1 Year Ago I Quit Drinking Alcohol Cold Turkey. This Is Why You Can Too!
Quitting alcohol cold turkey is not as hard as it seems.
It’s been over 365 days since my last drop of alcohol.
Over the last year, I’ve had numerous people tell me how impressed they are, and how they wished they could do it too, followed by excuses as to why they could never do it.
The truth is, if I did it, you can too. But, you have to actually want to quit.
I worked in the nightlife industry for years. I owned a nightclub, and a lounge, and was a club promoter, DJ, bartender, and professional partier. At one point I was drinking anywhere from 120 to 200oz a week, and that lasted for years.
And then, I quit alcohol cold turkey.
Let me tell you how I quit, and why you can too.
You have to just do it.
Almost everyone who drinks alcohol knows that it’s bad for them and that they should decrease how much and how often they drink. And yet, few people actually take the appropriate steps.
So the question is, how bad do you want to quit?
If you don’t want to quit drinking alcohol, then don’t. You don’t need to pretend you want to quit if you don’t want to. Just be honest with yourself, and everyone else. You enjoy drinking and want to quit.
However, if you want to quit… just do it.
Don’t make some grand plan or pick a specific date. That date will just keep getting pushed back because there is always another birthday, wedding, or whatever event popping up.
If you want to quit, do it right now.
Give your alcohol away (or lock it up), and next time you want a drink alcohol, have water, tea, coffee, kombucha, Coke Zero, or any other drink you desire that is not alcohol instead.
How I quit
At my 6-month mark, I had written a full blog post on how I quit, but since then things have changed slightly.
Let’s make this perfectly clear…
The longer you last without alcohol, the easier it will become. That’s because people will start to identify you as the “sober guy”, so they won’t want to pressure you to drink anymore (instead they’ll make sure you don’t drink).
This will encourage you to simply not want to drink anymore.
In fact, you will probably struggle to find reasons to drink.
At first, I was only going to quit for 3 months, and then 6 months. After that, I was going to drink only when I travel, and now it’s been a year and I have no idea when I will start again. I will likely one day just pick up a glass of wine with dinner.
Anyways, this is how I quit:
I started writing and talking about quitting
I replaced alcohol with different beverages
I started identifying myself as a “sober person”
I set goals for myself where if I drank, it would set me back.
I replaced drinking time, with other fun activities such as chess, Settlers of Catan or poker.
I changed my sleeping habits so that I wouldn’t even be awake when others were drinking.
Doesn’t sound so hard, does it?
Your excuses
Let me address some of the most popular excuses I hear as to why someone can’t quit drinking alcohol - kind of like an FAQ.
“My lifestyle involves drinking. Everyone around me drinks, and it’s what I do for fun.”
I understand completely. I partied 4-6 days a week for 5+ years and those around me were doing the same thing. If you want to quit, you’re going to have to change your lifestyle, and it’s likely the people around you might change too.
So, how bad do you want it? How much does your health matter to you?
“I honestly just enjoy the taste of a good glass of wine, martini or old-fashioned. It’s going to be hard to stop that.”
I love everything you just listed too, and I miss them from time to time. You should find alternatives.
Coffee and tea both have culture behind them and incredible flavours. However, maybe you want to consider controlling your intake instead of eliminating it all. For example, max 2 drinks a night, and twice a week.
Plus, you can only drink it if it’s a high-quality drink. None of that Russian Prince vodka (gross).
“I just love partying, and I can’t party without alcohol.”
You’re going to have to learn to let loose without drinking. Alcohol just makes you not calculate risk as well. You associate “letting go” at a party as high risk when you are sober. Maybe you don’t want to embarrass yourself?
You can do everything you do when you are drunk when you are sober as well. If you need alcohol to enjoy it… you might not actually enjoy it.
“The only thing I do with my friends is drink. I don’t want to lose my friends.”
First of all, if all you do with your friends is drink, then maybe you need new friends or interests. It’s time to try new things until you find things you actually enjoy.
If all you do with your friends is drink, you will drink yourself to the grave early.
Every single person can come up with an excuse as to why they can’t quit. If you actually want to quit… visit point 1 and listen to Nike. Just do it.
The benefits of quitting alcohol.
If you are truly unable to quit, you need to learn to remind yourself of the benefits of quitting alcohol and the downsides of continuing.
Will continuing your drinking habits lead to you dying 10 years earlier? Or maybe it’ll mean the last 10 years will be spent suffering?
How awful are your hangovers? Did you notice they get worse as you age? Imagine if you continue at this rate…
Do you ever feel brain-dead after drinking? Or make stupid mistakes when you are drunk? Guess what! That doesn’t happen once you quit!
When I quit drinking alcohol I saw numerous benefits.
Here are some of my favorite benefits:
Incredible fat loss
Spending less money
Far better sleep quality
Improved brain function
More effective workouts
Decreased overall inflammation
Increased ability to make decisions
Black bags under my eyes aren’t as bad
My mood is regulated, and far more under control
The condition of my skin has improved immensely
My energy levels have improved throughout the day
That’s a pretty good sell, don’t you think?
There are a lot more benefits that I could list. Just think of any issues you have in your life right now. It’s quite likely those will improve if you quit drinking alcohol.
Conclusion
Quitting alcohol is the easiest, and the best thing you can do to immediately improve your health, and in turn your life. The only thing in your way is your own mind.
Additionally, you don’t need to quit forever. You can go 1 month on, 1 month off, or you can do it for 3 months. It’s all up to you.
You know your body best, so test it out for a bit and see how it feels. If it feels great, then continue for longer.
I’m willing to bet that when you see how amazing you feel after 3 months, you won’t want to go back to drinking alcohol again.
So, once again, if you want to quit… just do it.
Thanks for reading.
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