alone. I told myself, " I will not let this addiction to alcohol run and ruin my life, and other lives for one more second of my life."
The promise to myself was that I would never pick up another alcoholic drink for the rest of my life, because I knew by past experiences I would be doomed if I did. It is all balls out or nothing!
For any alcoholic that wants to quit drinking you must know that there is only one way to do this, and that is never to touch a drop of alcohol ever again, if and when you stop drinking. If you are okay with this promise, as I was when I made mine to myself then you are on the right road to recovery.
There is no such thing as, I will only have one or two drinks. This will
NEVER work if you have had a addiction to alcohol, and have abused alcohol for some time. There can be
NO cheating whatsoever. It is all or nothing!
NOTE:
I must add this in: I am not saying quit drinking cold turkey. I quit cold turkey, but I was taking a chance and was afraid of what could happen when I stopped drinking. I worried for days and weeks of the DT's and just getting sick from stopping that fast. If you are concerned about what may happen to you if you do quit drinking cold turkey you should look into a Rehab. Center that has trained professionals to help you detox in a safe manner.
So if you are serious about getting and staying sober, the first thing to do is to admit you are an alcoholic. Second, promise yourself that once you stop drinking alcohol you will never touch it again. You need to believe in yourself and love yourself enough to make this sobriety work for you. You need to continue to
have a positive attitude each and everyday from that point on and never let anyone or anything stand in your way of your recovery and long term sobriety.
