How to Stop Drinking Alcohol – Different Programs

I recently did some research about which questions are most frequently asked about alcohol recovery. According to Google, during the month of April 2009, 3600 people searched ”How to Stop Drinking“, quite a few! 

I have collated a few of the different methods available to help you if you want to quit drinking.

How to stop drinking with A.A – From the official Alcoholics Anonymous website, this is how they describe themselves:

“Alcoholics Anonymous® is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for AA membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions. AA is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy, neither endorses nor opposes any causes. Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety”
 

When you join A.A, you follow a 12 step program and become heavily involved by attending meetings and following the 12 steps.

How to stop drinking with Women for Sobriety – From the official Women for Sobriety website, this is how they describe themselves:

“Women For Sobriety is both an organization and a self-help program for women alcoholics. It is, in fact, the first national self-help program for women alcoholics.

Women For Sobriety has been providing services to women alcoholics since July, 1976. The WFS “New Life” Program grew out of one woman’s search for sobriety. (See Turnabout: New Help for the Woman Alcoholic.) Now hundreds of WFS self-help groups are found all across this country and abroad.

Based upon a Thirteen Statement Program of positivity that encourages emotional and spiritual growth, the “New Life” Program has been extremely effective in helping women to overcome their alcoholism and learn a wholly new lifestyle.

As a Program, it can stand alone or be used along with other programs simultaneously.

It is being used not only by women alcoholics in small self-help groups but also in hospitals, clinics, treatment facilities, women centers, and wherever alcoholics are being treated”

You can read more about Women for Sobriety here  

I also came across Jeannie Long who has 8 continuous years of sobriety through an article about alcoholism. Jeannie leads a weekly support group for women using the Women for Sobriety Program.

You can visit Jeannie Long’s website here

How to stop drinking with Seven Weeks to Sobriety

From the official Health Recovery website, this is how they describe the seven weeks to Sobriety program offered through their book.

“When her teenage son committed suicide after completing a month long alcoholism treatment program, Joan Mathews-Larson turned her devastating loss into a search for answers. Why had conventional treatment failed her son? Why has understanding alcoholism as a disease grown while the advances in treatment have not? Through painstaking study, Dr. Larson found answers and initiated a revolutionary new alternative alcoholism treatment that has become the most successful model ever developed for this disease. Her findings are the basis for her book, Seven Weeks to Sobriety giving everyone the knowledge to use this proven program.

This breakthrough self-treatment program is designed to take the alcoholic from addiction to sobriety in just 7 weeks. Based on the format Dr. Larson uses at the Health Recovery Center in Minneapolis, the program’s premise is that psychological problems, i.e. unstable moods don’t lead to alcoholism; it is through the heavy use of alcohol and the subsequent disruption of brain chemistry, that psychological problems are created. Thus treatment involves physical intervention to shut down cravings and repair the alcohol-induced carnage affecting the brain/body. Seven Weeks to Sobriety teaches how to:

• Determine if you are alcoholic and what chemistry type you are.
• Discover how to break your addiction with minimal discomfort.
• Use our alcoholism addiction treatment to replace key natural chemicals, not drugs, to eliminate such alcohol induced symptoms as: anxiety, depression, insomnia, cravings, and unstable mood swings.

Integrate the seven week program into your own life to guarantee a stable alcohol free future.”

I have read ‘Seven weeks to sobriety’, it is an amazing read packed with useful information. I read the book very recently because I was interested in learning more fighting alcoholism through nutrition. The information in this book is extremely valuable and I would recommend it to anyone whether you are looking to quit drinking or are already sober.

How to stop drinking with the creative theory of recovery – Spiritual River

The Spiritual River website is a favorite of mine and is a great place to start if you are thinking about overcoming addiction, packed with practical, useful, knowledgeable information about alcoholism and drug addiction, this site is a must read.  You can sign up to receive emails on a daily basis which are awesome in helping you maintain inspiration. I lapped up the information on this website and continue to read it on a daily basis.

Here are the most popular topics covered on Spiritual River:

101 Tips for Recovery

Create a new life without drugs and alcohol

How to help an alcoholic

Organize an intervention

The real truth about addiction and recovery

Click here to read more about how to stop drinking if you have a drinking problem.

How to stop drinking with The Recovery Self Help Project

Taken from the official To Stop Drinking website;

“The project was launched in early 2009 to provide information for people seeking to understand alcohol abuse and begin the recovery process. Our goal is to add reviewed and approved articles at the rate of one a month.

Problem drinking is a very personal and private concern and it’s natural to use the Internet to seek information and help. Despite claims to the contrary, high-quality information is available on the web. But it is not often accessible or well-organized. Our goal is to collect some of the most worthwhile information and organize it for people who are looking for help. The articles you’ll find here address popular questions and provide practical advice. Articles are contributed by health professionals, recovery educators, and recovering problem drinkers and their loved ones.

Articles that are listed as completed have been edited by professional writers and editors and authored or reviewed by experts in the field of recovery education.” 

The Recovery Self Help project has a fantastic article “How To Stop Drinking” that covers the following topics;

Part One: “What you need to know before you try to quit drinking”

Part Two: “Health and the medical profession”

Part Three: “Different approaches to stop drinking”

Part Four: “Creating a personal plan to stop drinking – Some questions to help you”

Part Five: “Conclusion”

Remember, it is never too late to learn how to stop drinking. A new way of life can be yours.

Please feel free to add any other resources that you come across or leave us with your story about what has helped you to stop drinking.

These are the main programs to utilize so that you can stay sober.

My personal method of quitting drinking and staying sober has not been based on any one program. It has been a combination of efforts. I did not join AA or Women for Sobriety but I have read much of the literature from both. 

I frequently read over the Women for Sobriety affirmations and they help to give me instantaneous inspiration. I also read as much as I can about alcoholism and I journal constantly. My husband and family are extremely supportive and I talk openly about how I am feeling with them. Just recently, I began seeing a therapist to help overcome some of the issues that I am facing, this has definitely been helpful and I am glad that I chose to do this. 

So you see, I use many different methods that have all helped me to stop drinking. I have found that what works for one person may not work for the other so you may have to try a few different methods before you find the one that works for you. Remember that whatever you decide to do, support is essential. Good support systems can mean the difference between staying sober and relapsing. Support can come from friends, family, AA or Women for Sobriety.

Remember, it is never too late to learn how to stop drinking, a new way of life can be yours.

Please feel free to add any other resources that you come across or leave us with your story about what has helped you to stop drinking.

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Tags: Alcohol Recovery, Alcoholics Anonymous, Getting Sober, How To Stop Drinking, How To Stop Drinking Alcohol, My Sobriety, Quit drinking, Seven Weeks To Sobriety, Women For Sobriety