How did you give up alcohol? Mental abilities are revealed

It’s a terrible situation when there is an alcoholic in the house - the woman living nearby suffers, the child is having a hard time. Abandoning alcohol and its consequences will be a salvation in such a situation, but how much effort does it take to stop drinking! Is it possible to restore body functions, is it safe? abrupt refusal from alcohol, what needs to be done to overcome alcoholism - we will talk about this.

The benefits of quitting alcohol

Being on a long drinking binge, a person forgets what he was like before he started drinking. Significant changes in health appearance happen instantly. If you stop drinking, then after quitting, transformations will begin:

• quality of life will improve;
• sleep is normalized;
• depression will pass;
• family relationships will improve;
• money will be saved;
• new interests will appear.

Abstinence from alcohol will help solve health problems:

• nerves will calm down;
• stress will pass;
• skin condition will improve;
• weight loss as a result of overeating and consuming “empty” calories;
• cholesterol levels are normalized;
• blood sugar will decrease;
• the risk of cancer, skin diseases, cirrhosis will pass;
• immunity will increase;
• potency will improve;
• memory problems will be solved.

How to give up alcohol

The problem of alcoholism is so serious that they even established World No Alcohol Day. The topic of abstinence from alcohol is relevant in all countries. The main thing is that it is impossible to eliminate the habit of drinking unless you really want to. A person reaches for alcoholic beverages when:

• stress;
• heredity;
• problems at home, at work;
• strong emotions;
• influence of others;
• depression.

In order to give up alcohol, you need to understand what was the reason for binge drinking and try to eliminate it. A person who decides to abstain from alcohol should try:

• find motivation for which it is worth changing yourself;
• see positive points in life;
• change the environment;
• engage in self-control;
• find a hobby that distracts you from alcohol addiction;
• limit communication with people who drink.

How to give up alcohol on your own? This is a difficult, problematic task. Refusal requires the support of loved ones and the help of specialists. You may need:

• visual evidence of the dangers of alcohol in movies and books;
• shock therapy;
• for those who are suggestible - hypnosis;
• taking medications under medical supervision;
• coding;
• hospital treatment.

Complete refusal

For a person who drinks alcohol in small doses, stopping will be painless. Cleansing the body will happen V short time, no problem. How to give up alcohol forever after long binges? On the one hand, we need to do this abruptly, stop drinking, without returning to the old ways. On the other hand, such a radical refusal can have a detrimental effect on a person’s condition. In the body of an alcoholic over a long period of time:

• physical and psychological dependence on alcohol appeared;
• toxins have accumulated;
• the functioning of organs was disrupted.

One of severe consequences abrupt cessation of alcohol intake - the occurrence acute disorder psyche - delirium tremens. This development of the situation is dangerous for the patient and others due to unmotivated symptoms - aggression, hallucinations, loss of coordination. A person who decides to completely stop drinking alcohol after a long binge will need:

• assistance from a narcologist, possibly in a clinic;
• taking special medications that relieve intoxication;
• cleansing the body.

Quit drinking calendar

Psychotherapists advise patients to keep a diary to recover faster. In it, every day, describe the changes that occur after refusing to drink alcohol, the advantages, negative points situations. Then the observations are discussed with the doctor. This rehabilitation technique, such as keeping a calendar for a person who quits drinking alcohol, helps a lot:

• take a critical look at your condition;
• assess daily health changes;
• describe the psychological sensations occurring;
• observe external improvements.

Changes in the body after quitting alcohol

Abstaining from alcohol can lead to rapid changes. How does the body cleanse itself after quitting alcohol? If you stop drinking completely, the processes occur in stages:

• after the first week, sleep and skin condition begin to recover, and stomach discomfort goes away;
• after two – headaches disappear, blood pressure normalizes, shortness of breath disappears, heart and brain function improves;
• after a month, weight decreases, sexual activity and metabolism are restored, immunity is strengthened, performance increases, and cell regeneration occurs.

How long does it take for the body to recover from alcohol?

You should be prepared - the process of putting your body in order after refusing to drink alcohol will be lengthy. It is necessary to cleanse yourself of toxins and restore the functioning of all organs. The hardest thing is to normalize mental health. How long will it take? It depends on the:

• patient's condition;
• duration of alcohol consumption;
• dosages.

For recovery, the metamorphoses that occurred in the body while drinking alcohol are no less important. You should know:

• for the first changes in the brain it takes at least two weeks after quitting alcohol;
• Kidney cleansing will take about three months;
• restoration of the gastrointestinal tract and liver will require up to six months - subject to diet;
• normalization of mental state may take a year or more.

Does the liver recover?

The difference between this organ is its ability to restore functions. By giving up alcohol, you can normalize liver function. To do this, it is necessary to cleanse, strictly follow a diet, excluding fatty foods, preservatives, and fried foods. Effective assistance will provide medications, which:

• regenerate damaged cells;
• will contribute to the birth of new ones;
• will help cleanse toxins.

Does the brain recover?

If the degeneration process has not gone too far, after giving up alcohol there is a possibility partial recovery brain functions. This will require long time and following doctors' orders. The patient should carefully monitor the changes that occur, so that if there is pain in the head, discomfort, seek help immediately. It is necessary to organize healthy good nutrition. Reception required:

• means that normalize blood flow;
• drugs that improve brain function and relieve pain;
• vitamin complexes.

