30 ways to stop alcohol addiction

Taking a Break From Alcohol: Suggestions for 30 Days

Abstinence Assistance

Occasionally, decisions need to be made about the use of alcohol. Maybe you just want a break, or university, parental, academic or legal pressures have come to light, or you believe you just need to cut back. Regardless of the reason and goal, 30 days of abstinence is the best way to start. Even if the goal is to cut down, abstinence can assist with lowering tolerance to ease moderation of use, and your body could use the break. This site is meant to assist you through 30 days of not drinking. When you finish the 30 days, you can make the decision to continue not drinking or to moderate your use.

Why abstinence if your goal is to moderate your use?

Every time you drink alcohol, you begin to build tolerance. The frequency of drinking, the amount you drink, the age at which you began use, and your family history all affect how fast your tolerance will grow. The higher your tolerance, the more difficult it is for your body to gauge what is normal. Most people who try to moderate use without lowering tolerance do not find much success. You are already aware that it takes more alcohol to get the same buzz you used to get. As you build tolerance, you become quite skilled at acting relatively “normal” even though you may have a very high blood alcohol concentration (BAC). Students will engage in poor judgment or risky dangerous behaviors because they feel they are fine. Your body needs to change this. In order to moderate use, temporary abstinence is the best way to get there.

"First, man takes a drink, then the drink takes a drink, and then the drink takes the man." - Chinese Proverb

Getting Started

Everyone pretty much drank alcohol for the first time out of curiosity. Most everyone’s first experience was not a big deal. Eventually, use can become a little more frequent or regular or, for some, rare to none. On college campuses, drinking to socialize tends to be the number one reason students report drinking.

So how do you know when use is becoming a little more than social? Maybe things are happening that indicate you should take a break. Alcohol can be very deceiving and we tend to have stereotypes of what an alcohol problem looks like. However, issues with alcohol come in many different forms. Simply put, the first question needs to be: has alcohol caused problems for you in anyway? The second question may need to be: is alcohol becoming the only way to have fun?

Let’s look at a few scenarios:

Scenario 1:

Katie is a first year student. Her rector catches her intoxicated at an SYR, and gives her a warning. Katie now drinks two times a month and usually has 2 beers. On this night, she has 4 drinks prior to the SYR. Spring semester, Katie is walking back from an off-campus party with friend. NDSP stops her and her friends and they are breathalyzed. Katie registers a .03, and now goes to OCS. Sophomore year, Katie’s friend is intoxicated and hits something while driving. Katie is a passenger in the car and this time she is breathalyzed along with her friend. Katie is a .03 and is ticketed for minor consumption. She now has a legal ticket and again has to visit OCS. Is it time to stop drinking or should she continue drinking because she just has really bad luck?

Scenario Two:

Kevin just turned 21 years old. On his 21st birthday, he goes out with friends to celebrate. Kevin wakes up in the morning downtown, sleeping in the back of a stranger’s car. He doesn’t know how he got there nor does he remember anything past 11:00 p.m. The incident scares Kevin, and he uses a BAC calculator to determine his BAC. From his estimate, his BAC was a .5 with the last drink (most people would have been dead). He has never been in trouble with anyone, he drinks at least 3x a week, usually about 10 drinks maybe more. He weighs 180 lbs. Should he stop drinking?

Although these are two very different scenarios, there are different reasons that these students may need to change behavior. Problems with alcohol don’t always have to do with frequency and amount, but can have to do with what happens when a person drinks. Or, can it interfere with future goals and plans. Do you plan to go abroad, enter medical school, law school, graduate school, the Peace Corps, or government work? How might alcohol violations or issues come into play here?

The information in this site provides a self-assessment and daily suggestions to support your decision to be abstinent whether for temporary or permanent reasons and/or for moderation. Education is also available through the McDonald Center for Student Well-Being, 204 Saint Liam Hall. You can call 631-7970 to consult with a professional.

The following link(s) can help you self assess your current drinking patterns and offer some feedback:

eCheckUpToGo

Alcohol Self-Assessment Online Screening

Additional Self Assessment Questionnaire

Harmful consequences are unwanted, negative complications resulting from use. Listed below are some typical examples. Check yes or no to the ones that are true for you or have ever been true for you.

Social Self

“Social self” is defined as the way one relates to others and the ability to feel comfortable with other people. Initially, and for sometime afterward, alcohol may seem to enhance certain experiences. People may seem more accepting or less judgmental, and you might feel you “fit in.” You may convince yourself that experiences are more enjoyable and conversation more relaxed. These beliefs can help rationalize the negative experiences that might also occur.

Question	Yes	No
1. My wife/husband has expressed concern about my use.	___	___
2. I have changed friends to be with people who use like I do.	___	___
3. My friends have sometimes called me a "drunk."	___	___
4. I have argued with friends about my use.	___	___
5. I have done things to my friends while drinking that I have regretted later.	___	___
6. I have made plans with friends, but didn't show because a "better" opportunity to drink came up.	___	___
7. I have lied to friends/others about how much I drink.	___	___
8. I have upset or lost friends because of my drinking.	___	___
9. Some of my friends have avoided me since I started drinking more.	___	___
10. If I had a choice between being with my sober friends or drinking friends, I would choose the drinking friends.	___	___
11. I have endangered the lives of my friends through my use (driving while drinking, taking foolish risks, etc.).	___	___
12. Being under the influence makes me feel less shy.	___	___

School

In the beginning stages of drinking, the experience and effect can be subtle on schoolwork. However, with increased frequency and amount, concentration, motivation and memory can be affected.

