How to Quit Drinking and Make it Stick
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In 2020 there are many options to help you stop drinking long-term, but that isn't always a good thing. It's the day and age of information overload! So, what does a midlife gal who has been drinking since she was a teenager do? Which option should she choose?
First of all, take a deep breath in through your nose and exhale out through your mouth. I've got you!
Second, you are not alone in feeling overwhelmed, along with the back-and-forth indecision of quitting; it's too much! I speak with women over 40 every day, fighting with themselves on how to stop and if they need to.
Let's end the fight together, shall we?
In episode 126 of the To 50 and Beyond podcast, I talk about how to quit drinking and make it stick because I know how hard it is to maintain long-term sobriety.
I recorded this episode to help women over 40 realize that the more time you spend trying to make alcohol "work," the less time you have to LIVE your life truly. I wish someone had told me this in 2009 - four years before I stopped drinking.
The three things I talk about in this episode that are essential in getting sober are:
Self-awareness: be truthful before getting caught up in what you'll tell everyone else.
Finding support and letting it out! Holding in how you feel about your drinking and your desire to quit will only prolong your quitting. There is no shame in getting sober.
Finding a solution that works for you - not your friend or someone you follow on social media. Getting sober is personal even though we share the same thoughts and feelings; my recovery is not the same as yours.
When I quit drinking on August 11, 2013, I chose not to go to AA because I was too embarrassed. I never pictured myself talking openly to anyone except my family and friends about my desire not to drink. And, even in those conversations, I wasn't wholly vulnerable.
AA was the only option I knew existed at the time - I wasn't educated on alcoholism and getting sober. It was never in my vision for myself, so why would I?
In this day and age, you have so many different avenues that you can take - inpatient rehab, outpatient rehab, therapy, counseling, coaching, group programs, AA, and more, but how do you know which one will work for you?
You have to take action and enroll in one option to learn if it works and if it doesn't, you change it immediately. There is a slippery slope when you force yourself into doing something because you want the outcome it promises, but you are not "feeling" the progress.
You have the right to change daily, but you can't get to the outcome of sobriety if you don't take that first step. Please know that you will figure it out as you go; that's key in getting to Day One.
I'm with you!
If you like this episode, you'll enjoy these too!
Going Alcohol-Free Later in Life
What it Means to Live a Sober Lifestyle