How your appearance changes

Constant drinking of alcohol causes blood vessels to dilate, why face turns red, swells, and wrinkles appear due to dehydration. When you give up alcohol, reverse reactions occur and vasoconstriction begins. Due to these events:

• facial skin lightens;
• disappears acne;
• ends with redness, blueness, nose and cheeks;
• are cured skin diseases;
• swelling goes away;
• the skin gains elasticity;
• the aging process stops;
• the shape of the face changes;
• the person looks younger.

How to restore the body after alcohol

To rebuild all systems, you need to go through a number of stages. Restoring the body after quitting alcohol is a long process. It includes:

• removal of toxins with laxatives, diuretics;
• filling the body with fluid using droppers;
• restoration of the balance of microelements and vitamins;
• cleansing the liver of toxins;
• regeneration of its cells by taking medications;
• normalization of gastrointestinal tract functions by following a diet;
• detoxification to improve kidney and nerve function;
• taking vascular, nootropic drugs to restore the brain.

Consequences of quitting alcohol

Even if there is a desire to quit drinking alcohol, withdrawal causes fear of a sober life. This is not just a matter of psychological issues. The poisoned body begins to experience stress when it refuses new portions. Appears withdrawal syndrome, accompanied by:

• anxiety;
• headaches due to vasospasm;
• nausea;
• weakness;
• vomiting;
• tremor of individual parts or the whole body;
• disturbance of attention;
• problems with thinking;
• depressive state;
• feeling of fear.

Depression when quitting alcohol

Quitting the habit of drinking alcohol is not very easy. Psychological changes in the absence of alcohol’s effect on the brain can be serious and require the help of specialists and the use of antidepressants. A person in this state has symptoms of depression:

• loses self-confidence;
• gets irritated;
• become aggressive;
• feels hostility where there is none;
• feels remorse;
• sees everything in a negative light;
• cannot relax;
• sleeps poorly;
• often changes mood;
• easily excited;
• indifferent to others;
• may attempt suicide.

Video: what happens if you stop drinking

Many of us, for one reason or another, decide to stop drinking alcohol. First of all, people make such a decision because of health problems or the desire to preserve it. Often representatives of the fair sex decide not to drink, caring about their beauty. However, sometimes such a decision is made by a person who already suffers from a certain stage of alcoholism. In any case, this is the right decision that will help improve your health, improve your quality of life and solve many other problems associated with drinking alcohol. However, some people who decide to stop drinking after long period drinking alcohol, the questions are: what will happen if you completely give up alcohol, can this be done without harm to health.

Harm or benefit

To understand how useful giving up alcohol is, you need to evaluate the specific effects of ethanol on the human body. If a person is a supporter of drinking alcohol, then he usually argues for its benefits as follows:

• alcoholic drink helps you relax after a hard time working day;
• alcohol allows you to quickly fall asleep if a person suffers from insomnia;
• an alcoholic drink gives a feeling of joy, pleasure, euphoria;
• according to some people, this is the best medicine for the soul;
• alcoholic drink is a good incentive to improve mood;
• if you take a little alcohol, then the level physical activity and the body tone increases.

However, alcohol has a completely different effect when consumed regularly and excessively:

• lethargy;
• apathy;
• depression;
• irritability;
• aggressiveness;
• lethargy.

We have all seen someone suffering from alcohol addiction at one time or another. Usually such a patient, in addition to physical changes there are also mental problems, because ethanol has a significant effect on the entire body.

In general, the benefits of drinking alcohol that seem at first glance wear off very quickly and are replaced by an irresistible craving that occurs no matter how strong the alcoholic drink you drink. Even regular drinking of beer is addictive. As a result, regular consumption of alcohol leads to the fact that all organs and systems suffer. human body. If you constantly drink alcohol, then over time ethanol is firmly integrated into metabolic processes the body and giving up alcohol is not as easy as at the initial stage.

Important: only complete abstinence from drinking alcohol can help. dependent person get rid of alcoholism, restore your health, get your family back and live a normal, full life.

After giving up alcohol

Since alcohol is a poison, and its breakdown products are strong toxins, if you stop drinking it, you can significantly improve your psychological and physical state body. You can cite different reasons refusal to drink alcohol, but in any case it will not do any harm.

However, if ethanol is part of the body's metabolism, which happens in chronic alcoholics, then by completely giving up alcohol, a person may experience withdrawal symptoms and feel a strong craving for alcohol. This is due to the fact that ethanol is firmly integrated into the metabolic processes of the body, which without this substance experiences severe stress and malfunction. However, this does not mean that you should not deny yourself alcohol. On the contrary, you need to stop drinking as quickly as possible, before the disease enters a deeper stage, from which it will be much more difficult to get out. At the same time, it is important to give the body the opportunity to cleanse itself of ethanol and its breakdown products and restore its normal activity.

Advice: if you do not know how to give up alcohol while in a state of withdrawal, then seek help from drug addiction specialists. After drug cleansing of the body and normalization of the functioning of all organs, you can and should give up alcohol for life.

