How to Quit Drinking During Self-Isolation

Many people want to stop consuming alcohol for varied reasons. Some people don’t want to waste their weekends while others are tired of dealing with a hangover. Essentially, many people are becoming sober curious after being swayed by the health benefits of leading an alcohol-free life. For instance, many people want to lead healthier lifestyles, avoid a dehydrated skin, and live without a beer belly.

This explains why the number of people that are drinking alcohol is declining. On the other hand, sales for non-alcoholic drinks are soaring. People are becoming conscious of what they put in their bodies. This trend started with meat and gluten. And, now people are moving to alcohol. What’s more, people are becoming aware and open about the mental health issues that are associated with alcohol. For instance, people are now asking questions about the effects alcohol might have on anxiety and stress.

Ideally, people are no longer ready to have their lives ruined by alcohol to quit drinking (check at https://addictionresource.com/alcohol/treatment/how-to-quit-drinking/). Instead, they are taking a proactive approach. Generally, it’s not easy to end a relationship with alcohol, especially during self-isolation. At this time, everybody is asking you to stay at home and avoid crowded places to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. But, staying at home with nothing to do can easily lead to boredom and tempt you to consume excessive alcohol.

How to Know That You Are Drinking Too Much During Self-Isolation

The stresses of self-isolation or lockdown can easily lead to excessive consumption of alcohol. And before you know it, you could be battling alcohol addiction or alcoholism. As such, it’s important to know when you start drinking too much and decide to cut down or stop drinking.

Here are signs that you’re drinking too much during self-isolation:

• You drink alcohol whenever you feel stressed

• You start drinking alcohol whenever you feel bored

• If working from home, you drink while working or struggle to maintain or boost productivity due to the effects of alcohol

• You are constantly worried about getting or having adequate alcohol during self-isolation.

• Your drinking problem is making it hard for you to fulfill your relationship, family, or school responsibilities.

• You are making poor decisions under the influence of alcohol

• Alcohol is affecting your physical health.

• You want to quit but withdrawal symptoms won’t let you
  
  
  

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans define moderate drinking as having two drinks and one drink per day for men and women respectively. This refers to the amount of alcohol that a person consumes per day and not the average drinks a person takes for several days.

How to Give Up Alcohol during Self-Isolation

Once certain that you have a drinking problem, the next step is to come up with a quitting strategy. There is no better time to give up alcohol and it won’t be easy during self-isolation. Nevertheless, you can quit if you are determined to do so. Here are some of the things to include in your quitting strategy.

Re-think your stay-at-home routine

The reason why many people are drinking during self-isolation is that they have a lot of free time. Therefore, the first and most important step in the process of quitting alcohol during self-isolation is re-thinking your routine. Think about when you drink and what triggers the desire to consume alcohol. What can you do instead of drinking at this time?

Essentially, you should identify your triggers and take appropriate steps that will disrupt your routine. You should also focus on the feelings that you get from the habit. For instance, does drinking help you relax, feel happy, or deal with stress? If yes, find things you can do to get the same feeling instead of drinking.

In some cases, it’s good to try something different or new. For instance, you can opt to dance or take an online course. You can also download some books and read to educate yourself about something.

Talk to your partner

Perhaps, you’re in self-isolation or lockdown with a partner. In that case, talk to them about quitting and come up with a strategy together. This is very important because quitting will be hard if your partner continues drinking around you.

If your partner is not ready to quit, talk to them about the importance of taking this step. Share the benefits of leading an alcohol-free life. Once they agree, use the internet to learn how to stop drinking together. Support each other through the process to enhance the chances of your success.

Get rid of alcohol

If you have alcohol in the house, get rid of it. Ensuring that you don’t have alcohol in the house can enhance your chances of quitting. So, if you go shopping and feel tempted to buy alcohol, go for alcohol-free beverages instead. You can even stock up on alcohol-free drinks and reach out for them whenever you feel like drinking alcohol.

Find ways to deal with alcohol cravings

Research indicates that cravings characterize alcohol dependence and are partly the reason why recovering addicts relapse. Everybody experiences cravings when they decide to stop or cut down on alcohol. A craving is a response by the body to the absence of alcohol that it is used to having.

Usually, cravings get better when a person practices a new routine or habit. And, cravings can’t kill a person. The best way to deal with them is to stay distracted. Therefore, come up with ways to distract yourself when cravings strike. For instance, you can reach out to a non-alcoholic drink, dark chocolate, or any other treat when you crave for alcohol.

The Bottom Line

Many people don’t know how to quit drinking during self-isolation. However, they know the health benefits that they stand to enjoy if they quit or cut down on alcohol. If struggling to quit, following these tips can help you put your drinking habit to an end. Although this won’t be easy, especially during self-isolation or a lockdown, following these tips will enhance your success chances.

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