How to Not Go Back to Drinking Alcohol

Recovering from alcohol abuse can be extremely difficult for many reasons, but the prevalence of alcoholic beverages is a major one. Imagine trying to recover from a meth addiction and finding it easily available in grocery stores, advertised on TV and recommended with your meal at restaurants. You might feel that society was stacked against you getting sober. Luckily, there are several successful strategies you can use to stay sober.

Stop Going Where the Alcohol Is

It takes work, but one successful strategy is simply to stop going where the alcohol is. DonÕt agree to meet friends at bars, and avoid parties where you know alcohol will be served. Only go to restaurants without a wine and beer list. It takes time and attention beforehand to select out these establishments, but itÕs worth it to avoid the extreme temptation of seeing alcohol poured and consumed around you. For some types of businesses, such as grocery stores, it can be almost impossible to find one that doesnÕt sell some form of alcohol. In these cases, it may be a good idea to arrange grocery shopping with a friend or family member. Give them the money to buy the groceries and you can avoid going near alcohol altogether. In time you may be able to build up the strength and self-control you need, but be willing to go out of your way to avoid alcohol on the way to this stage.

Stop Associating With Heavy Drinkers

Many recovering alcoholics realize that many of their friends are also heavy drinkers. One of the most difficult parts of recovering can be trying to maintain these friendships while not relapsing. In many cases, it simply wonÕt be possible to stay sober and continue to associate with heavy drinkers. In addition to not going where the alcohol is, a recovering alcoholic should also consider not hanging out with other heavy drinkers (unless these other drinkers are also willing to get sober.) ItÕs awful to lose a friend, but a recovering addict needs a support team that isnÕt going to tempt him or her to return to drinking. Many addicts report that their drinking buddies not only donÕt help them recover, some actively encourage the addict to return to drinking. Build yourself a supportive community that will help you get and stay sober. YouÕll find that these relationships are much healthier than any that revolve around the consumption of alcohol.

Address the Triggers that Tempt You to Drink

Many alcoholics have specific ÒtriggersÓ that can lead to a relapse of drinking. In addition to simply being around alcohol as mentioned above, some alcoholics have relapses triggered by stressful situations. These stressful situations can include dealing with stressful people like an overbearing boss at work. For others, it may be coming home to an abusive spouse. Other stress triggers could be dealing with credit card bills or trying to come up with enough money to pay the rent. Whatever your triggers are, a large part of staying sober can depend on addressing these stressful situations in your life. This step is probably the most difficult, as many of these stress triggers can be ingrained parts of your life that youÕre not ready to change. While it may seem extreme, sometimes finding a new job, moving to a new area or completely revamping oneÕs finances are included in the actions an addict has to take to stay sober. A recovering addict may have to make a lot of changes in his or her life, but most would agree these changes are worth it to stay sober. References: Examples of Alcoholic Peer Pressure: http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/newcomers-recovery/226293-today-day-one.html Drinking Triggers: http://www.treatmentsolutions.com/triggers-to-binge-drinking/