After giving up alcohol, you will experience the following:

• The body begins to restore all cells and systems that were damaged during regular use alcohol.
• Since the immune system suffers while drinking alcohol, after stopping ethanol intake the immune barrier is normalized.
• The entire body is completely restored, the functioning of all organs and systems improves.
• This will give impetus to increased performance, improved memory, physical activity and improved mood.

The most significant effect of refusal awaits you in everyday life:

• family relationships are normalized;
• the screams and reproaches will stop;
• children will not suffer;
• your financial position, because a lot of money is spent on alcohol;
• you can start moving up the career ladder.

Benefits of quitting alcohol

If you want to know how to give up alcohol, then you should find strong motivation. Only with such motivation can even alcoholics overcome this illness. late stages diseases.

By completely abstaining from drinking alcohol, you can get the following benefits:

• This will allow you to get rid of excess weight. Moreover, we are talking not only about getting rid of the beer belly, but also about regular weight loss. The thing is that alcoholic drinks contain a lot of empty calories that do not saturate our body, so after drinking we can eat our usual portion of food. Moreover, alcohol increases the feeling of hunger and we are able to eat even 30% more food than we usually ate.
• By giving up alcohol, you can easily build up your muscles. It is no coincidence that there is a recommendation for professional athletes not to drink alcohol. The reason is that alcohol impedes protein synthesis and prevents the body from building muscle.

Important: drinking alcohol reduces the production of growth hormone, which is a key component in the process of formation and restoration of muscle mass, by 70%.

• A glass of wine a day can be good medicine from high cholesterol, but exceeding this daily dose promotes the reverse reaction, and the amount of “bad” cholesterol in the body only increases.
• Due to ethanol intake, the blood glucose concentration drops to critical level. As a result, you may experience dizziness, weakness, hypoglycemia, poor concentration, and headaches. A person may have a craving for sweets and may begin to gain everything. After you stop drinking alcohol, your blood sugar levels return to normal.

• Even a month spent without alcohol can lead to an improvement in the condition of the liver. Insulin resistance also appears, reducing the risk of developing diabetes mellitus, cancer and cirrhosis of the liver.
• Quitting alcohol can reduce the likelihood of breast, oral, colon and rectal cancer.
• Ethanol reduces the concentration of melatonin in the body, a hormone that is responsible for the feeling of drowsiness and regulation of the hours of wakefulness and sleep. And although at first glance it seems that after a glass of vodka or a glass of wine a person falls asleep faster and sleeps more soundly, scientists have proven that in this state the stage of REM sleep, and the person more often suffers from apnea (cessation of shallow breathing).
• Depression and alcohol are inextricable friends. Usually, after drinking alcohol in the morning, many people feel depressed. This is due to the negative effect of ethanol on the level of serotonin in the body.

Attention: according to recent observations, it has been established that people drink not because they become depressed, but on the contrary, regular drinking contributes to the development of depression.

• A glass of wine will help you relax, but regularly exceeding this dose has the opposite effect. Drinking alcohol releases cortisol, a stress hormone, in the body. This is especially true for the body of older people. As a result, each dose of alcohol increases the concentration of cortisol by three percent.

• Because of regular intake Alcohol causes a person's memory to deteriorate. Moreover, such deterioration is observed not only among middle-aged people, but also among the young population. Good news is that after completely abstaining from drinking alcohol for several months (up to a year), the lost capabilities of our memory and mental capacity are completely restored.
• You should know that already 20 minutes after drinking alcohol it begins to have Negative influence to our immune system. The number of white blood cells that are involved in the fight against pathogenic viruses and bacteria becomes several times smaller. Their effectiveness also decreases. After refusal, the number of these blood cells increases, which helps strengthen the immune barrier.
• Constant dry mouth in the morning after drinking alcohol is the reason insufficient production saliva. As a result, bacteria can develop in the mouth, which contributes to gum disease. unpleasant smell from the mouth and loss of teeth.
• Do you have eczema, psoriasis or rosacea? Alcohol may be the cause of these diseases. After stopping alcohol, your skin will glow with health and purity.
• Alcoholic drinks have a negative impact on fertility in both sexes, meaning your chances of conceiving children are significantly reduced. Some men may experience impotence due to erectile dysfunction, which sometimes does not go away even after several years spent without alcohol.

Alcohol is inherently a drug, so giving it up will require a lot of effort. Russian statistics It looks quite unsightly: in our country, each person consumes about 14 liters of pure alcohol per year. According to WHO, alcohol kills about 2.5 million people a year. Between the ages of 20 and 40, 50% of deaths are due to alcohol abuse. Moreover, these numbers are in trend constant growth. The most difficult thing in treating alcohol addiction is completely quitting alcohol. It is especially difficult to remain indifferent to alcohol when frequenting noisy and cheerful companies.

Most of the population began to understand the harmfulness of this bad habit and strive for complete abstinence from alcohol. But this is not always possible. What is the essence of the problem? How to give up alcohol on your own? First of all, it is necessary own wish and the right motivation. Don't be afraid of life without alcohol. Vice versa. Below are reasons that will help change your attitude towards drinking alcohol.

