How To Give Up Alcohol Alone: Can You Stop Drinking Without Help?

One of the things that can lead people towards alcoholism in the first place is a feeling of solitude and being alone. For some, alcohol is used as a coping mechanism, a way to pass the time when they feel like they don’t have anyone. It’s a sad reality for some people that they don’t have anyone close to them in their life, so when so much of the advice and dialogue revolves around reaching out to the people in your life to help you stop drinking, then what are you supposed to do when you aren’t surrounded by caring people who you can ask for help?

This leads some people to wonder how to give up alcohol alone, when they don’t have a strong support system, or when they don’t have the resources to fly to a fancy rehab clinic somewhere. This is a valid question. Is it possible to give up alcohol alone, without help and support? That’s a big question that a lot of people are dealing with, and here’s the truth…

Giving Up Alcohol Alone

Whether you feel like you don’t have access to the support you need, or you actually don’t have the support you need, there are many people in this position and they’re often ignored in the discussions about overcoming alcoholism.

If your day consists of waking up, going to work, visiting the bottle store on your way home, and drinking away your free time – or maybe even drinking before or during work when things are really not going great…

Or if you are someone who stays home most of the time, and drinks to pass the time, or for pain relief, or because you feel hopeless…

It’s easier to stop drinking when you have a support system in place, if you have loved ones around you, if you have the resources to take time away to get better, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible if you don’t have those things.

You can stop drinking alone.

It can be more difficult, but it’s also worth pointing out that some people will do better in this type of situation, too.

Not everybody thrives in a group setting, either.

We’ve talked about how going at it alone can be more difficult, but that works both ways. For some people, tackling this alone is how they’ll be able to overcome it.

Support systems, group meetings, and positivity and encouragement don’t work for everybody. If you’re a strong-willed individual, you might roll your eyes at some of the support groups that exist. That’s okay, too.

In those cases, some people actually have an easier time when they really get to the core of their issues on their own.

Despite that, it’s good to at least have some online resources available to you, to understand what’s going on and to understand the right things to think about, to explore about yourself, and to work on overcoming.

It’s hard to come up with the answers on your own, without any type of therapy or even without talking to others, but that’s what some people need.

Tips for How to Give Up Alcohol Alone

The first thing we would do is to encourage you to find a like-minded support group of people you can talk to, to share what you’re feeling, and to recognize that not every group or rehab is the same. But again, that’s not for everyone, and we would never want to discourage someone from seeking to overcome their alcohol addiction simply because they don’t thrive in a group environment.

So, if you’ve decided that you’re going to do this alone, more power to you.

Or if you just don’t have people in your life that can help you with this, for whatever reason, more power to you, too.

Sometimes, it’s because you’re in a family that’s very against alcohol and you’re afraid they’ll disown you for ever having drank in the first place, even though you’re trying to get help.

Regardless of why you’re in the position of giving up alcohol alone,

It can be easier to give up alcohol alone, too.

Imagine this. Maybe this is something you can relate to, maybe not, but we’ll illustrate the point either way. Imagine you’ve realized you have some issues with alcoholism. Everyone in your life is a drinker. Your family members, your friends, and even people at work who meet up for drinks after the day’s over.

For someone in that situation, it’s going to be difficult to give up drinking with the support of their friends and family, since they’re going to be constantly exposed to drinking. Some of their closer friends, or a very supportive family, may be willing to stop drinking with them in order to help and be supportive, but that’s not something you can always count on.

For that person, in that situation, they’re going to need to draw from strength within, since they don’t have a support system, necessarily.

Here Are Some First Steps You Can Take Today, To Give Up Alcohol Alone…

Learn what your triggers are: The next time you find yourself reaching for a bottle, ask yourself what triggered that. It’s not always easy to pinpoint, especially when it’s a habit, but sometimes – you’ll be able to. For example, was it something stressful that happened? Bored? Lonely? Tough day at work? Argument with someone you care about, or even a stranger on the internet? There are a lot of different triggers that can cause you to drink, start taking note of what you’re doing or feeling right before you decide to start drinking.

Set goals and timelines: If you’re someone who does well with structured goals, then you can plan to cut back on your drinking over the course of time. In fact, if you’re a very heavy drinker, it can actually be very dangerous to stop drinking cold-turkey (suddenly, at once). Your body can become dependent on alcohol, not just your mind. In those cases, if you stop drinking suddenly, it can actually shock your body. In cases of severe alcoholism, it’s a much smarter idea to seek professional help, at least for the initial detox process, to ensure that you’re safe. In any case, it can be easier to cut back slowly instead of stopping all at once. It might feel like you’re not making fast enough progress, but guess what? Slow progress is better than no progress, and slow progress towards drinking less is better than continuing to gradually drink more. Do what you can, you don’t have to figure everything out right at the start. You’re here, right now, reading this – and that alone proves that you know it’s time to make a chance. Make a small change today, then a small change next week, make a small change a month from now, and before you know it – it’ll get easier and easier.

Have a reason to give up alcohol: Why do you want to stop drinking? Everyone has a reason, something that compels them to start down the path towards recovery. Is it because you want your kids to be proud of you, is it because you’ve burnt bridges and you want to rebuild them, is it because you’re spending too much money, is it because you aren’t achieving your goals in life and you know alcohol is holding you back? Whatever your reason is, hold it close to you. Draw upon it for strength when things get difficult along the way. You will encounter days that are harder than others, setbacks, challenges… but you can overcome them, and the more you do it, the stronger you’ll become.

Have You Ever Told Your Friends You Need To Stop Drinking?

If you’ve ever told your friends that you need to stop drinking, and they’ve tried to talk you out of it, then you have a first hand experience about how had it can be to find the support you need. In cases like that, you very well could have an easier time trying to slay this dragon on your own.

You know your situation better than anyone else, but it’s still important to equip yourself with the knowledge and the information that can help you.

Going at it alone doesn’t mean going at it with zero resources, without any additional information, without finding help online, and so on…

With that in mind, we’ve created this website to be the resource that can help you, inform you, and be there for you, even when it feels like nobody else is.

This is an on-going project, and we’re always adding new resources and support, but if you’re someone who is looking to stop drinking alone, we’re here to let you know that you’re not fully alone, especially now that you’ve found this site.

Category: Addiction
Martijn van Eijk
Martijn is a passionate creator and the driving force behind StopDrinking.com. He created this website to assist individuals and their families in conquering alcohol addiction and finding a joyful, fulfilling life after alcohol. With a deep understanding of the challenges they face, he empowers readers with valuable insights and practical guidance on their journey towards recovery. Author of the Stop Shaking Book.