Quit Drinking Cold Turkey

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.

Living With A Spouse That Has An Addiction To Alcohol

Are you living with a spouse that has an addiction to alcohol?  If so, what do you do to try and make living with that spouse a bit more easier?

I don't have all the answers, but I can tell you that my wife put up with me drinking alcohol everyday for years.  Sometimes when love is so true and unconditional, spouses seem to just hang in there hoping for a miracle that the person they love will see the light and stop drinking alcohol forever.

In my case, and I am sure millions of people throughout the world, have had the same problem.  They wish so bad that their loved one would stop abusing and drinking alcohol.  They wait and wait hoping they will quit drinking and start living a life of sobriety.

How long should you really wait until you just give up on your spouse surrendering to his/her addiction to alcohol?  I just think it depends on how much you love that person and how determined you are and want that person to see the light and stop drinking alcohol and get back to his/her real self without relying on the crutch of alcohol.

Life is so precious and we the alcoholics don't even realize what we are doing to the people that love and care for us so much.  We are not only killing ourselves, but we are destroying our families and the ones that love us.  Alcohol blinds us so much and runs our lives everyday, we can't see what we are doing to others,a and if by chance we do see it, we don't care because the alcohol tells us different.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP YOUR LOVED ONE STOP DRINKING ?

• You are helping your spouse by enabling him/her in their addiction to alcohol.
• You have to be strong and be able to say no, I will not give you any money to support your addiction.
• You have to be stern. but not so that you and your spouse begin to fight and argue over the addiction that is ruining your lives.  I have seen, and have been there, when my wife would approach me regarding how much alcohol I drink and that I should really stop.  I would listen as many alcoholics do, until the sober spouse has said so much that the alcoholic gets more upset and starts to drink even more just out of spite.  It is a vicious cycle, day in and day out.  
• You must talk to the alcoholic in a way that you make are making a strong point letting them know how unhappy you are and you want this relationship or marriage to work and not be ruined by the addiction to alcohol they have.
• I have found that talking in a civil manner helps more than screaming and yelling at your spouse.  Be calm, but stern about your concerns of their addiction.  Try to explain to them that they are ruining their health and destroying the love that they once had.
• I know from my experiences of drinking alcohol for years that no matter what a spouse says to the alcoholic, the alcoholic will never stop drinking until he/she is ready to do it on their own and not be forced into sobriety.  
• I had quit drinking a couple of times just to make peace in the household, but over time when I felt that everything had calmed down, I felt save to start drinking again.  I would start out with a beer or two and then BANG I went right back to old ways of pounding them down all night long.  I am sure many alcoholics have done the exact same thing.  To stop for awhile to just make peace.  It will never work, believe me. You have to want sobriety and until then no matter what anyone says or what Rehab. Center you may go in, long term sobriety will never happen until you have it in your heart to stop drinking and stop forever.
• It is really a hard thing to do if you fight it, but if you just look at your life and those around you that love you, sobriety will happen when you are ready and not before.
• Rehab. Centers are wonderful, but you have to stick to it even after being released and not think you can have a drink or two at a party, etc.  You will relapse faster than you can shake a stick, as they say.

**Love yourself and others enough to stop drinking alcohol forever.  Save your life, and save your relationship and marriage.  Don't let alcohol run and ruin your life.

Anyone can stop drinking if you put your mind to it and think with a POSITIVE ATTITUDE that you will get and stay sober.  Believe in yourself and love yourself enough to stop drinking.

How Alcoholics Can Fight Their Addiction

Have you ever been in a fight and have lost?  Have you ever been in a fight and won? Alcoholics fight their addiction every single day of their lives.  How alcoholics can fight their addiction is in the hands of each and every alcoholic.

Some alcoholics feel as if they don't have a drinking problem and are very content with the life they are living and then there are those that live in hell each and everyday wondering how they can fight back and win over the addiction they have.  This is no easy task believe me.  I have had the unpleasant experience of alcohol addiction being first on my priority list and first in my life above all.

This addiction to alcohol is like living in hell. If you have it in your heart to be clean and sober, but just don't have the willpower or enough determination to get sober, you are one step in the right direction. You want sobriety deep down in your heart, but something deeper tells you that you may not be ready just yet to get sober and find yourself and your sobriety. So what is the next step in frighten back at your addiction?

Anyone that is addicted to alcohol knows exactly what I am talking about.  It is a rough ride trying to get sober, but if you want sobriety bad enough it will come, and stay, if that's what you want in your life.