Strong arguments in favor of completely abstaining from alcoholic beverages

Most people endlessly talk about the dangers of drinking and continue to drink alcohol. Indeed, the decision to give up alcohol forever is quite difficult to make. If you are thinking about how to remove alcohol from your life, you need to understand that living without alcohol will bring more joy and happiness than living under the yoke of addiction. Alcohol abuse is accompanied by illness, disrespect from others, failures, tears of loved ones and scandals in the family. Next, it is necessary to begin specific measures that will help completely.

How to give up alcohol forever: the right motivation

Set a specific date for completely quitting alcohol. Before its onset, gradually reduce the dose of drinking to a minimum, prepare yourself mentally. This will help prepare the body for the changes. After day X comes, keep your promise and believe that everything will work out for you. From time to time you will need to fight temptation and mood swings. This is a consequence of addiction, which will definitely pass! You shouldn't follow her lead. No matter how strong the desire to drink, it will disappear, just not right away. Be prepared for this and train your willpower.

Think more often about the fact that quitting drinking alcohol is one of the most important and right decisions in your life. Praise and encourage yourself. Don't indulge in lengthy explanations and excuses to your friends. Don't force them to do the same, at least until you can cope with your cravings for alcohol. Some friends will try to convince you, drag you into noisy company. Prepare yourself to refuse, and it is better to refuse to attend entertainment events at first.

Get rid of any alcohol that was stored in the house. Buy a second wallet and when you want to buy alcohol, put the money you wanted to spend into it. At the end of the month, the amount saved will pleasantly surprise you. Spend this money on fitness, fruits, books, or stimulate yourself by buying something you have long wanted to buy for yourself. Don't forget to praise yourself for your endurance.

Form it in your head new image life and new goals that do not include alcohol, and follow it. Think of yourself as a healthy, successful and confident person. Get up earlier, find a hobby, go out into nature alone, observe correct mode day and watch your diet.

If you want to attend a party, get there by car.

The need to drive will protect you from accidentally drinking a glass.

Communicate more often with people who don’t drink, make close friends among them. You can meet them in the gym, at “sober” parties. This will contribute to the formation of a new outlook on life and help analyze past actions. You can find like-minded people and people with similar goals on the Internet, just don’t get carried away so as not to transform one type of addiction into another.

Play sports. Dumbbells, morning jogging, sports. Physical exercise promote the production of endorphins, which have a positive effect on mood and self-esteem. If the urge to drink appears after work or before the weekend, treat yourself to a hearty dinner. The feeling of satiety will significantly reduce the craving for alcohol.

How to stop drinking completely: first steps

Diet for quitting alcohol

During the body’s struggle with cravings for alcoholic beverages, it would be useful to support it with food that stabilizes metabolism and promotes the removal of toxins. To do this, you must comply following rules power supply:

The ultimate goal of overcoming drunkenness and alcoholism involves a complete abstinence from alcoholic beverages. I would like to think that the next generations will learn to live without alcohol. In the meantime, the problem remains quite acute. A significant proportion of alcoholics need treatment, while others need only their own willful efforts to first minimize the consumption of alcoholic beverages and then get rid of them altogether. Probably, significant assistance in this regard can be provided by special rules, which will be discussed below.

If you are not yet abstinent, then it is better to give preference to natural grape wines (including champagne). All kinds of low-grade wines, including “fruit and berry” wines, various surrogates, moonshine, in addition to the harm caused by alcohol as such, are toxic due to all kinds of impurities, artificial dyes, and poorly purified products. Beer is not at all harmless. Many people have developed the habit of drinking beer in huge quantities, sitting for hours with friends in pubs. In addition to the fact that the total amount of pure alcohol after huge portions of beer is quite large (0.5 liters of beer corresponds to 60-80 grams of vodka), we must not forget that beer is very high in calories. Beer regulars quickly get fat, and the walls of their stomachs stretch from beer. Drinking beer too often is the first step towards alcohol abuse. German psychotherapist E. Kraepelin wrote that 45 percent of his patients became alcoholics as a result of drinking beer regularly and a lot.

It is impossible not to mention the adjustment to correct behavior and reliable self-control. The famous Soviet psychotherapist Vladimir Levi wrote:

“Some people get outrageously drunk only because they are irresponsible with their behavior. And this irresponsibility consists not only in violating the dose, the rules of snacking, but also in the fact that these people do not want or are not able to carry out advance self-hypnosis, self-tuning, which, at the same concentration of alcohol in the blood, would keep their well-being and behavior at the proper level.”

And now the reader is offered some rules that should help reduce the consumption of alcoholic beverages to a minimum.

1. Do not drink any alcohol until you are 25 years old.

Unfortunately, too large number cases this remains not the rule, but only good wishes. Until approximately the age of 25, when the body completes its physiological formation, alcohol can cause irreparable damage to its condition.

Alcohol is especially dangerous in adolescence, during rapid growth and development of the organism. During this period, even small doses lead to extremely undesirable changes in the nervous, endocrine and genitourinary systems.

3. Don't drink on an empty stomach; don't drink when feeling unwell; do not drink if you have to drive, work, or train.

When a person driving a car has 0.8 ppm of alcohol in their blood, the likelihood of an accident with fatal increases fourfold. 0.8 ppm is found in the blood of a person who drank a glass of beer, a 20-gram glass of vodka or half a glass of champagne. Most often, the driver of the car drank at a party or in company. Anyone who drinks with him fully shares moral responsibility for everything that may happen to this person on the road.

