RonnyMau

Hello, I am a newbie here. Wondering... how do you make it so you want to stop drinking? I know I have a problem, and it makes completes sense for my health to stop, but i like drinking.

doggonecarl

Welcome to SR. If you think you have a problem with your drinking, coming here for information is a good place to start.

"...how do you make it so you want to stop drinking?"

Nothing I or anyone else can say will make you want to stop drinking if you don't want to. Change must come from within. Especially something as difficult as quitting drinking.

May I suggest you quit 6 months and see how you like sobriety. You can always go back to drinking...but if you keep drinking to point that you don't like it, by then it might be too late and you'll need to drink.

Imagine how hard it will be to quit then.

Anna

Hi and Welcome!

That's the hard part. Recovery is very hard and you need to really want it, for it to work. If you are not sure it likely won't work. The thing is, alcoholism is progressive. It will get worse until you stop. You will see from reading here that many of us have bottoms that have caused a lot of damage in our lives. You don't need to go that low. But, you have to know you want to stop drinking.

happybeingme

I am not sure if there is a simple answer. I am a recovering alcoholic now. But, in orser to stop I had to be on the brink of losing everything(my rock bottom) before I was able to admit I was out of control and the drinking had to stop (surrender). Until then the fights with husband didnt matter, health problems didnt matter, kids hating me didnt matter. I had to hit rock bottom before quitting was possible

ScottFromWI

Just for fun, make a list of the things you like about drinking and any benefit you get from it. And then make a list of the problems it causes. Compare the 2 and see if that sheds any light on the situation.

terribob

Huge +1 from me!

RonnyMau

Thanks for all of your input. I gladly welcome it and more. A few times a year, I have to get sober for a few weeks to pass a blood test. I try to record the advantages of life while sober. I'll try adding the other bit to that list as suggested by ScottWi.

ElegantlyWasted

As Wisconsin Scott mentioned, some sort of cost benefit analysis may help motivate you. Something really has to click inside YOU where you want it badly. I don't really believe in needing a really hard bottom, but something needs to be there as an impetus. I really don't like going negative too much, but focusing on the crappy things that happened because of drinking may be a starting point. Focus on the positive too. Not drinking will enable you to do many things you were unable to do before.

DarkDays

Your addicted mind likes drinking.

Life is much better without it, brainwashing and social conditioning from an early age makes you think you need it to enjoy life.

The Freedom is the best thing about quitting.

Spinach

I think drink or drugs to some are like love affairs , fantastic at times but sometimes treacherous ,deviouse and deadly.
No one can make you fall in or out of love.
On the up side you can slowly fall in love with sobriety ,it's just difficult at first sight !
John.

stuckhere1

me too - I like drinking and its a huge part of my social life - but 1 too many nights going to bed and not remembering it; waking in the morning paranoid and waiting for hubby's first words to know if I am in the bad books; being the "clown" on work nights out .....but the final straw was my second broken bone in 2 years from falling over drunk - I now realise I NEED to drink.....its not about liking it............so now I need to stop.

lillyknitting

We all like the nice bits of drinking, let's be honest, if we didn't we wouldn't drink! It's as simple as that. But, it's the bad bits we don't like, the shocking hangovers, saying things we don't remember what we've said or done, cringing embarrassing situations, fights an arguments with family & friends. Getting into dangerous situations, especially women, waking up feeling so dreadful you just want to die. I used to pray to God please hurry up an get this day over with so I can go back to bed! Now that's what you call wishing your life away.

It's only the allusion that you think your missing out. There is not one occasion I've missed out on since I've been sober. It's the addiction, the drug that makes us think distortedly. Stop poisoning yourself now, it's great.