How do I quit drinking without AA?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A fried did it by replacin the urge to drink with a long walk in the woods evry time

This is the most effective method.

Replace a harmful vice with a healthy vice. It's mostly just the desire to have a vice to look forward to that causes addictions, psychologically speaking.

[Anonymous]

Before AA, my spouse did 8 months w a therapist. I’m convinced that did more than AA has done. They’ve been sober for 10+ years now. It was hard to go all in at first.

Definitely talk to your general doctor too. I’ve heard great things about Naltrexone too.

Try a few things. It’s whatever works for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a big fan of SMART Recovery: https://smartrecovery.org/4-point

Yes. This plus Kolmac. You would be surprised with how many people have realized they needed help (even without hitting rock bottom).

I mentioned this on here before, but my family has experience with Kolmac for a loved one. Was not impressed. For someone who is able to remain highly motivated, it can work. But for someone with moderate to severe AUD/SUD who can't, the online model and constant rotation of new staff is unhelpful.

Being highly motivated is necessary but not sufficient to recover from any addiction.

My husband sometimes drank through his Kolmac sessions (he also went to AA meetings drunk or went from AA meetings to get drunk) before he eventually went to rehab and then eventually got sober. He was also sober for 6 months or so before Kolmac using SMART recovery.

I don’t blame Kolmac for that. I think it probably did help him on his path to sobriety. It didn’t “fix” him, but it helped.

[Anonymous]

How much are you drinking a day, OP?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I started a GLP-1 a week ago and I don’t have any interest in alcohol anymore. It just…went away.

+100. If you can't get a doctor's prescription, go the medspa route

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I started a GLP-1 a week ago and I don’t have any interest in alcohol anymore. It just…went away.

+1…been on a GLP-1 since March. My drinking is way down. I just don’t want to drink.

I've been on a GLP since April and I love alcohol the same as I did before- I just lost weight from not eating.

[Anonymous]

What worked for me (so far since March) is accountability and going to some meetings. I did AA and smart recovery. both can be done virtually. I also told some of the people closest to me as well. I have not been to a meeting in awhile, but I highly suggest trying some out to get started. I did not want to do a recovery program

[Anonymous]

When you stop drinking, try to be mindful of the present moment. People who quit drinking often speak of the 3s - 3 days, 3 weeks, 3 months. The first 3 days is when most of the acute detox occurs, which can be extremely unpleasant and life threatening depending on how much you drink. Alcohol is a depressant and over time your central nervous has adapted. So take away the alcohol and it's like removing the brakes from a runaway train - very high blood pressure, auditory hallucinations, extreme agitation, insomnia are all very common during the first three days.

Usually, people start to feel better physically by the fourth day. But the brain takes longer to even out. It will continue to be flooded with cortisol and all the other bad brain chemistry responsible for stress, anxiety, agitation, and so on. Exercise helps a lot here. Usually that lightens up after three weeks and you'll start to feel calmer. But you're still not done though. You will probably have a dopamine deficit for a little while longer, when it's hard to generate feelings of joy, happiness, and enthusiasm. And again, this is all from the impact of alcohol. Exercise again helps. You might not be able to generate any dopamine, but you can at least make endorphins. I'd also use this time read up on alcohol, books like Alcohol Explained and This Naked Mind.

Usually around 3 months is when you start to approach your baselines normal. It's why many rehabs suggest 90 days. An it's why AA makes a big deal of 90 days. It really does take about three months for things to settle down once you quit drinking. Alcohol is a very insidious drug and it takes a bit of time for your brain and body to heal.

[Anonymous]

GLP-1 definitely helps with this.

Have you read any Annie Grace? That book was super helpful to me.

[Anonymous]

Another vote for THe Naked Mind. She explains the science of how brains respond to alcohol and why it is addictive. Her book "the alcohol experiement" was great. I didn't drink a lot but during covid i found i had a glass of wine more often, and same for many others. I don't drink any more not b/c I can't control myself, I truly don't want it and don't crave it. That approach worked for me- because she gets into your logic of why people think they drink and the honest biology of what happens in your body that does not result in a happier, less stressed state- they can't and won't align. It was great and made stopping very easy.

If you feel more addicted, vs habit, then you may need the meds to help you and there is no shame in that game.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just remember it doesn't have to all or nothing.

You must learn to drink moderately.

Abstaining entirely is only for those with severe medical problems that would dictate it, or for the really addictive personality types who cannot control their urges. You will know which you are after a few months of abstinence and then having a drink.

This is horrible advice from a person who is ignorant, at best, and probably a troll. OP, if you want to quit, quit. You can never drink again. It's okay. You don't have to test it, you don't have to learn moderation, you can just decide that you and booze aren't compatible anymore and not drink.

Abstaining entirely is for people who choose to abstain entirely, whatever their reasons, and you don't need anyone's approval or understanding. You'll get a lot of pushback, mostly from people who don't want to confront their own drinking habits. People like PP are most likely alcoholics who are in the "bargaining" phase of their addiction. "I'm not an alcoholic because I can go for a few months without it and then just have one" - most alcoholics, before they accepted the true nature of their relationship to alcohol

Troll. That's the cult mentality. Same as being an addict. Just replacing one form with another.

No. This is the right approach. Moderation is just a story undiagnosed alcoholics with weak discipline tell themselves and others. You want to quit then you quit.

So you are part of the cult that thinks "once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic"?

Do you also think "Once a fattie, always a fattie"? Or "Once a liar, always a liar"? Or "Once a farter, always a farter"?

Alcoholism is an addiction, same as gambling, drugs, social media, tv-news-soap operas, foods and candy, etc. People can learn to handle vices, or run away and abstain completely. Which is the more strong and mature decision?

A strong and mature decision requires a strong and mature person.

If you become an addict, you literally spend time undoing whatever maturing you've already done...it'll take some work to get to the point where you can make strong and mature decisions, if ever.

And honestly self-awareness and knowing your limits might be the most mature thing I can imagine. Sorry you don't get that.