4. Strictly control your condition. After the first symptoms of alcohol exposure (excessive looseness, talkativeness), immediately and categorically stop drinking.

5. Remember that nicotine dramatically enhances the effects of alcohol. Remember that in a stuffy room and in hot weather, the effects of alcohol increase significantly. Accordingly, the removal of alcohol from the body slows down under the same conditions. In the cold and in clean air, metabolic processes go faster, which means that alcohol is removed from the blood faster.

6. Don't drink when you don't feel like drinking. Most often, violation of this very rule ultimately leads to alcoholism. A person should not, under any circumstances, allow someone else’s will to be imposed on him: if he does not want to drink, then neither persuasion nor a falsely understood sense of solidarity should force him. A democratic law should reign at the table: whoever does not want to drink, does not drink.

Following these rules will help you stop drinking alcohol altogether over time.

Practice shows that it is of great help in getting rid of the tyranny of alcoholism. It is especially effective on initial stages alcohol addiction. How less degree a person’s dependence on alcohol, the more successful the impact of auto-training. Therefore, the help of autogenic exercises should be resorted to immediately as soon as a man experiences the fear of getting used to wine. Psychotherapists and narcologists note that the most effective impact of auto-training is on novice drinkers, as well as on experienced alcoholics, immediately after inpatient or outpatient treatment.

I am completely calm, confident and free.

Alcohol doesn't matter to me.

I'm glad to be sober.

Vodka is disgusting. The taste of the wine is disgusting.

I'm glad that alcohol doesn't appeal to me.

A drunk man is disgusting.

I am completely calm and confident in my abilities.

I hate to even think about alcohol.

I am firm and adamant in my aversion to alcohol.

I can handle.

Since a man who begins to succumb to the habit of alcohol noticeably weakens his will, he may not be able to cope with the misfortune that has happened to him. Help can be provided close person fully trusted: wife, mother, father, friend. It is easier to master the above formulas of self-hypnosis together, and the effect of such joint exercises is very significant. There are a huge number of cases where, after two or three weeks of constant self-hypnosis, people developed an aversion to alcohol. strong immunity against a dangerous habit.

Action program

It is set out above in the “six rules”.

It is appropriate to note here that for many men, a program to improve their health should begin with giving up alcohol. Without eliminating alcohol from their lives, or at least minimizing its consumption, they will not be able to take advantage of the advice given in previous articles. Yes and moral attitude drinking man not the type to seriously take up the task of “improving oneself.”

Anyone who has achieved success here should certainly go further: take on board a tool that will consolidate the first success and fill life with new content.

Life without alcohol.
Part one. Facts and myths around alcohol.

Should you give up alcohol in your life? This topic may not be clear to everyone. And we often don’t know how to really refuse, although for the majority there is nothing difficult about it, but not everyone gets around to it. For some time I was interested in questions regarding alcohol in our life, because it personally bothered me, so I decided to write this article. And it is intended for everyone who wants to eliminate alcohol from their lifestyle, for everyone who does not know that this can and should be done and it is very simple. For those who don’t drink, the article can help them make a decision to lead a sober and fulfilling life.

The article will not talk about hypnosis and other methods of treatment. It is designed to help you figure it out on your own and make the right decision for yourself. In no way do I consider these methods ineffective, no. But I show here that it is very easy to give up alcohol, and treatment means that the solution to this issue is outsourced. And then it turns out that someone “forces” you to refuse, and the understanding will remain in the subconscious that this is not voluntary, but forced. I am sure that it is better to approach the issue consciously, but if suddenly it is not possible to solve the problem in this way, then resort to treatment.

People begin their alcoholic journey, of course, in different ways, some secretly from their parents in adolescence, some later, for example, at feasts, because that’s how it’s customary... Then alcohol-related habits appear, for example, meeting friends over a glass of beer, watch football matches with beer, drink what we like to drink there after a hard day of work, and so on. and so on. And of course, what a celebration, at the table, without alcohol... Then self-excuses also appear, like this: “Not for the sake of drunkenness, but for health” (although when they talk about health, they mean, at most, a glass of red wine or something else in small doses, but most people ignore it, as a rule).

In general, people who periodically drink alcohol general view can be imagined like this: “Between “Uncle Fedya”, who gets up in the morning and takes it “on his chest” first thing, then continues to drink all day, until he stops, and “God’s Dandelion” grandmother, who drinks (not completely) a glass of “plum” on New Year- all other people, which, according to some estimates, is about 90% of the Earth’s population.” In other words: nine out of ten people around us are dependent on alcohol to one degree or another.

