The decision to stop alcohol addiction is a hard one. Here is a list of 7 helpful tips to help you on your path to a life without alcohol.

1) Do it for Yourself - You have to want it to make it work. If you don’t do it for yourself, you might find yourself starting out with a setback.

2) Importance of Physical Exercise - People who exercise regularly while trying to stay sober are less likely to relapse. Exercise has a tendency to lower stress and keep a person in a more relaxed state which is a plus when working toward sobriety.

3) Reward Yourself - Many people are so focused on reaching goals that they forget to reward themselves for the ones accomplished. Rewards keep your spirits up.

4) Don’t Feel Guilty Should You Fail - Guilt over a relapse or setback is only counterproductive to your end goal. Alcohol addiction is a major challenge and like most challenges, is not easy.

5.) Get some kind of outside help - Whether it’s A.A., therapy, or a proven formula to get sober. Left alone to ones thoughts and methods is probably not the best thing, since those thoughts and methods contributed to the addiction in the first place.

6) Seek Out Company - This can be a challenge for those who are single. If you can’t encircle yourself with people, get out more which helps create a brand new outlook on life.

7.) Develop a new daily routine that does not include drinking alcohol. Get up earlier, incorporate some exercise into the daily routine, the possibilities are endless. After all, to stop drinking is to make a fresh start on its own.

The majority of so called “social drinkers” or “alcohol consumers” who drink moderately are able to stop drinking immediately with hardly any will power and without suffering from any of the side effects.

Whereas heavy drinkers and alcoholics are guaranteed alcohol withdrawal symptoms, be it mild or severe. The symptoms suffered as a whole caused by the cessation of alcohol intake are known collectively as “alcohol withdrawal syndrome”.

The majority of withdrawal symptoms suffered are physical and include headaches, upset stomach, feeling sick and vomiting. There are also psychological symptoms caused through alcohol withdrawal such as mood swings, nervousness, jitters and anxiety. And just to add to these, your body can also experience body temperature and heartbeat increases as well as breathing difficulties.

A loss of sleep, insomnia accompanied by bad dreams, loss of appetite, sweaty or clammy palms and skin, uncontrollable eyelid movements and dilation in the size of the pupils are other common symptoms of sudden alcohol withdrawal. All these can be easily treated with prescribed medication.

Serious Symptoms: Just to add to the list there are also quite a few serious withdrawal symptoms. On the whole anyone who does manage to kick drinking won’t suffer from the following, but a small percentage do suffer from seizures, hallucinations and delirium tremens, all of which are accompanied by a state of anxiety, confusion and hallucinations. Don’t waste any time in going to seek medical advice.

Being intoxicated does not mean that an individual has to be above the legal limit designated by law to feel the effects of alcohol. In fact, research has shown impairments begin far before a person reaches a blood alcohol level that would be considered illegal.

With this is mind, should an individual who consumes any amount of alcohol be considered safe behind the wheel of a vehicle?

A blood alcohol level, or BAC, of .08 has been defined as the legal limit to be found guilty of drunk driving in all 50 states.

However there are many factors that will affect your blood alcohol concentration (BAC). Size, gender, physical condition, how much you have eaten, how much sleep you have had, if you are taking any medications, and the actual alcohol content of your chosen
“drink” can all cause limit variations from person to person.

A “drink” is either one shot of liquor, a five-ounce glass of wine or one beer, all of which contain the same amount of alcohol.

Take a look at this Blood Alcohol Level calculator: http://www.csgnetwork.com/bloodalcolevelcalc.html

Alcoholism has a catastrophic impact on society. No man is an island, and an alcoholic will always have an impact on those around him. Being a victim of alcoholism has serious consequences. The effects of being constantly drunk will make an alcoholic suffer at work which can result in losing his job. The financial implications of this will alter his life. He may lose his house, and because of his addiction to alcohol he will find getting another job impossible. Drinking excessively can reduce judgment. An alcoholic will behave inappropriately often leading to criminal charges such as public disorder and driving under the influence. This negative behavior will drive away those closest to an alcoholic, such as family and friends, contributing to marital conflict and potentially divorce. The altered behavior can damage the alcoholic’s children’s development leaving deep emotional scars.

Did you know most people who drink, drink far to much and if I was to say to you that nearly 37% of people that drink are classed as Alcoholics. The reason why this figure is very high is because most people don’t realize that drinking is a problem for them. This could be happening to your loved one or even yourself. If you take the time to have a look around you’ll see that there are plenty of websites offering you some great advice on how to stop drinking, or even cut down your drinking.

If you are looking to quit drinking you’ll notice the first benefit that will change will be your health, you’ll also notice a better relationship with your family and friends,
plus you’ll also notice that you become more productive and start to enjoy your life.

I know you’ve probably heard this a million times from people but trust me it’s true. I’ve been there, seen it and done it, and it’s worth every second of it. My life has changed so much, it’s not been easy, but it’s been worth it.

So how can you conquer this demon inside you?

This is the easy bit, first you need to educate yourself with the right tools and get support from the right people, anyone can quit drinking if you are given these.

A great website for to start with is stopdrinkingadvice.org, they have some great free advice so make sure you sign up for that, that alone has helped people overcome there drinking problems. Why is stopdrinkingadvice.org so special, because they help you to understand what triggers your drinking problem off. They know exactly how to treat each difference case because they have been there themselves.

Like anything in life quitting something is hard work and you need 24 hour support to help you and stopdrinkingadvice.org has this, this is so crucial for your success.

