Even as im writing this im mostly smashed, i really think i need help, i dont waant to end up like mhy dad, i dont drink every day but i fear its geting closer to that stage, aw hell i really do ned help, is anyone esle here a reforemed alcohic? what did you do to oveer come the adiction?
not an alcoholic but ive had similar vices. For me, replacing it with a different vice is best. I replaced smoking cigars with smoking....something...greener. Try doing yoga, going for a run or even streaming BeamNG on twitch when you get the urge to drink. Also remember, if you find yourself saying "well i enjoyed or connected with stuff more when i was drunk" remember thats your dependency on a foreign substance tricking your mind into forming reasons why not drinking is badd for you mentally. Buy non-alcholic beer to trick your brain into thinking your getting drunk. Placebo effects for substances like that are strong. Eat a bunch of bread so that your stomach swells a bit. Then the part of brain responsible for telling you to drink and eat will tell you not to. Also surround yourself with straight edge people. It will be hard in the first few weeks but soon youll find yourself emualting their behaviours.
I can't relate too well, but I've learnt to be very controlled when it comes to my drinking. Basically I realised that having 3 beers feels good, but 4 or more does not - it numbs you to the experience and you're just wasting your time and money to feel sick afterwards. Likewise with drinking more than once a week - I really notice the negative effect on my health. Even if it's not exactly the case for you, you can trick your brain a bit as Valhallatchaboy says. As long as you keep telling yourself that 4+ drinks in a night or drinking more than once a week is crossing a line from good to bad, it becomes a habit. Avoid the idea that drinking itself is an activity. Quite often I've simply not had any alcohol stocked at home. Channel your inner grumpy bastard who doesn't wanna go out to the store or spend any money. I mostly only drink when I'm out doing an actual activity like seeing live music or going to dinner. I find it quite important to space out my drinks, since if you have 3 drinks early and stop there then the evening can get boring later. If I go out twice in a week sometimes I pick a night to stay sober on, eg. the place that has the more boring beer selection. Or instead of going out to bars and parties at night, find people to explore the world with during the daytime... walks, cafes, zoos, weird shops and museums with bizarre things. Also, if it's a matter of mental health, I think my way through why I feel down and try and understand how my brain works on another level. Kinda turning it into an interesting puzzle to solve. I have friends who use alcohol to escape their feelings, but it tends to just cause more problems. Failing all that, I find potato chips are a pretty good vice to keep my tongue occupied.