My opinion is that everyone who doesn’t like the alcohol theme in life, regardless of drinks, doses, etc., everyone who is sick of it, everyone who still doubts whether it’s worth drinking (say, at some events) and those who abuse alcohol, those who do not control the amount of drinking, should definitely give it up. AND don't cut it down and exclude it completely. (I want to write another article on the topic of “reduce”, in addition to this one)

Is it easy to quit alcohol?
The answer is unequivocal - YES. The degree of dependence, frequency of use, duration of such a lifestyle, the contents of what is consumed, willpower, state of affairs and other factors have nothing to do with this. It’s easy to give up alcohol in your life. More practical examples the fact that any person who drinks alcohol, with any degree of addiction, can easily give it up. And this fact in no way means that since it’s simple, you can start drinking, since you can “jump out” of it at any moment. The trap is very insidious. And in this and subsequent articles it is written how to get out of it and never fall into it again. I repeat - you shouldn’t fall into this trap at all, no matter how confident you are that you control the situation - everything always starts with one glass (glass, shot glass...). It breaks and sinks to the bottom both the strong and the weak, academics, large and successful businessmen, and others, and others.

I, personally, also considered myself a “beer drinker” for some time. From time to time, this beer topic arose in my life, be it meetings with friends, “tasting” beer on trips (well, of course, how can you not try the local beer.... Nonsense), etc. Plus these holidays are constantly , year after year it’s the same thing, then a birthday happens, then New Year, then Bastille Day comes... And here you can’t get by with beer - wine, champagne, etc. are used. At some point, I personally began to get completely annoyed with this and I decided to look into this issue for myself and stop this alcoholic part of my life.

All people who have ever thought about quitting drinking... let's say, have approximately the same train of thoughts, facts on this topic or motives, and these are not new, but well-known facts:
· the fact that alcohol destroys life, including those around and close people around;
· destroys health (for example, it significantly shortens life, destroys brain cells, causes impotence, etc. - the list is very huge);
· the fact that alcohol prevents you from developing, setting serious goals and achieving them;
· the fact that alcohol can lead to various unpleasant and even “deplorable” situations;
· the fact that drinking alcohol means losing a lot of money.

etc., every person knows this even without my participation, all this is on the surface and I don’t want to scare anyone, so I won’t go deeper into this topic.

To begin with, we still need to dot the “i”s.
Here are some facts and myths about alcohol (and alcoholism) that are hidden in the depths of the problem and that can help you understand its essence and find a way out of it:
But first, a couple of clarifications.
What do I mean by the term “Alcohol” - a substance with the formula C 2 H 5 OH or alcohol contained in various alcoholic drinks from beer, wine to vodka, etc., not pleasant to the taste, addictive, falling under the definition narcotic.
Stable consumption of alcohol for one reason or another, and, consequently, dependence on alcohol is mental condition, there is nothing complicated about it. If you remove confusion and suggestion, it will become much easier to make your own, correct, decision.

1. The influence of the "Brainwashing" factor. We all tend to consider ourselves smart, self-controlled people who independently determine our life path. In fact, our behavior largely follows a certain pattern because we are a product of the society that raised us. Day after day we see the following: that alcohol quenches thirst, tastes good, brings joy, strengthens nerves, gives confidence, relieves complexes, melancholy and tension, relieves pain, helps to relax and stimulates the imagination. Moreover, it is an integral part of any successful holiday. What party would be complete without alcohol? This is out of the question. Further, there is a fashion on the Internet for describing various types of wines and cognacs. Why, this is the same important information, you have to be an expert, it’s for prestige, it’s stylish, it’s cool. Plus, there are a lot of articles on the topics that wine contains such and such antioxidants and is therefore useful for... And here is another fashionable topic - alcohol at home. Of course, it’s a whole damn art to prepare “tasty” poison for the body from rotting vegetation. Everyone is so excited about this, they are discussing how many degrees? Ba..a, there is nothing better than this homemade product! From the outside, all this looks like nonsense. And finally, the most effective device for brainwashing: Adults - beer, children - lemonade. And given that alcohol has so many “advantages,” how many people fall into this trap?

Movie: For example, in Western style. In almost every Western, half the action takes place in a saloon. It seems that the tough conquerors of the West spent their entire lives getting high on cheap whiskey and playing poker. If someone was beaten half to death in a drunken fight or killed in a shootout, in their minds the evening was not in vain.
Another example is melodrama: what does a young “tycoon” do when he returns home after a full day of competitive racing? He heads straight to the bar, throws two pieces of ice into an expensive crystal glass and pours a generous shot of Scotch whiskey.
And other film genres, all in the same spirit.

Life . Since many people around drink alcohol, on various occasions, holidays, meetings, just going to a bar, etc., you can’t help but get the impression that this is completely normal. This is pure schizophrenia. People discuss the quality of the wine while eating: “It’s pleasantly strong and quite noble...” Everywhere you look, there are only “connoisseurs.” All this surrounds us so closely and happens all around us, and here we areWe believe that if we give up alcohol completely, we will sacrifice something, lose something. Alcohol can ruin our lives, but still our entire existence depends on it to one degree or another. We are sure that without it we will not be able to be in society, we are not able to cope with stress, etc. and we do not know what can take its place (remember the same holidays). Without alcohol, life seems boring and miserable, which is why quitting drinking is so difficult for many people.

All this that surrounds us every day, what happens around the topic of alcohol makes it the norm of life. But this is not normal! A person does not need alcohol not for the growth and development of the body, nor for maintaining it (the body) normally. Alcohol is unnatural for the body.
There are still many facts that one way or another relate to brainwashing, but I don’t want to bloat the article. These examples clearly show how the mechanism works and that you shouldn’t just fall for it all, you should understand what’s happening on your own.

