Many people sometimes drink alcohol. At home or with going out. Drinking a little now and then is not so bad. This is not an addiction. You are addicted if you drink more than two glasses of alcohol every day.

Stop drinking
Have you woken up too often with a hangover or don't you remember what you did the night before? Do you spend all your money on alcohol when you go out? If the answer is yes, then consider you are getting addicted to alcohol. You need to stopping drinking alcohol or drinking less. How do you handle that?

Map your drinking behavior
You are advised to first keep track of how much you drink. Also note that on which occasions you would like to drink alcohol. Do that for a week or two, you will get a good overview. Write down why you like to drink on every occasion. Also write down how you felt afterwards. For example, did you get a headache, were you nauseous, did you suffer from memory loss, or did you fight? Maybe you fell or fought, write it all down.

Break your habit
Either way, it is important to stop your habit. If you are used to always have a drink with that one friend, then don't go there anymore. Or suggest drinking something else together. For example, are you used to always starting with your first beer at 5pm on the weekend? Then prepare yourself for another tasty drink that does not contain any alcohol.

Avoid parties where people drink a lot
If you have a hard time saying no to someone who comes with alcohol, don't make it difficult for yourself. Don't put yourself in situations like that. Go do something else. That of course takes some getting used to, not only for you, but also for your friends. But you have a goal to detox from alcohol and that goal is just as important. It's about not being stuck in your old pattern.

Tips

  • Do not take too much money with you when you go out.
  • Decide in advance for yourself how many glasses of alcohol you want to drink.
  • Tell your friends in advance that you do not want to drink much or not that night. They can then take it into account.
  • Consider in advance what you are going to do if you suddenly find it difficult not to drink: go out dancing, chew gum or order an alcohol-free cocktail.
  • Buy something nice from the money you save by not buying alcohol. Now you have money for that hip shirt or cool shoes!

Really addicted
If you cannot do without alcohol and you are finally addicted, your body can protest when you stop drinking. Now you need to detox from alcohol. During the alcohol detox, you may experience withdrawal symptoms such as feeling sick, sweating, shaking, stomach pain and poor sleep. Also mentally it can be very hard to stop drinking. You always have the feeling that you cannot do without alcohol. You then better seek professional help so that you can stop drinking alcohol under (medical) supervision. For this you can go to an addiction care center in your region, which help you detox from alcohol. Your doctor can also help you with this.

Author's Bio: 

Misty Jhones