Question	Yes	No
1. I have a reputation for being a partier.	___	___
2. I have come close or have been caught under the influence.	___	___
3. I have skipped or missed class because of using or being hungover.	___	___
4. My grades are not what I expect them to be.	___	___
5. My motivation for schoolwork has been declining.	___	___
6. I skip class more often since I have been drinking.	___	___
7. I can't concentrate on classes as well since I started drinking more often.	___	___
8. The university has asked that I have an evaluation.	___	___

Family

Families may not know exactly what is going on, but they begin to mention changes they are noticing. You may tell yourself that nothing is different and your family is just being paranoid or picking on you. Denial of these changes can negatively affect family members and family life.

Question	Yes	No
1. Parents have asked if anything is going on due to my mood.	___	___
2. Parents have asked me if I was on anything or if I am drinking too much.	___	___
3. Parents have found my alcohol.	___	___
4. Parents have waited up to see what I was like when I got home.	___	___
5. Trust with my parents has changed.	___	___
6. My siblings have expressed concern or seen changes in me.	___	___
7. I find it harder to talk to my family since I have been drinking more.	___	___
8. I avoid family functions because I want to get drunk or have been drunk at family functions.	___	___
9. I isolate myself more from my family.	___	___
10. I have lied to my family about my drinking.	___	___

Financial

Money can become an issue with the need to support drinking or other use. Stress about money can become an issue in taking care of personal needs and appearance, as it might be spent on use in place of basic necessities.

Question	Yes	No
1. Many times, I am broke because I use too much money for alcohol.	___	___
2. I owe people money for alcohol.	___	___
3. I have stolen to support my drinking.	___	___
4. I have put off buying things I need to use the money for alcohol.	___	___
5. I have gambled to get more money for alcohol.	___	___
6. Most of my money goes towards alcohol or I have begun spending more money on alcohol.	___	___
7. I have done things I am ashamed of in order to get money for drinking.	___	___

Legal

Though you may not have experienced any legal problems resulting from your drinking, you may have had some close calls. Legal consequences often affect future opportunities such as employment, admittance to academic programs, or studying abroad.

Question	Yes	No
1. I have done risky or foolish things I could get arrested for while under the influence.	___	___
2. I have gotten in a fight and come close to or been arrested while under the influence.	___	___
3. I have been fined by the courts for my alcohol use.	___	___
4. I have had legal problems related to my drinking.	___	___

Personal

Effects of alcohol can influence your life in many ways, ways in which you may be afraid to admit to yourself, let alone anyone else. You may not always recognize them until somebody else points it out.

Question	Yes	No
1. I have done things I am ashamed of while under the influence.	___	___
2. I have given up interests, sports, hobbies, or other events I used to do for fun.	___	___
3. I have had blackouts or memory loss while drinking.	___	___
4. My memory is not as good as it was before drinking.	___	___
5. I get anxious and sometimes preoccupied about drinking.	___	___
6. When I am not drinking I think about and look forward to when I can drink.	___	___
7. I don't seem to care as much about things I used to.	___	___
8. My goals have changed since I have been drinking or it is hard to set new goals.	___	___
9. I have hurt myself physically when under the influence (unidentified party injuries).	___	___
10. I find it harder to talk to friends/others when I am not under the influence.	___	___
11. I have done things while under the influence that, when I thought about them later, really scared me.	___	___
12. I have overdosed on alcohol and passed out.	___	___
13. I have had to go to the hospital because of being injured while under the influence.	___	___
14. I have had suicidal thoughts since I have been drinking	___	___
15. I have seriously thought about suicide.	___	___
16. I have previously tried to cut down on use because I have worried about what it may be doing to me.	___	___
17. I have tried unsuccessfully to quit in the past and question if I can do it successfully.	___	___
18. I have done things that I am ashamed of in order to get alcohol.	___	___
19. I found found myself hooking up more when under the influence.	___	___
20. I have gained weight since coming to college and drinking regularly.	___	___

Hopefully, this self assessment has helped you to evaluate your use and make decisions that will best work toward your success as a student, as a leader within your community, and as a family member. The site provides self-help tips and strategies that can aid you in quitting.

If you have been a frequent user of alcohol, you may need to have a physical and consult with a physician about the possibility of experiencing withdrawal symptoms while abstaining from alcohol. Symptoms can occur to different degrees based on history and prolongation of use.

Withdrawal symptoms include:

Physiological	Behavioral	Sleep
Nausea	Restlessness/agitation	Insomnia
Persperation (sweating)	Irritability	Disrupted sleep
Tremors	Depressed mood
Increased body temperature	Aggression (in different degrees)
Seizures	Loss of motivation
Increased pulse rate (over 100)	Anxiety
Hallucinations (visual or tactile)

If you begin to experience any of these symptoms, please seek a physician's care.

                                                                                                                             Be_Inspired!!!