With alcoholism becoming more and more present in our society, the chances that you or someone you know struggles with alcoholism is increasing rapidly.
The good news is nowadays the stigma of having an alcohol problem is almost gone, and there are more resources than ever to help overcome.
If you or the person who is struggling is still on the fence about whether or not the alcohol is a real problem, we’ve compiled a list of reasons to stop drinking once and for all.
Quitting drinking can be tough, but the benefits and quality of life change that quitting can bring is more than worth it.
Let’s talk about that.
Quitting Drinking and You
Society seems to be overrun with drinking; in fact, it seems like the only way we know how to socialize. Modern society is a mess of people hiding their insecurities and fears thought of unhealthy outlets or masks.
More often than not, that mask consists of a few drinks.
Have you ever heard someone say they feel “more like themselves” when they’re drinking? That is the sort of thing we are talking about here.
The great thing is, once you’ve stopped drinking, you start to regain a sense of self. You gain confidence that you may not have even known that you had because you would just drink your problems away instead of working on them.
Even in a superficial sense, quitting drinking makes your skin clear up, you lose weight, you gain more energy. You even have time for more hobbies.
Also, do you realize how much money you save when you quit drinking? Drinking is so expensive, now that you aren’t spending all your money on 15 dollar drinks, you can actually save up for big life things.
Speaking of big life things, your sex and love life can improve significantly
Reasons to Stop Drinking for Others
When you are in a relationship, there can be a lot of stress caused by a drinking problem. Even if you are single, it is likely that your family members are affected.
When you quit drinking, you can take accountability for your actions.
As unpleasant as that may sound, taking accountability actually helps you pave a new road into healthy, honest relationships. Quitting drinking can actually help you develop a greater sense of self-awareness that you didn’t even know you had.
Once you develop greater self-awareness, you can help others find themselves as well. You can become an empathetic, kind person.
If you are in a relationship that is stressed under the strain of a drinking problem, a big reason to stop drinking would be to stop hurting the person you are choosing to spend your life with.
Although it may seem like you are only hurting yourself, the people who love and care about you also suffer when you struggle with drinking.
When you stop drinking, they can feel at ease knowing that you are safe and no longer hurting yourself.
Support Systems for Quitting Drinking
When you stop drinking, you may suddenly realize that you have less in common with the people you used to hang out with, especially if all they do is drink.
The good news is, in quitting drinking, you can discover a whole new group of friends who also don’t drink.
Those people tend to be better listeners, less selfish, and more empathetic to the struggles of someone who is trying to stay sober.
Now just because you got sober doesn’t mean life suddenly gets easy. You may find that you are struggling with getting your life back on track sober. The most important thing is that you stick to your guns and don’t drink, no matter what.
If you find that you are having a hard time, it may be beneficial to set up a system to hold yourself accountable.
You can set up a person to check in with every day, or as needed if you’re scared you may drink.
You can also set up a testing system with a buddy. As silly as it may sound, it can really help you walk the line when you are feeling particularly likely to drink. Remember, when you feel you may drink, you have to have bumpers set up in the way between you and the booze.
If you want to get home alcohol tests or learn more about how they work, you can check it out here.
No matter what happens in life, you don’t have to drink. The key is to make sure you have a good network that can double as a safety net when needed.
Life After Quitting
Once you get past the initial difficulty of quitting drinking, life gets brighter and better than it ever could have been before.
There are countless reasons to stop drinking, but it’s important to find the reasons that work for you. Make sure you are ready to commit, and that you have your reasons at the forefront of your mind- you’ll need them when you get tempted to drink.
It’s important to use your newfound free time and extra cash responsibly. You worked really hard to get to the place you are at in life, you deserve to treat yourself. Pick up a new hobby, go out with some new friends, explore the world.
You can go anywhere and do anything sober, provided you keep smart feet that take you where you need to go if you feel you are at risk of drinking.
It may take a little while, but like a baby deer learning how to walk, you will gain a new sense of self and self-confidence that you hadn’t known before. Your life will become fantastic.
For more information or any questions, be sure to check us out here.