2. There is an opinion that many people drink alcohol solely for the sake of pleasure. This is a complete lie. Alcohol is a strong depressant and everyone knows it. Negative sides alcohol outweigh the positive ones. The peculiarity of the alcohol trap is to exaggerate the so-called advantages and downplay the disadvantages. There are no benefits to drinking alcohol at all.

3. Alcohol provides support- this is another myth of this trap. An example about support: maybe you noticed, maybe you saw something like this somewhere among your neighbors, that until alcohol has destroyed a person (physically, morally and financially), he does not show a desire to reduce the dose, not to mention completely giving up alcohol? And only after reaching the extreme limit, having lost the support of family and friends, does a person begin to strive to reduce alcohol consumption. But it is precisely during this period that he is least capable of such an act, since now he urgently needs the one whom he now considers his only and most true friend and support. From the outside we can see what kind of “support” this is. And being in such a situation, it is very difficult to understand that it was this friend who led to this very situation. Alcohol does not provide any support

4. Alcohol gives you courage- also another lie. The only thing it does in this case is dull the feeling of fear (and this is not the same thing as courage). That fear that can help you survive in a given situation. However, the fear itself does not disappear. What to do in the same situation when there is no alcohol at hand? There is no way to get rid of fear itself with alcohol. In fact, the following often happens: let’s say there is a situation that causes a feeling of fear and we suppress it with alcohol. Now everything is no longer scary, but nothing further is being done, because there is no determination, and all because alcohol does not give this feeling. Fear wins clear consciousness, soberly assessing the situation. The only way.

5. Alcohol is not such a problem, in comparison with, say, heroin. How many drug addicts do we all know around us? And I repeat, at the same moment, now Nine out of ten people around us are dependent on alcohol to one degree or another. So what is it serious problem, and it has a much larger scale.

6. Alcohol makes people happy. Alcohol is Chemical substance, which tastes unpleasant. Therefore, we accept it for the impact it has. If we become happier as a result, it follows that the more we drink, the happier we become. And then, many have seen this as a group of laughing, happy drinkers suddenly starts committing violence (for example, a fight breaks out). Where did the “state of happiness” go? It wasn’t there, this is another story about alcohol and how cool it is, required product. Why do people laugh and look happy after a few drinks? This has nothing to do with alcohol itself - we, as a rule, drink for reasons that are pleasant in themselves. Weddings and parties are enjoyable events where people have fun and have a good time. It's not alcohol that makes them giggle and have fun. If alcohol had this effect, people wouldn't drink at funerals - the last thing you'd want to do there is laugh. Another example of the inconsistency of the concept that “Alcohol makes people happy”: Have you ever tried to get drunk to stop suffering, for example, due to a broken relationship, divorce, or any other problem? Have you ever felt happy after a few drinks? Alcohol does NOT make people happy, that's a fairy tale.

7. Alcohol is beneficial in small doses. More precisely, it is accepted as follows: alcohol is harmful, yes, it is a poison, but in small doses it is useful (and further, it is added that they say something about blood circulation, doctors advise, etc.). This is from the area of ​​“schizophrenia”. A poison that kills in large doses and is very painful, in small doses also remains the same poison. The only difference is that in small doses the body manages to cope with it. In fact, when talking about the usefulness of small doses, only the first effect of this substance on the body is taken into account, but subsequent stages and the degree of their effect are ignored. Probably all drinkers know the first steps (like dilating blood vessels, etc.). But, further, alcohol breaks down into substances such as, for example, acetaldehyde (acetaldehyde), followed by a transition to acetic acid. And these substances are in the blood, in cells with all the ensuing consequences. So, when talking about small doses, you should be more honest and show the picture objectively, “from and to.”

8. Alcohol quenches thirst. Same nonsense. Alcohol has a dehydrating effect on the body, which is why, after drinking a dose, you want more. This happens with strong drinks and with drinks such as beer or wine (which contain up to 80% water). And after some time after drinking alcohol, an even greater effect of thirst arises (in common parlance - sushnyak). I present this as a fact. Anyone interested in the reasons can make chemical reactions the breakdown of alcohol and find the cause, what oxidizing agents are there and what else. This is on its own. So a mug of cold beer in the heat is a theme from the category: “you can’t imagine anything worse.”

9. Alcohol trap. Why do I use this term at all, because what happens to a person who drinks alcohol, and it does not depend on doses, frequency and drinks - all activities fit the description of being in a trap. Trapped with everyone characteristic features and attributes: there is a bait, there is also an unobvious danger, a gradual and consistent delay - for the victim to lose vigilance, etc. A little more about this.

Like all traps, the alcoholic one has its own subtleties and tricks, for example:

· Sliding to the bottom occurs so gradually that we don’t notice anything. The process is similar to aging. Every morning, when we shave or apply makeup, we see in the mirror the same face as yesterday.

