I found tools to be critical for me. Not just an intellectual decision, "I won't drink no matter what", that's fine but I was never able to control my drinking by decisions and iron will, and I couldn't stay stopped that way either. What worked was, specific actions to follow in response to changing situations. The usual suggestions: distract myself with something else, leave the room, leave the event, go for a drive, listen to music, change the music, call someone (that never worked for me, does for some), go to a meeting, go to an online meeting or forum or chat room, etc. I think the reason this is effective is that it helps rewire our brains, so to speak, train ourselves so it becomes automatic, much like you train in sports so your actions become rapid and fluid and don't need intellectual guidance. So the next time a trigger comes up, or even a random thought, it takes a bit less effort to just pass it off.
