How I Re-Programmed My Brain To Quit Drinking Alcohol
Most of us have similar experiences. We usually have our first encounter with alcohol in high school with beer. Then as we get older, we become more sophisticated with the types of alcohol, e.g. whiskey, vodka, wine, cocktail, etc. This is when we feel like we are all grown up and can make choices to find what we can truly enjoy.
There is always a legitimate reason to drink, whether a birthday party, networking event, social gathering, dealing with a breakup or trauma, or even relaxing after a long work day.
I have always enjoyed drinking, Cabernet especially. I have a high alcohol tolerance and can manage my alcohol consumption easily. I always feel that drinking mildly is fine, such as having a glass or two at home every night has become my routine.
Red flags
Despite my love for my Cabernet, I sometimes want to take a break from it. I usually finish the last bottle and tell myself, “I will wait a week or so before I buy the next bottle.” But then, when I go to the grocery store, I find myself wandering over to the wine aisle and itching to pick up a bottle.
I would then ask myself, “Is this an addiction?” I don’t get drunk, I can still manage my day-to-day, and I only have a glass or two every night; how is this an addiction? For a long time, this is just a daily ritual. I usually drink wine at night while sitting and relaxing on the couch after dinner. As I become more aware of the situation, meaning that without my daily ritual, emotionally, I am sensing a certain unease in myself.
I begin to go online to see how I can resolve this. Many articles or videos talk about the pros and cons of drinking. Many industry experts talk about alcoholism and how in reality, alcohol is truly a type of poison that we are putting in our bodies. This concept has convinced me to stop drinking; however, the “itch” for it is still there.
Re-Programmed
I started to think about how I could continue to enjoy my daily ritual without having alcohol. Again, one day as I wander near the wine aisle but do not want to pick up a bottle of wine, I see the sparkling water section. It dawned on me to see if I could replace my drink with something more beneficial.
My approach is the following:
1. I would open up a small bottle of S. Pellegrino 250ml
(like how I open up my bottle of red)
2. Pour the sparkling water into my wine glass
(the same crystal short glass that I use for wine, and add a slice of lime)
3. I would sip through the glass slowly as I would with my red wine. If I am done with the first bottle of S. Pellegrino, I would open up another one and pour it into the glass
(the same process as I would if I am looking for my second glass of wine)
I used to say this to myself after a long day,
“I need a glass of wine when I get home!”
Now, I have changed the narrative to the following:
“I need a glass of sparkling water when I get back!”
This approach has helped me tremendously in quitting alcohol. Ever since I started this approach, I have not yet had alcohol since. The urge for it has declined significantly as well. Alcohol is certainly an addictive substance because even if I skip a day or two without my sparking water, I am still feeling great. I have also noticed apparent improvements in my mind and body as well.
Thank you for being here. If you have enjoyed this story, please give me a clap or two, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Thank you in advance for your support and encouragement.
Let’s find peace together.
Feel free to visit my home page at https://medium.com/@PeaceWithin