· Moderately drinking people They may not be fully aware of their situation, but they certainly feel trapped somewhere. They usually think like this: “This is not hurting me, and if I need to quit, I will.” This is another cunning quality of the trap - it forces us to postpone this unpleasant event. Again, the alcohol trap is designed in such a way that forces a person delay solving the problem as long as possible. On chronic stage the victim is sure that the problem is insoluble, so she has no choice but to sweeten her bitter pill.

10. Warnings about the dangers of alcohol. Why doesn't this work? Now, probably, it is written everywhere that “Alcohol is harmful to health”, that “Alcohol destroys the liver”, etc. (is the cause of certain diseases). Including by law, manufacturers are required to warn about the health hazards of their products. And people who drink alcohol know that it is harmful, some even from hearsay (there may be examples around). Why doesn't this work? Well, Firstly because there is an illusion of control over the situation. “Yes, I know that alcohol is harmful, but I control my drinking process, I don’t drink a lot and often, and I can quit when I want.” Secondly, the lifestyle around, all the activities around alcohol, making it the norm of life, dominate over some kind of warnings. Third, the state of health is not a contrast, it is an imperceptible value until you get sick. Let's say they say that alcohol leads to cirrhosis of the liver. Drinking a glass of wine, for example, at some banquet, or even getting drunk “to the point of blue snot”, even at the same banquet, how to feel it, how to see it specifically for yourself? Not until it happens, but then it will be too late. For the same reason, you cannot set health as your goal; you need to set very specific parameters in order to get a result (for example, weight such and such, waist size such and such, develop breathing in order to run three kilometers to such and such a standard). How can one detect the health of the liver and, moreover, link it with another drink? In my opinion, this is a very skillful move by alcohol producers. Part of society demands that something be done as part of the fight against alcohol, and they have agreed that now everywhere there are warnings about its harm to humans. “Activists” who don’t drink don’t even know that the manufacturers know for sure that this won’t work in any way. And those who abuse alcohol know from themselves that alcohol is harmful to their health. This does not stop anyone and will not stop anyone unless other factors are removed. How about the fact that all these prevention campaigns are not even able to protect teenagers from drinking alcohol...

11. About alcoholism. The belief that alcoholism is incurable is deeply rooted in society. And an obstacle to solving the problem of alcoholism for a person is the belief that even if successful, the quality of life will inevitably deteriorate. But all the concepts that alcoholism is a disease and its treatment can be long and painful and, ultimately, there is no known cure for it, are based on a MISCONCEPTION.

First clarification : this is obvious, the fact that many people around the world who abuse alcohol and have lost control in its use, regardless of their personal qualities, independently (or with someone’s help) without any problems refuse to use this “potion” - do the concept of alcoholism as difficult curable disease not wealthy.

Second clarification , this must be understood, there is a person and there is a substance that is alien and poisonous to the human body - alcohol. The body doesn’t need it at all (well, it’s simple, but children don’t need it and nothing bad happens to them). That is, when a person drinks alcohol, on the one hand, a change in the state of consciousness occurs - this is simply the specificity of the action of alcohol, but on the other hand, the body tries to cleanse itself of poison, includes various defense mechanisms and finally, a hangover occurs - one of the stages of eliminating the poison and the reaction to this poison. Have you seen what a hangover a person has who has been “on a bender” for, say, three or four days? And it is a mistake to say that a person is sick and needs another “dose” to ease the pain... But this is not a disease. A hangover is a painful reaction of the body to the poison that is in it and from which it strives to get rid of. Naturally, the weaker the body, the more painful the reaction. And look at the same person who had been drinking for a while, a couple of days after he “stopped.” Everything is back to normal. That is, the problem is not with alcohol as a substance, the body does not need it, and after the poison is removed, there are no immediate physical withdrawal symptoms, and the body is not dependent on the substance itself. The problem of alcoholism, as alcohol abuse and loss of control over its use, lies in another plane, such as, for example, habit (the habit of reacting in a certain way to external and internal events), such as self-control, self-discipline, i.e. it relates to the topic human psyche. Moreover, it is obvious that for most people we are not talking about any extreme forms mental disorder and, therefore, you can learn to understand this and control your condition without much difficulty.

12. Alcohol and longevity. Well, I want to finish the list here with this example. Many of us have heard the following, something like this: “But such and such an uncle drank every day, well, let’s say, real wine and lived to such and such gray years (or lived to such and such years...) " This is also part of a series of omissions. The condition is imperceptible, not contrasting. How long would this guy live if he didn’t drink at all? Perhaps he would still be alive today. It is completely unknown and should not be attributed to alcohol. This is cynicism on the part of the alcohol system.

You can, in fact, continue to give some facts about alcohol, the topic is large and capacious, but it is already quite obvious that the only truth about alcohol is that it does not give anything, but DESTROYS!!! You need to stop deceiving yourself.

I am writing this article based not only on my own thoughts and experiences on this topic, but also to a large extent on Allen Carr's method, which is called " The easy way" The topic of alcohol and how to easily give it up is described, I think, very well in his book “The Easy Way to Quit Drinking.” It's very detailed we're talking about about alcohol itself, about the myths around it, a look at this issue from different sides. And most importantly, it works, it will help understand the issue and those who have decided to give up alcohol will do so. So I definitely recommend reading it.

I will continue the article in the next post, where we will talk about making a decision and practical steps on its implementation.

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