Relapse Prevention: Quitting Drugs, Drinking in 45 Days: 1
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How To Stop Drinking or Drugs: A 45 Program: Day One

HOW TO STOP DRINKING OR DRUGS

For most people, drugs or drinking have caused severe harm. So the first goal should be to be constantly aware of this damage happening again.

Write your reason for stopping drinking or drugs now?
1. ___________________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________________________
4. ___________________________________________________________

Write what new activities will you begin today to replace drinking or drugs?
1. _________________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________
3. _________________________________________________________
4. _________________________________________________________

Think about 3 or 4 “clean” people you can contact now to try to start “dry” relationships.
1. _________________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________
3. _________________________________________________________

Be patient with your new “clean” relationships. Now you are giving up short-term thrills for long-term joy. Good people who will help you fight drinking or drugs will be helpful for you over time.

To learn to stop drinking or drugs, we will watch several people who are trying to quit to see what they do. – Ty, Sue, Tom, Joy and TJ.

Today Ty threw away and got rid of anything that was drug or alcohol-related. Get rid of drug paraphernalia and anything that will tempt you back into drugs or drinking.

Sue struggles to believe what her new friends at AA tell her about the disaster booze brings. But she is still paying on that DUI. To stop drinking she told herself twice today: drinking has caused me pain, it has in the past and it will in the future (until I quit).

Tom gets bored often (which leads him right to drugs) so he wrote down what he planned to do today (instead of drugs or drinking). If you use drugs or alcohol for fun you need fun activities to replace drugs or alcohol. If you use drugs or alcohol for excitement you need exciting activities etc.

TJ hit rock bottom so hard that he will do anything to avoid falling back. He printed out the following strategy:

FIGHT CRAVINGS

Over time craving will go away. Sometimes when you hold out for just 20 minutes you give yourself the chance to stop drinking or drugs. Also, the more you fight cravings, the better you get at fighting them.

  1. Delay – Fight to delay for 20 minutes – you’ll generally find the cravings start to pass.
  2. Distract – Distraction gives you a chance to win.
  3. Deep breathing – Take deep breaths. They will make you feel better and give you a chance to refocus.
  4. Drink Some water or coffee – Drinking water relaxes you and is good for you. Any activity that is good for you is good for fighting cravings.

Remember The Four Ds, they may help with your next urge.

If you are serious in your fight to stop drinking or to quit drugs, you will want to have as many distraction idea’s as you can come up with.

Distraction Ideas 

  1. Play your guitar loud
  2. Play sports
  3. Start exercising
  4. Read
  5. Set high goals and fight to achieve them

But you need your own list to stop drinking or to quit drugs.

Distraction Ideas – write down 5 that would be good for you: include at least one that forces you into action.
The key is to do these new activities and to keep doing them until they become habits that will replace your addiction. (For a list of distraction idea’s I added a link at the end of this article.

Make a List of Reasons for staying sober/clean:
Examples:

  1. To improve health
  2. Change for the kids
  3. To make my career take off
  4. To keep my marriage (spouse wants me to stop drinking or to quit drugs)
Negative Expectations

  1. Drinking is ruining my finances.
  2. Drinking and drugs lead to more and more and more.
  3. My life is just darkness. It can only get better if I stop.

“No man or woman is uniformly successful… we must all expect a rather high percentage of failure in the things we attempt.”
Overcoming Addiction Quote by Barnaby Keeney

But if you use hardcore drugs please don’t slip back again. The fatality risk is just too high.

One key to the drugs and drinking no more program is to not be mad at God or at people who can help you. Let somebody love you and be open to their help.

Memorize the #1 rule for quitting drugs or alcohol: Never give up.

Thomas Vilord said “If you have goals and procrastination you have nothing. If you have goals and take action you can have anything that you want.”

I will give you new things to think about and focus on. I will help you develop a dynamic organized system that will give you the weapons you need to fight your addiction.

For prayers on how to stop drinking click here.

How to quit when your friends drink.

TJ wrote in a notebook what he planned to do based on this session. He determined to do this every day.

For day 2 please click the arrow on the bottom right of the page.

Thank-you for reading day one: How to stop drinking or drugs.

If this article has helped you, share it with your friends.

 

 
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