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Originally Posted by jokerman  here's how I quit both drinking and smoking in one fell swoop: I was on vacation with my family, and so couldn't smoke or drink openly, which limited my opportunities; then one night I snuck out and drank multiple gigantic beers and chain smoked and got so nauseated that I vomited seemingly the entire night. I've never had the desire to smoke again, and if I drink it's never more than a couple glasses of wine or beer to go with food.
in short, I "lucked" into some really effective aversive conditioning.
another thing: although this probably doesn't hold for alcoholics, I would caution against trying to abstain totally from any alcohol at all. alcohol in moderation is no problem whatsoever. by demonizing it, you run the risk of propping up a formidable psychological foe, which may be more debilitating than the actual drinking. it might be more empowering and healthy to embrace drinking with some regularity, say a glass of wine or beer at dinner to enhance food, or a cocktail at some upscale party. you might try inverting the struggle, and instead of trying to quit drinking, actually cultivate it into a sophisticated hobby, such as fine wine tasting, or learning mixology. granted, that might be bad advice for an alcoholic. |
The problem is, after the first or second glass, you'll feel less inhibited and go on and on. And on...
As with all things, the "why" precedes the "how". To really quit drinking, you must know/decide why and feel strongly about the reason. Look at the past, learn what you need to decide in the present, then look into the future to see the result is what you really want.
If the "why" is not there or not strong enough, all the strategies discussed will just come to naught.