1. You know that sobriety is possible, but how to you go about achieving it?
2. You know your life is not normal and depend on your addiction to alcohol to get through your day.
3. You know that your family is falling apart due to you addiction to alcohol.
4. You know that alcohol is your crutch and without it you are lost.
5. You maybe losing days at work due to being so hung over from the night before.
6. Your health is declining each and everyday you drink.
7. You look into the mirror and wonder if that is you staring back.
8. Your looks have changed and you have either lost or gained weight.
9. Your self-esteem is about none.
10. You have no positive attitude and living in a world of negativity because you are depressed.
11. You wonder why nothing works out for you.
12. You wonder why the only friends you have are only drinking buddies.
13. You family is becoming distant from you and don't want to be around you when you start drinking.

DOES ANY OF THESE THINGS SOUND FAMILIAR TO YOU? I bet they do, and you are at wits end to finding your sobriety.  What can you do to get and stay sober is the question many alcoholics ask.

Here is what I have learned when I finally surrendered to my addiction to alcohol three (3) years ago.

I took a good hard look at my life (while being sober and not drinking) and asked myself these questions.

Where will I be in years to come if I continue drinking alcohol like I am right now?

Will my family stay with me until the end of my time, or will they just get fed up and leave because of my drinking problem?

Do I have enough willpower to beat the demons within? 

Do I really want long term sobriety, or just a short break in my drinking to dry out a bit? 

Do I want to live a long healthy life to see my children grow up as adults?

Do I want to walk my daughter down the Aisle on her Wedding Day?

Do I want to see my Grand Children be born and have their own families? 

None of the above will happen if you and I don't stop drinking and abusing alcohol.  Sooner or later the alcohol will catch up with all of us.  We alcoholics thing it will never happen to us, but believe in time it will bite you on the ass and you will be so sorry you continue to abuse your body with drinking alcohol every single day of your life.

Just imagine how great you will feel getting up in the morning with no Hangover and feeling like plain old crap, until.... that next drink inters your body and then all is well for then.  It is a vicious cycle, day after day, week after week, month after month.  It is not the life God had intended us to have.  Smarten up and stop drinking and abusing your body.

Think of what you are doing to your body and the family and friends that love and care for you so much.  You are breaking their hearts by them watching you destroying your body slow, but sure.

It is not that hard to stop drinking alcohol.  I thought it would be for me, but after the first few weeks had passed and I realize, "I have be alcohol free for 3 weeks."  It is a wonderful feeling and a huge accomplishment.  If you can make it 3 weeks, or a month you have the capability to doing it for the rest of your life.  You just can not CHEAT!!

None of this stuff like, " I think I will have just one drink."  That crap WILL NOT WORK EVER!

You have to go all out sober or nothing.  Once you make up your mind to get sober and have said, "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH" is when you will be heading to recovery and making your sobriety Long Term.

Believe and you will achieve.  You have to believe in yourself and promise yourself that you will never ever pick up a drink of alcohol again.  If you are okay with that promise to yourself then you are going in the right direction and have taken that first and MOST IMPORTANT step in your life.

Stay strong and keep that positive attitude in everything you do in life and your sobriety will happen.  Sure it will take some hard work in the beginning, but nothing good happens in life without hard work involved.

Do You Know What Your Addiction Is Doing To You?

Alcohol does many things to the human body. First, and the most important thing is that it is designed to get you feeling good and drunk as heck.  That is the main purpose in my opinion, and it does a great job at it.

Many people that drink alcohol can handle them self in a sense that they know when it is time to stop drinking alcohol and then there are those, such as myself, that don't know when enough is enough.  When we start out experimenting with drinking alcohol many of us don't realize if we are not careful this fun time drinking can turn into an addiction.  Do you know what your addiction is doing to you?  I bet not, for the simple reason, this addiction to alcohol has been slowly creeping up on you and now you can't figure out why in the world must you have alcohol every single day of your life.  Many of us can not live without this harmful poison in their bodies. We would start to go crazy and feeling on edge, nervous, shaky and the whole nine yards due to the absence of this poison we call alcohol not in your bodies.

Many people live, breathe, sleep with alcohol continuously on their minds. I have the right to say this because the minute I would wake, of course after drinking all night, my first thoughts were not, " I wonder how my day will be today." "I wonder if I will be productive today." No, the first thing I thought of was, "when is it time to have my first beer."  How pitiful is that I might ask you? I am sure many people that have an addiction to alcohol the same and some might even crack open a can of beer or take a shot of booze minutes after they wake up to start their day and get their head out of the clouds from the night before drinking alcohol.

When you start to think to yourself, what is this addiction I have doing to my life and what is it doing to my family and friends?  None of us that are addicted to alcohol ever for a moment think about the damage we are doing to our self and the hurt and pain we are causing to others, such as you family, spouse, and your children.