The very first step anyone needs to understand if they are to conquer there drinking problem is you need to find out why you drink! Once you find this out you then need to slowly replace your alcoholic drink with something much more healthier. You’ll notice within a few weeks you body will become stronger and healthier, plus you’ll start to feel much more happier within yourself, Over a period of time you’ll notice that your drinking desire will have gone for good.

Below is a Self Test which has 12 questions you need to be asking yourself, to see if you have a drinking problem.

1 - Do you ever use alcohol alone?

2 - Do you regularly drink when you wake up or when you go
to bed?

3 - Has your job performance ever suffered from the
effects of your alcohol use?

4 - Have you ever tried to stop or control your drinking?

5 - Do you feel it is impossible for you to live without
using alcohol?

6 - Do you ever question your own sanity?

7 - Is your alcohol use causing problems at home?

8 - Have you ever felt defensive, guilty, or ashamed about
your drinking?

9 - Have you ever used alcohol because of emotional pain
or stress?

10 - Do you continue to use alcohol despite negative
consequences?

11 - Do you think you might have an alcohol problem?

12 - Would you know how to stop drinking alcohol?

I have found that most people who have a drinking problem have nearly answered YES to them all, if you have then you need to seek help or advice from someone about quitting or slowly cutting down your drinking problem.

Remember it’s not just your life your ruining it’s your love ones like you children and your wife that your also ruining as well. So if your seeking advice on quitting alcohol then give stopdrinkingadvice.org a try, you need to remember you have nothing to lose, but you have everything to gain.

You’ll find that anyone who drinks heavy, will sometime in there life make a decision to cut down on there drinking or even quit it completely. But the big question they always ask themselves is HOW?

Remember you have nothing to lose but everything to gain.

Alcohol and your body don’t go, but just how many people out there carry on drinking alcohol when they know this?
 
 This should make you think before the next time you have a drink; within minutes of alcohol entering your body, it infiltrates your bloodstream, your brain, your liver, your pancreas, your kidneys, your lungs and every other living tissue in your body. When you think about it, everytime you have a drink of alcohol it’s slowly killing you. Now that’s a nice thought isn’t it?
 
 Did you know that heavy drinkers of alcohol are known as "Chronic Drinkers."
 
 Studies have shown that heavy drinking will reduce the size of your brain, your reactions become slower and you begin to lose your memory. Also in the studies which where carried out, alcoholics showed signs of congnitive dysfunction, this was proved by using the latest technology in MRI scanning.
 
 The strength of a drink you’re drinking will have the effect and impact on the absorption rate. It’s simple really the stronger drinks are absorbed quicker than weaker drinks.
 
 When neat sprits are consumed in concentrated amounts, they can irritate your stomach lining, causing a response which delays the absorption of the alcohol.
 
Almost as soon as we have some alcohol, it seems to have an effect on out central nervous system. It begins by depressing the inhibitory centres of your brain. Alcohol effects people in different ways, some people become relaxed, others become very aggressive and some just become more confident in themselves, like taking more, and some even think they become more attractive (I don’t think so).
 
 If you have a problem with your drinking you’ll notice the following. Once the euphoric feeling has worn off your on your way to a negative rebound. Which will include the following, depression sets in again, you become guilty and anxiety.
 
 If you find that you are drinking too much and would like some free information on how to cut down your drinking habit, then I can recommend the following website www.stopdrinkingadvice.org they have a loads of free resources which will help you over come your drinking problems.

Many people don’t realize that there is a difference between being an alcoholic and having an alcohol abuse problem. 

Those who are what some call “functioning alcoholics” are actually people with alcohol abuse problems.  They clearly drink way too much on a regular basis and have some of the same symptoms of alcoholism such as health related issues.  Alcohol abusers usually have some semblance of normalcy, or control in their actions.  They set limits or only allow themselves to drink at specific times, but still consume way more than the average social drinker.

Alcoholics are unable to control their drinking at any point.  They are physically, emotionally, and mentally addicted to alcohol.  The consequences of alcoholism can be severe in regards to both mental and physical health, and how they function in the everyday world.  Alcoholics, also known as those with alcoholism or an alcohol addiction, are unable to control their drinking at any time.

This distinction is very important in deciding the type of help one needs to become alcohol free.  Alcohol abuses will need more emotional and psychological assistance while an alcoholic will also need more of the physical help in overcoming the continual consumption of alcohol.

There are many studies from universities throughout the country trying to understand the correlation between alcoholism an domestic violence.  Some researchers believe that the high number of domestic violence cases involving alcohol may be misleading.  Is it a fact that so many domestic violence cases relating to alcohol abuse are caused by the addiction of alcohol, or could it be that the existence of the alcohol abuse is caused by the domestic violence?        

Either or neither way, alcoholism has some connection the violence that so many families deal with everyday.  Families feel the fear of a child towards an intoxicated parent, the fear caused by a drunken spouse, and in some reported cases, the fear of the parents caused by an alcoholic child.  Understanding that an alcoholism problem exists either within yourself or in a family member is the first step in preventing or stopping a violent situation from escalating.  Alcohol does not allow for acceptable emotional control and does allow for a normal argument to quickly become violent.

If you have begun to notice significant changes in a person’s emotional and physical behavior during stressful times, alcohol abuse may be a factor and should be taken seriously.  There are many organizations, progams, and articles that can be found to help understand the toll both physical and alcohol abuse can have on a family. 

First I’d just like to say thankyou for taking the time out and secondly thankyou for reading this. I’ve never done wrote anything like this before in my life so anything can happen. You’re probably thinking who am I and what am I writing about?

I know there are people out there like me, and people who are in a similar situation, there is help and I can strongly recommend stopdrinkingadvice.org there’s no harm in trying anything you just need to find the right one that works for you, and it worked for me so it should work for you.