How I Quit Drinking Alcohol

Now this is the LONG answer...

You may have heard the term alcoholic thrown around by people you know. “So’n'so’s an alcoholic…, they’re going off the rails”. 

You may be wondering, “Shit, am I an alcoholic? How do I know?” 

I know I was asking myself the same questions when I was depressed, lonely and at the peak of my drinking career. I considered going to AA to find out because I wasn’t really sure… I’m so glad I didn’t!

While this term, alcoholism, gets thrown around, not many people actually know what the term alcoholic or alcoholism really means.

So what is an "alcoholic" anyways? 

Google says an alcoholic is a person who is suffering from alcoholism.
And alcoholism is the addiction to the consumption of an alcoholic drink.

Ok. Fair enough! That makes sense.

However, this is just one definition…

The Alcoholics Anonymous definition of alcoholism "is an illness which only a spiritual experience will conquer’ and ' that can never be “cured”. Whoa!

This has helped many people to create relationships with a “Higher Power” in order to give them the strength they need to manage their illness. Yes, this has worked for some to stop drinking. However, I know many people who have not drunk for over 10 years and STILL call themselves a recovering alcoholic! 

Wouldn’t you rather just want to be a person who doesn’t drink alcohol?

What are the consequences of calling someone an alcoholic?

• It allows us to put people into boxes… and people LOVE to put other people into boxes. Eg. You’re either an alcoholic or you're not an alcoholic. 
• It helps us form false judgements about people “Stay away from them, they’re a crazy alcoholic” (picture in mind, dishevelled, homeless, creepy, hopeless etc)
• It can give the person being called an alcoholic an excuse as to why they drink so much “I have a disease, I can’t help it”
• It can give the person being called an alcoholic feel helpless “Why try to quit when it’s incurable?”
• It can allow the person being called an alcoholic to form beliefs around why they cannot change “There is something wrong with me, I’m damaged"

For this reason, I personally don’t agree with the term alcoholic at all. Why does it needs its own special name anyways?

People can become addicted to ANYTHING in order to change the way they feel and solve their problems, whether it be social anxiety, loneliness, frustration, despair, regret, exhaustion etc. People can be addicted to alcohol, the same way another person is addicted to smoking cigarettes, eating sugar, playing video games, watching TV, creating drama, playing the victim etc.

We don’t call people Cigerette-aholics, Cocaine-aholics, Heroine-aholics, SocialMedia-holics… and tell them it’s an incurable disease that they were born with and they will never be cured!!

People become addicted to alcohol because it changes how we FEEL really well... it’s readily available, it’s socially accepted and it’s encouraged in many cultures! I’m not saying it’s resourceful, ecological or sustainable… but if it didn’t work we wouldn’t be using it!

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So what terms do we use instead?

Facts! 

For example...

Addiction: the fact or condition of being addicted to a particular substance or activity.

Also, I would encourage the use of language that presupposes that we are powerful (which we all are, more than you could imagine!)

For example, "I’m addicted to drinking alcohol"…

...or even better… “I have been addicted to alcohol in the past and now I am finding more resourceful ways to manage myself... (have fun, feel better, socialise, enjoy life, solve my problems, end the day, sleep well etc.)”

…or even better… “I used to be addicted to drinking alcohol, and now I am not! Now I choose to drink water/tea/juice/mocktails”

I know this is easier said than done, but it’s a more empowering step than “I’m an alcoholic”...

If someone calls you or someone else an alcoholic, it’s up to you what you decide to believe. No one can ever tell you what to believe. Only YOU can tell you what to believe.

Task: Choose to only accept beliefs that empower you and use language that presupposes you have choices.

Back to the question at hand… Am I an Alcoholic?

Answer… YOU DECIDE!! :)

I’d love to hear your opinion!