So, what do you think alcohol is doing to your body? 

• Are you gaining weight?
• Do you look in the mirror in disgust?
• Are you not getting along with your spouse?
• Are you feeling useless?
• Are you short with your children and friends?
• Are you missing work due to being hungover?
• Are you spending money on alcohol that you don't have to spend?
• Have you loss your positive attitude?
• Is you self esteem gone?
• Are your dream and goals put behind your addiction to alcohol?
• Are you beginning to be a loner and drink by yourself person?
• Do you head to the bars right after work?
• Do you have the "I don't give a shit attitude?"

These few things can define what and alcohol addiction can do to you.  The fact of the matter is many people that are addicted to alcohol can't even see it when it is right smack in front of their eyes.

Wake up people, as I did, and see the light and lets try to change your life around for the better with a positive attitude and living life sober.  Sobriety will never hurt or kill anyone, ALTHOUGH, your addiction to alcohol will in time make you lose your job, your family, your children, your health and in the end losing your life all because of an addiction to alcohol that can be avoided and stopped.  The only think you have to do is take action and stand up to the demons that are controlling your life.  

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How Life Can Change By Not Drinking Alcohol

Many alcoholics wonder how life can change by not drinking alcohol and I am here to tell you it is one remarkable journey.  To finally find sobriety in ones life is something many alcoholics don't think will ever happen.  Sobriety will certainly change your life and all those around you that love and care for you.

I can't stress it enough in my blogs and other sites I write on that sobriety is there for all those that want it, and anyone of us can achieve sobriety if you put your minds and hearts into it 110 percent.

So many of us live, breathe, and sleep with our addiction in first place in our life.  If only these people that have an addiction would realize that life is so much better living it sober.  You don't realize what you are missing out on in life by putting your addiction first before all else, and that includes the ones that put their addiction before their own families and friends.

Any of us can change our lives into a positive way if we would only look deep into what you are doing to yourself and others.  You just don't realize how grand life is because your addiction holds you back from seeking out and exploring what the world has to offer in a sober way.  I can tell you from my own experience with drinking alcohol, that surrendering to my addiction to alcohol has change the world I now live in.

Those that stand up to their addiction and what to change their life will then see what true happiness is living life sober.  I have accomplished many things since I have surrender to alcohol, such my life long dream to live where I grew up as a child and that is a home by the sea.  I would have never been able to fulfill that dream if I were still drinking alcohol.  My wife and family can now enjoy me as me and not the make believe person I was while I was drinking alcohol.

You wake up in the morning feeling healthy, refreshed, with no hangover and ready to enjoy your day all being sober and happy.  There is nothing you would be thinking of when you awake, wondering did I say or do anything last night that would have hurt someone else while I was drinking and acting like a fool?

You will enjoy each minute of each day being sober and look forward to the next. You will think and plan with your family what should you do next to have fun and enjoy each other, while if drunk you really wouldn't care now would you? I know I didn't.  I just wanted to drink and that was my day between drinking and hitting the toilet.  What a waste isn't it when you really think about it?  Don't get me wrong I am not a anti drinking guy because I loved to drink.  It's just that the drink didn't love me and wanted to destroy me and everything I had in my life.  If you can drink alcohol responsibly and not abuse it, than God Bless You.

There are millions of alcoholics in the world, including myself, that are not that fortunate enough to have a few drinks and walk away.  So, if you are one of those like myself, the answer is to stop drinking alcohol all together.  That is exactly what I did and I could not be happier.

Read more about an addiction program forever, click here.

Is Alcohol Ruining Your Life

Think about how your life was before you started drinking alcohol.  Is alcohol ruining your life or do you think you have a great life even being addicted to alcohol?

Many people would more than likely say that alcohol doesn't effect their life at all, but maybe they should take a closer look around them and see what is being effected by them being addicted to alcohol.

So many alcoholics live each day in denial and really don't see what is going on around them.  They can't see who is being effected by their addiction and who is crying inside that the alcoholic will not get out of denial and seek help.  They are basically blinded from their own addiction and don't have to willingness to surrender to the addiction that is slowly ruining their life, and I might add, slowly killing them self.

There is no one that can change an alcoholics life except the alcoholic them self.  If every person that is addicted to alcohol would stop and look at their life and those lives around them, they will realize that something is horribly going wrong.  Alcohol addiction not only ruins the addicted person's life, but their spouses, children, family and friends suffer right along with them.  The difference is that the alcoholic is slowly killing them self and making their families and friends start to become distant because of the lifestyle the alcoholic leads. So, the alcoholic is losing everything in their life ever so slowly and they don't see it coming until the bottom falls out completely and they hit rock bottom.  Then they may wake up and change their life. It's sad, but true.  Sometimes it takes a huge life upset in order for the alcoholic to realize there is no way to beat this addiction, except to surrender to it once and for all.

