Tips for refraining from drinking?

Hey guy i’m relatively new here and on sunday will be my 2 weeks sober. Today i am having trouble with wanting to drink and wondering what you guys do to keep yourselves from drinking? Thanks in advance

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Coming here and discussing stuff is a good one Sheya. Distraction is an important tool.
Congrats on 12 days of sobriety. What else can you do? There’s loads, but it depends a bit on your own likes and dislikes yes. Be absolutely sure that you are doing the right thing. You do this for you. BTW, I just got home from work and I’m going to have some tea now. In the past this would have been the moment to start drinking alcohol. I am honestly truthfully so happy I don’tnow. Never again.

Here’s just some ideas:

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Make your home a liquor free zone. Stay away from bars and liquor stores. If you don’t buy it you can’t drink it. I didn’t go grocery shopping unless I was in a good enough head space to not hit the liquor isle.

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I use replacement therapy. I replace the booze with something like sparkling water. Works for me…

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Everyone has already given great tips. A few things people have shared on here that helped me are “play the tape forward”—meaning, think through exactly what happens and how you feel when you drink. You can also make a list of reasons why you decided to stop drinking and consult it when you feel the urge to drink. If you do a search, I think you can find some great lists you can adapt for yourself.

For me, the amazing fact that I never have to experience a hangover again is my touchstone. I also wrote down in detail what they felt like so I would never forget.

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I just found the list!

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Yes, that post from my 1,200th day of sobriety contains my list of what I gain from not drinking. I am so glad you found it helpful!! Someone first mentioned it to me here years ago (sadly, I cannot remember who to thank!!) and it helped me so very much in my early days of sobriety…and still to this day with letting go of things that no longer serve me.

And coincidentally today is my 1,800th day of not drinking, just 25 days til 5 years of sobriety. :slightly_smiling_face: Kind of amazing after drinking for more than 40 years. I still remember the awe of people with 60, 90 days, a year, etc. back when I was stuck in a relapse cycle.

Never give up…the days do add up. :heart:

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I think changing your relationship with alcohol is key to happy sobriety.

Some ways to do this is:

Write down why you want to quit.

Write down a list of the benefits of drinking and then the consequences of drinking.

Go to YouTube and watch “Risky Drinking” and “The Truth About Alcohol”. This may give you a different prospective of Alcohol.

Also on youtube, watch people’s videos on how 1 year of sobriety has changed them. This is good motivation for what’s to come.

It takes time, but when you see Alcohol as the poison it is, that it literally tries to kill you fast, slow or in some cases, when you try to leave it, then the desire for it quickly wanes.

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Congratulations on 12 days @chokolate77 We have the same sobriety date. I have been battling awful cravings the last few days, and have tried a lot of the above. I had to get my husband to go to the supermarket yesterday as didn’t trust myself not to end up in the wine aisle :woman_facepalming:

I have to say though, it is almost 13 days and I haven’t had a single craving today. I am completely blown away by that! I have been distracting myself constantly and trying to change up my routines to avoid old patterns.

Good luck!

Not sure if this is very much healthier but I basically replaced my urge with chocolate :sweat_smile::sweat_smile: i really indulge in it. I eat it super slowly and its just so freakin good lol stops me from drinking

I hear at the meetings I attend to pick up a white chip and if the urge to drink comes-put it in your mouth. If it ever melts, then you can have a drink. Sounds odd but I’ve heard on countless occasions it works! There’s a lot of great suggestions here too. You can do this!

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I have ended up putting a lot more time into self care and into letting the house really nice…

These are not things I planned they just happened over time accidently.

Before -cleaning was like a chore and I lived in mess, could never have an unexpected visitor…

I got inspired and did the Marie Kondo thingy, and got the house a bit more shipshape (don’t get me wrong is something I have to keep working on)

now cleaning is a bit more like a celebration of the possessions that I own that I’m really pleased to have and also a way of looking at the sentimental things I have and really enjoying them. I have a very humble home but I love my things and enjoy them.

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Haha I’ve never heard of this one before, love it :sweat_smile:

1,800 days!!! :tada::tada::tada::tada:

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