How long is a piece of string?

How long will it take you to quit alcohol? Well the clever clogs answer is one second and in a way that’s true. “I quit,” and you do. But if you have been drinking for years, even decades, it may take you a little time to finally reach the quit stage.

Making a plan of how you will quit is pretty straightforward. Do all the practical things like removing alcohol from your home, stop going out with drinkers, swap to healthy drinks, improve your diet and exercise lifestyle, etc.

But for some drinkers, quitting alcohol may not be easy. One tip is to keep a diary or mark a wall calendar giving your anniversary dates. Today is 1 week since I quit. Today is 2 weeks … 1 month and so on. Learn how to celebrate your success. Not with alcohol of course but in a way which gives you pride and pleasure. Make a big deal, even if only to yourself, out of your alcohol free milestones.

The temptation to have a drink may hang around for days or weeks and in some cases even for months. Don’t tie yourself down to a set period. Just take life a day at a time. And be glad that you’ve been able to quit when you did.



For more information on how to stop drinking alcohol please go to the next article.