Drinking in Recovery

You like drinking, you’re the life of the party and everyone is always happy to see you while greeting you with a drink. After all, when you’re happy, most others around you are happy as well! But lately, it’s been challenging.

You’ve been going overboard a little more often than you’d like to admit.

Maybe your loved ones are tired of taking care of you every time you get sick. You’re headache is gone and you’re still a little foggy a few days after the party. You’ve been working diligently to get your energy back.

After getting too many warnings at your job for being late, you decide you have to do something about it. Thing is, you just don’t want to stop drinking altogether. You know that you can control it. Your social life is too important to you. After all, you pay all of your bills, maintain the house, and you help out your family every time you’re asked.

I commend you. The awareness you’re creating for yourself is not only paramount, but humbling as well. This may just be a tipping point for you.

Great! So now what?

Think about your patterns. What do your weekends look like? How many days do you drink? When is it that you feel you may be overdoing it? What are the factors involved? Is there someone or something that may be triggering for you? What kind of drinks are you having?

Rethinking Drinking is a publication that can further assist you with taking a look at your drinking from a health perspective.

So what does it look like for you? When do you start not feeling so good about your drinking? Is there a moment during your drinking, where you get some kind of signal that sends up a red flag? Maybe you forgot something important, are now putting something off since you had that “extra drink”, or you just said something and thought right after that you shouldn’t have.

Is it after your drinking that these moments may occur? You had a flashback from the last time you drank of something you did and now aren’t too happy about. Someone made you aware of something you did or said that you didn’t even know you did. Are the people who care about you letting you know that they’re worried or is someone commenting on your drinking?

This is where being honest with yourself is crucial. Make a decision on what you’d like to do and make a plan.

• You may feel you want to take a break from drinking. This is not uncommon. Many people who feel they might have been “overdoing it” are able to stop for a determined amount of time. Often, they start making healthier choices regarding diet, exercise, sleep and even take new activities on or revisit older ones.  

After your set time, your life might have significantly improved and you don’t find the necessity to have any alcohol at all.

If your plan was to resume drinking, it is quite possible that you may be able to start anew and develop a healthy relationship with alcohol.

• You may feel you don’t need or want to stop drinking altogether. You just want to be able to cut down. You don’t feel the need to change your life. What might this look like for you? What are the adjustments you’ll be making? What you’re drinking? How you’re drinking? When you’re drinking? Why you’re drinking?  What will accountability mean to you?

One of the most  important things you can determine for yourself is WHY you’d like to make this change. I encourage you to dig into this one a little bit. What‘s in it for you? Health? Self Esteem? Strength? Resilience? What kind of success can this new energy bring?

Recovery is possible. Everybody has a different situation. Most people don’t have to stop altogether. Many can return to drinking in a safe manner. That is for you to decide for yourself.

If one thing doesn’t work, try another. If that doesn’t work, try something else. If that doesn’t work, then keep trying until it feels right for you. You are here and moving in a positive direction. That is called Recovery.

Love Life Today. THiS ReCoVeRY LiFE.