“How to Quit Drinking”

“How to Quit Drinking.” – an instruction manual I searched for off and on for close to ten years.

This of course was after searching for a few other things (also over and over again) that by now I’ve learned are super common for many people to poke into a search engine. Things like:

“help with drinking, not AA”

“how do you know if you’re an alcoholic?”

“is there a spectrum of alcoholism?”

“how do you know if you drink too much?”

“how do you know if you should quit drinking?”

“how to cure a hangover”

I wanted someone who: 1. was around my age, 2. had a similar history/patterns of unhealthy coping mechanisms and self-sabotage (though I don’t think I could have identified it this way at the time), and 3. had SUCCEEDED and didn’t hate their life, TO TELL ME HOW TO DO IT.

My questions for this imaginary person or instruction manual I couldn’t seem to find were along the lines of:

• how do I quit drinking when it’s the only thing I really do?
• how do I quit drinking when every person I know drinks?
• how could I possibly function in this society? I’ll be an outcast
• who will I hang out with if I quit drinking?

And, the question for ME that swirled around my head in various forms, but I never directly asked myself..

How can I ever live the life I want if my beiefs and behaviour don’t change?

Fast-forward to 2021. With the help of many others, I have become the instruction manual I used to search for. I took courses, implemented ALL I learned about confidence from Suzanne (self-awareness, facing fears, self-limiting beliefs, self-trust), read every book I could get my hands on, had a pen-pal, wrote a reflective blog, and finally got to know myself.

I can relate to you if you’re relating to this post, so reach out if you feel like it’s your time. I will help you embrace a sober lifestyle with confidence and pride so you can feel better, save money and have more time and energy!

xo Jamie