If you want to quit drinking there are many resources available -- from support groups, treatment and rehabilitation centers, professional counseling, and pharmacological treatment.
If you have decided, for whatever reason, that you want to stop drinking, there is a world of help and support available.
If you have been drinking at a level that is considered high-risk or heavy drinking, you may want to consider making a change in your drinking patterns -- or quit altogether.
What made you decide to quit drinking? Did you get help from others or do it on your own?
Finding the right treatment program involves careful consideration of such things as the setting, length of care, philosophical approach and your or your loved one's needs.
Alcoholics Anonymous has helped millions of people since it was founded in 1935, but exactly how does A.A. help people stop drinking?
Drinking more than the recommended guidelines for daily and weekly alcohol consumption can put you a risk for a variety of alcohol-related problems. But how much alcohol is too much and how much is safe?
If you have decided that the amount of alcohol that you drink puts you at risk for developing alcohol-related problems, you may want to try cutting down or moderating your consumption.
The first stage of recovery from alcohol or drug abuse is reaching out for help and seeking some kind treatment or rehabilitation - a process known as treatment initiation.
The toughest part of trying to recover from alcohol and drug problems comes during the early abstinence stage when a number of issues make it difficult to focus on learning to live a sober life.
Once you have achieved abstinence for a period of time and began living a drug- or alcohol-free lifestyle, it is time to begin to put the tools you learned in early abstinence to work toward maintaining abstinence.
The fourth stage of alcohol and drug rehab is reaching a state of advanced recovery in which you continue to lead a lifelong sober lifestyle.
It is easy for alcoholics and addicts new to recovery to substitute one addiction for another, becoming obsessive or compulsive about other behaviors.
Returning to work after going through a professional alcohol and drug rehab program is usually a necessity for most, but employment and managing money can be problematic for alcoholics and addicts.
Relaxation, exercise and better nutrition not only improve the physical and emotional health of people recovering from alcoholism or drug addiction, in their own way they can also help prevent relapse.
Everyone gets angry occasionally, but alcoholics and addicts tend to have problems managing and expressing anger.
If you are trying to maintain abstinence from alcohol or drugs over a long period of time, it is important to develop a drug-free lifestyle in all aspects of your life, at home, at work and during your leisure hours.
If your drinking or drug use reached the point that you needed professional help to deal with the problem, chances are you came into recovery with a lot of negative baggage from the past.
If you are trying to maintain abstinence from drugs or alcohol, it is very important that you develop positive, healthy relationships to support you during your recovery process.
Please share what support you found most helpful when you decided to stop drinking?
Please share what made you decide to quit drinking.
No one wants to discover that their use of alcohol has become alcohol dependence, but sometimes the reality of the situation can no longer be ignored.
A computer-assisted CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) program designed to teach drug and alcohol abusers skills to change their behavior has been shown to help them remain abstinent significantly longer than others who received traditional counseling only.
The NIAAA says that many commonly used treatments for alcohol abuse and dependence have yet to be adequately evaluated.
