Posted April 07, 2019
I've heard that hypnosis is really helpful for helping people quit smoking, drinking, biting nails, etc.
I'm guessing you use drinking as a coping mechanism to deal with stress. I imagine you'd need to find another coping technique to be successful. What works best will depend on your personality.
Some other ideas:
1. get rid of all alcohol in the house. If it's not there, you can't drink it.
2. figure out how much money you spend on alcohol in a month / year. (to see what it's doing to your life AND wallet)
3. I've heard negative reinforcement can work. By doing something unpleasant or thinking about something you hate every time you drink, you begin to associate that thing with drinking. User DieRuhe (a few posts above) mentioned a medicine that makes you sick whenever you drink alcohol. It's called Naltrexone. It immediately kicks you into withdrawl. Taking that and getting sick every time you drink can often be enough to condition you to not want to drink any more. Your doctor can prescribe it.
4. A lot of the reason people like drinking (or so I've heard) is that it slows down the brain and quiets the obsessive thoughts. Supposedly practicing meditation, deep breathing, and similar techniques can also do the same thing.
I do suggest you avoid negative self-talk. Trying to change behavior when you hate yourself makes it much more difficult. You want to do this because you love yourself. Keep that thought and feeling in mind as you make changes.
Some people also have success with AA. I can't speak from experience.
Oh yes, coffee isn't any better than alcohol. When you drink coffee, the caffeine causes normal mechanisms in the body that tell you when you need to rest to shut off. Your body doesn't know why you can't relax and perceives the change as an attack and releases adrenaline because it thinks you're in danger and need the boost to escape it. That's what gives you energy when you drink coffee. It's literally your body switching into fight or flight mode.
Personally, I hate the smell of alcohol and coffee so much that I've never tried either.
I am not a doctor. The above "advice" is just information I've heard before. I've never had an addiction and can't say with any certainty that doing those things will help you or that they won't hurt you. Before you make any changes, consult with your doctor.
I'm guessing you use drinking as a coping mechanism to deal with stress. I imagine you'd need to find another coping technique to be successful. What works best will depend on your personality.
Some other ideas:
1. get rid of all alcohol in the house. If it's not there, you can't drink it.
2. figure out how much money you spend on alcohol in a month / year. (to see what it's doing to your life AND wallet)
3. I've heard negative reinforcement can work. By doing something unpleasant or thinking about something you hate every time you drink, you begin to associate that thing with drinking. User DieRuhe (a few posts above) mentioned a medicine that makes you sick whenever you drink alcohol. It's called Naltrexone. It immediately kicks you into withdrawl. Taking that and getting sick every time you drink can often be enough to condition you to not want to drink any more. Your doctor can prescribe it.
4. A lot of the reason people like drinking (or so I've heard) is that it slows down the brain and quiets the obsessive thoughts. Supposedly practicing meditation, deep breathing, and similar techniques can also do the same thing.
I do suggest you avoid negative self-talk. Trying to change behavior when you hate yourself makes it much more difficult. You want to do this because you love yourself. Keep that thought and feeling in mind as you make changes.
Some people also have success with AA. I can't speak from experience.
Oh yes, coffee isn't any better than alcohol. When you drink coffee, the caffeine causes normal mechanisms in the body that tell you when you need to rest to shut off. Your body doesn't know why you can't relax and perceives the change as an attack and releases adrenaline because it thinks you're in danger and need the boost to escape it. That's what gives you energy when you drink coffee. It's literally your body switching into fight or flight mode.
Personally, I hate the smell of alcohol and coffee so much that I've never tried either.
I am not a doctor. The above "advice" is just information I've heard before. I've never had an addiction and can't say with any certainty that doing those things will help you or that they won't hurt you. Before you make any changes, consult with your doctor.
Post edited April 07, 2019 by hudfreegamer