How long does it take to stop wanting to drink?
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 7
How long does it take to stop wanting to drink?
Hey
I am just wondering how long it takes to stop wanting to drink?
Ive only stopped for a month at a time. I know its not a good effort but wondering how long it takes for it to feel a bit better?
Thanks
I am just wondering how long it takes to stop wanting to drink?
Ive only stopped for a month at a time. I know its not a good effort but wondering how long it takes for it to feel a bit better?
Thanks
Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 25,373
Longer than a month.
My battles with the drinking thoughts lasted about six months, and then it died down a lot. I'm at four years now and still have to have the conversation with myself in my head at times. The conversation in my head today goes like this, "Hm, a drink...No, thanks for piping up, but I don't drink." I mean, it was a part of my life, it's going to come up. I just don't dwell on it anymore, and the decision is already made - so it isn't a battle. Just a residual reaction.
It got better for me physically in about 3-4 months. The many many symptoms of recovery (physical, emotional, spiritual) took about a year.
My battles with the drinking thoughts lasted about six months, and then it died down a lot. I'm at four years now and still have to have the conversation with myself in my head at times. The conversation in my head today goes like this, "Hm, a drink...No, thanks for piping up, but I don't drink." I mean, it was a part of my life, it's going to come up. I just don't dwell on it anymore, and the decision is already made - so it isn't a battle. Just a residual reaction.
It got better for me physically in about 3-4 months. The many many symptoms of recovery (physical, emotional, spiritual) took about a year.
Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: SE Arizona
Posts: 1,099
I stopped drinking in September of 2015. Like BiminiBlue, I still have the occasional urge to have a drink, particularly a martini.��. The urge for a drink is now much diminished though and I can easily dismiss it when it taps me on the shoulder.
Member
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Los Angeles, Ca
Posts: 535
Originally Posted by KatrinaDeee 
Hey
I am just wondering how long it takes to stop wanting to drink?
Ive only stopped for a month at a time. I know its not a good effort but wondering how long it takes for it to feel a bit better?
Thanks
I am just wondering how long it takes to stop wanting to drink?
Ive only stopped for a month at a time. I know its not a good effort but wondering how long it takes for it to feel a bit better?
Thanks
I kid you not, I spent 44 years making false idols out of drugs and alcohol. I had achieved many goals in my life (marriage, money, kids, good job) but, I had lost my purpose. Find your purpose and values in life and the quick fix or mood changer of booze will have no value and any cravings will be gone.
Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 82
Agreed with all of the above. I don't think you ever get to a place where there isn't at least a small urge to drink. Even after all these years it gets into my head once in a while that I would like to take a sip. However, you make sure play it through your head and get past it. One sips leads to another, which leads to a glass, then picking up a bottle on your way home. Then you get to start the detox process all over again and it might even be worse that time around. Not to mention all of the other bad things that could, and probably will happen.
At some point around 90 days I got to the point where my head was clear enough so that I could map out where it would go if I started the cycle again. Until then, I counted on friends and family for support. A good support system is critical.
At some point around 90 days I got to the point where my head was clear enough so that I could map out where it would go if I started the cycle again. Until then, I counted on friends and family for support. A good support system is critical.
Member
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Wareham, Mass
Posts: 7,067
Hi, KatrinaDeee.
Welcome.
I’m going on 5 years sober.
Like Dee, I began feeling more normal, if you will, about 3 months in.
Cravings continued off and on for a few more months.
They lessened over time.
I am rarely triggered now, though I remain vigilant.
Peace.
Welcome.
I’m going on 5 years sober.
Like Dee, I began feeling more normal, if you will, about 3 months in.
Cravings continued off and on for a few more months.
They lessened over time.
I am rarely triggered now, though I remain vigilant.
Peace.
Community Greeter
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Upstate New York
Posts: 51,537
Welcome to a great place for encouragement, KatrinaDeee.
I drank for 30 years. I expected to never stop craving it, but after 3-4 months I was over the constant temptation. Now, at 10+ yrs. sober, the thought of having a drink never crosses my mind. I'm no longer tempted or resentful that I can't indulge. I never dreamed that would happen. I think we all go through many phases as we sober up & begin to heal. I'm glad you're here.
I drank for 30 years. I expected to never stop craving it, but after 3-4 months I was over the constant temptation. Now, at 10+ yrs. sober, the thought of having a drink never crosses my mind. I'm no longer tempted or resentful that I can't indulge. I never dreamed that would happen. I think we all go through many phases as we sober up & begin to heal. I'm glad you're here.
Member
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Minnesota, USA
Posts: 1,468
Welcome,
I think it's different for everyone. The moment I decided I was done drinking, I never once thought of drinking again. I think that's really how I knew I was just done, there is so much more to life that I want to explore and drinking was stopping me from doing just that.
I did find things to do on the nights I would typically drink more than other nights. Friday night is the night I do all the laundry in the house and while I'm doing that I like to paint with the music blasted and drink coffee or tea and vape. It's my meditation time.
When I feel I'm getting really moody, I'll add an extra workout to my day.
I think it's different for everyone. The moment I decided I was done drinking, I never once thought of drinking again. I think that's really how I knew I was just done, there is so much more to life that I want to explore and drinking was stopping me from doing just that.
I did find things to do on the nights I would typically drink more than other nights. Friday night is the night I do all the laundry in the house and while I'm doing that I like to paint with the music blasted and drink coffee or tea and vape. It's my meditation time.
When I feel I'm getting really moody, I'll add an extra workout to my day.
12 Step Recovered Alcoholic
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 6,613
Defining "wanting to drink" isn't that straight forward in my experience.
