Took a lot of years of drinking for me to put it down. It took a real bad car wreck, where nobody was injured except for me being beaten to hell and back rolling about 5 times. That was almost 20 months ago and on that night, I was finished. I was then, and am today consumed with guilt, as I could have injured or killed my two children who were with me, doing as good kids do... trusting their dad would never harm them.
That night, I bought a 24 pack case of water (3.99) and a 24 of (on of the cheap brands) ginger ale. From that point on, they would be the drink for me. All I had to do is tell myself "I am cleansing every cell in my body, from the effects of alcohol." and let the water and soda do the rest. I knew that there was the oral habit of drinking, but knew there was a manual habit of holding a cold drink. As I sit at my desk here at work today, there is a bottle of water on my desk. Half of the top shelf of my fridge at home is reserved for a case of water.
I made a promise to myself, to my creator and to my kids (but they don't know it) that I will never again allow alcohol to pass my lips, unless it's mouthwash. Cleansing meant increasing oral hygeine... just everything. If you're gonna do it, do it right.
20 months later, I don't miss a thing. I am sorry for the years I wasted being a slave to 5:00pm - whatever time I would fall asleep/pass out every night.
Now I come and go as I please and I'm available for my kids if they need me, 24/7. It feels good to be me again.
Good luck to you. It's mind over matter. You are in control!