Alcohol will certainly ruin your life and others, but you have the power within to stop this poison from destroying everything you have.  All you need to do is admit that you have a problem and then DO SOMETHING about it to correct this addiction you have.

Once you step up to the plate and get out of the denial you are living with and take all the necessary steps to get and stay sober you will see how your life will begin to change in a positive way.  It's all up to you whether you want the life of addiction or a clean and healthy life of sobriety.  

Quit Drinking Alcohol And Start Living Life

Are you in control of your life or is your addiction to alcohol controlling life for you?  Quit drinking alcohol and start living life with doing what you want and doing it sober.

Don't let your demons control your life, because they will certainly do just that, and even more.  They will ruin everything you worked so hard to get in you life.  Alcohol can and will destroy you slow, but sure if you let your drinking get out of hand.  An addiction just doesn't pop up over night.  It takes time as you know.  There is no time frame that you will become addicted to alcohol, because these addictions sneak up on all of us slowly and before you know it, you are asking yourself, "what just happened to my life?" Your life will become out of control.  You will start to think unclear and make bad and hasty decisions.

Things start to happen such as missing work because of a bad night out drinking alcohol.  You begin to argue with your spouse or boy/girl friends.  You begin to get distant from you family and friends so that you can drink in peace with not being hassled by those that love and care for you.

Your addiction starts to take over your life and before you know it your addiction to alcohol is your first priority and everything else becomes secondary, including your own well being and your families and friends.  I can say this because this is what happened to me.  Don't let your addictions run your life, because an addiction will if you are not strong enough to say no more.

You may think it is impossible, but it is very possible to quit drinking alcohol if you have it in your mind and heart to change your life and live it clean and sober.  You need to admit that you have a huge drinking problem, and if you can get out of the denial you have been living in and face the facts you are an alcoholic and need and want help, sobriety will follow.

Granted, it will take much work and strong determination to get and stay sober, but what in life doesn't need hard work to make something good come out of it?

Having a positive attitude in life will indeed help you in quitting drinking.  Many people live their lives in a negative way and think they mean nothing in life, so they drink alcohol to ease the pain of feeling useless.  They are doing this to themselves.  Alcohol certainly helps get you into a negative mode and you then lose your self esteem and feel helpless to your addiction, but the thing is, you are not helpless or useless.  You are a human being and people do love and care about you.  The problem is you are beginning to be blinded by your addiction to alcohol and can't see past your addiction.  You might want to try sobriety out and see just how life can be lived without your addiction being with you.

You have to learn to love yourself and do good for yourself.  Respect yourself and believe in yourself.  There is a life after an addiction, believe it or not.  I thought there was no life at all without carrying my crutch everywhere I went and I am sure many alcoholics feel the same.

How To Face Your Inner Demons

Have you ever had something or someone in your life that you were scared to death to face?  How afraid are you to face that situation?  There is one thing many people that are addicted to alcohol are afraid to face and that is their addiction and the demons that lie deep with in them.

You have to be a strong and determined person to know how to face your inner demons.  Many of us learn the hard way and then there are those that nip it in the bud before it gets out of hand. The sad part is that we don't know what to expect when we decide to get clean and sober and are scared to death to live without our crutch and addiction by our side.  I know I was so afraid of how my body would react with the absence of alcohol and I am very sure every person with an addiction that wants to get sober feels the same.

We all have to learn to face our demons and addictions head on and not let anything or anyone stand in the way of us achieving long term sobriety.  I know it sounds easier said than done, but if you want a better life for you and your family you have to face this addiction problem head on and full force.

First and foremost, you have to want to change your life and get clean and sober in order to face your demons.  If you are not ready to stop drinking all together and completely then it will hard to face anything including your inner demons.

Be stronger than your addiction and stop letting your demons and addiction run and ruin your one and only life you have. Anything can be achieved in life including sobriety if you really want it bad enough.

Look at yourself, you are getting tired and more depressed each and everyday.  You think you are nothing in this world we live and no one even cares about you so why not just drink alcohol to ease the pain.  Don't run from your problems and turn to alcohol to try and solve them because I can tell you, "IT WILL NOT WORK", it only makes matters much worse.

So if you really want sobriety in your life again then I would advise you to stand up for who you are and stop drinking or using.  Stand up to your inner demons and start living the clean life like you were meant to do.