How to Stop Drinking

In order to change any type of behavior, you must develop a conviction to change said behavior. This is true with any life change, not just for the decision to stop drinking alcohol. In order to develop a conviction about any behavior change, you must ponder ways the previous behavior impacted you and your life.

The world says alcoholism is a disease. The world says this because it takes the personal accountability out of alcoholism or any problematic drinking. If alcoholism is a disease, then it is universal. Alcoholics are simply this: people who, very much like, even love, to get drunk.

Why do they love to get drunk though?

People love to get drunk because they can't stand that inner voice inside of their own heads. They want to stifle it so they can tune in to conversations more, listen to music more attentively, or try to come on to another person in an effort to engage them sexually.

So, to begin any program of abstaining or reducing your alcohol intake, you might want to think about the issues addressed above. Once you can stand yourself, you will feel little need to develop any conviction about abstaining from alcohol, because, chances are, you won't want to drink anymore anyway. Below is a list of some of the benefits derived from becoming a teetotaler:

Save Money: Even cheap wine, spirits or beer can break the bank account if consumed daily or several times a week.

Sleep Better: Alcohol disrupts the natural sleep patterns of the body. If you're a heavy drinker, you'll notice that, even if you do sleep quite a bit, you still feel pretty tired most of the time.

Be 100% all the time: People often drink to heighten some of their favorite activities (e.g., listening to music, bowling, fishing, card playing, etc.). If you enjoy these activities sober, think about how much better you can perform these activities if you were sober for their duration.

Social Skills will Improve: If you drink partly because you're shy and get scared to talk to strangers in social situations, then how do you think you're ever going to be completely comfortable talking to people without being wasted?

Won't Have to Rush Anywhere to Get Drunk: Many people ascribe so much importance to getting drunk that they check their watches at certain times when they're out of the house, worried that they might be late for their appointments to get wasted.

Brain will function closer to optimal level: The long term effects of drinking are still under debate, but, there's no doubt in my mind that the brain functions better, long term, when it's not constantly being subjected to something that degrades it temporarily.

There are many other reasons to stop drinking alcohol, but they are self-evident to anyone who has ever had a hangover or have had something undesirable happen as a result of drinking alcohol.