Its plain usage could be defined in an old AA ad, "If you want to drink, that's your business. If you want to stop, we can help." Simple interpretation, if you want to drink, go drink.
In the last few months of my drinking, I did not want to drink. Hundreds of times my first waking thought was "never again". I made a conscious decision to not drink that day yet by five oclock I had changed my mind. I had completely forgotten my earlier resolve.
It was a miserable existence. Looking back I can put some of the pieces together. In the morning, sick and miserable when I decided never again, perhaps I was getting a glimpse of reality, that the alcohol was causing the misery.
But the sober life was miserable too, due to the way I was in the habit of living it, so my day without alcohol was also an increasingly miserable affair. In my mind, during my miserable day, the wires got crossed and I began to remember the good times alcohol brought me in the distant past, the sense of relief, ease and comfort that a few drinks would bring, so I would try the old game again, hoping to get that same experience. It never happened. So many times I was baffled at ending up in deep schmidt, when my only intention with the first drink was to have a good time. How could that happen?
So I guess the seeming want to drink was based in the delusion that I could turn the clock back to better times.
So how to be rid of the misery was the real question. That was the problem I had been unsuccessfully attempting to solve with alcohol. At one time it had worked but now it didn't. The dilemna was that I had no other solution.
When I got to AA I knew alcohol was no longer working and I suppose I wanted to stop, but my real motivation was to find a way to end the misery that was my life. All my experience said that being sober was horrible. Drinking or not drinking brought the same result.
I saw AA had a better solution to life than alcohol, and that was what I wanted. When I began pursuing that, the want to drink went away. It was only there in the first place because I didn't know any other way. My alcoholic life was the only normal one.
Its plain usage could be defined in an old AA ad, "If you want to drink, that's your business. If you want to stop, we can help." Simple interpretation, if you want to drink, go drink.
In the last few months of my drinking, I did not want to drink. Hundreds of times my first waking thought was "never again". I made a conscious decision to not drink that day yet by five oclock I had changed my mind. I had completely forgotten my earlier resolve.
It was a miserable existence. Looking back I can put some of the pieces together. In the morning, sick and miserable when I decided never again, perhaps I was getting a glimpse of reality, that the alcohol was causing the misery.
But the sober life was miserable too, due to the way I was in the habit of living it, so my day without alcohol was also an increasingly miserable affair. In my mind, during my miserable day, the wires got crossed and I began to remember the good times alcohol brought me in the distant past, the sense of relief, ease and comfort that a few drinks would bring, so I would try the old game again, hoping to get that same experience. It never happened. So many times I was baffled at ending up in deep schmidt, when my only intention with the first drink was to have a good time. How could that happen?
So I guess the seeming want to drink was based in the delusion that I could turn the clock back to better times.
So how to be rid of the misery was the real question. That was the problem I had been unsuccessfully attempting to solve with alcohol. At one time it had worked but now it didn't. The dilemna was that I had no other solution.
When I got to AA I knew alcohol was no longer working and I suppose I wanted to stop, but my real motivation was to find a way to end the misery that was my life. All my experience said that being sober was horrible. Drinking or not drinking brought the same result.
I saw AA had a better solution to life than alcohol, and that was what I wanted. When I began pursuing that, the want to drink went away. It was only there in the first place because I didn't know any other way. My alcoholic life was the only normal one.
Hears The Voice
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Unshackled
Posts: 7,901
I used to equate not wanting to drink and feeling better, too.
One day it occurred to me I could want to drink and feel better at the same time. Then I was sorry I had set up this limiting expectation that I wouldn't feel better as long as I wanted to drink. I could have felt better sooner than I did!
Trippy, right?
Brains are weird.
Congrats on your sobriety!
One day it occurred to me I could want to drink and feel better at the same time. Then I was sorry I had set up this limiting expectation that I wouldn't feel better as long as I wanted to drink. I could have felt better sooner than I did!
Trippy, right?
Brains are weird.
Congrats on your sobriety!
Member
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Northeast USA
Posts: 1,021
Originally Posted by CRRHCC
Emotions are the primary drivers of our behavior. All addictions, serve an emotional purpose. The antidote is to reverse engineer what drinking does for you and then replace it with something else that is of high value for you and that empowers you. This of course is easier said than done, but at some point we all need to find some purpose in life beyond drugs and alcohol. When values are more important than our addictions, there is no addiction.
I didn't come this far to only come this far
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Dallas, Texas, USA
Posts: 38
I'm new to sobriety, and not an expert like many here. I will say though, having just quit 18 days ago, one thing is different this time.
Yes, I've quit before. This time I'm not having urges to drink (though I feel like crap still) and believe it's because I've finally squared it in my head that drinking only extends this pain, and that I do not WANT to ever drink again.
Knowing that having a drink is not something I want or will ever do seems to have removed the temptation altogether. Instead I find my self now thinking about what I can do that actually will make me feel better, e.g. healthy food, sleep, exercise...
Congratulations for your decision. Hang in there, as I read other's thoughts and advice on this forum, I'm certain it will get better... for you and for me.
Steve
Yes, I've quit before. This time I'm not having urges to drink (though I feel like crap still) and believe it's because I've finally squared it in my head that drinking only extends this pain, and that I do not WANT to ever drink again.
Knowing that having a drink is not something I want or will ever do seems to have removed the temptation altogether. Instead I find my self now thinking about what I can do that actually will make me feel better, e.g. healthy food, sleep, exercise...
Congratulations for your decision. Hang in there, as I read other's thoughts and advice on this forum, I'm certain it will get better... for you and for me.
Steve
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