Three Steps I Took to Become Alcohol Free

“From the age of about 28, drinking would incorporate an all-inclusive package of five day hangovers, depression, panic attacks, poor motivation and fatigue. My productivity, health, relationships and bank balance would all take a hit (even if they continued to function).”

Three Steps I Took to Become Alcohol Free

It’s great to read Jonathan Young’s story about how he stopped drinking alcohol in his recent piece for Huffington Post.

Jonathan talks about how he’s found himself in the happy position of not having touched an alcoholic drink for over three years, and in that time, never having had the remotest desire to do so. More than that – he goes on to say that he’s never been happier.

It’s this happy conclusion that had him decide to share his story about how he got there in the hope it may help others in a similar position.

Jonathan says “I was never an alcoholic (at least not in the ‘classic’ sense) – I didn’t down a vodka every morning, wander the streets with a brown paper bag, nor did I sneak whiskey into my daily flask of coffee. I only drunk on weekends and by most definitions I was ‘fully functioning’ – job, relationships, finances, legs, arms all in place. But from the age of about 28, drinking would incorporate an all-inclusive package of five day hangovers, depression, panic attacks, poor motivation and fatigue. My productivity, health, relationships and bank balance would all take a hit (even if they continued to function).”

After attempts at moderation and trying to cut out booze altogether he identified that there was a central belief involved in his failure.

“I was convinced I would have less fun, fewer friends, and would be unable to escape from life’s stresses. I envisaged a future of withdrawn solitude, observing fellow drinkers with envy. I imagined stag dos and weddings where I was timidly sat in the corner, wanting to be anywhere else. These fears often became self-fulfilling.”

Having finally succeeded Jonathan happily observes that “far from the life downgrade I feared, the opposite happened.”

Before explaining how he came to quit drinking he declares “My success wasn’t a fluke, it didn’t happen overnight, it wasn’t a result of willpower nor did I live in a hut in the woods for two years.”

He talks about how Allen Carr’s Easyway to Stop Drinking Alcohol books and seminars were one of the main influences that enabled him to unravel his beliefs about drinking alcohol.

“You may have heard of him through his smoking programme of the same name. Through the lens of his own self-discovery, Carr helped destroy all of the pre-conceptions I previously held so close. Most notably, he argues that our beliefs around alcohol are a result of social conditioning, be it through the example set by adults as we grow up or the marketing that permeates our everyday lives. He argues that all of the things we believe alcohol helps us with, we can do better without it – in fact we already do in other situations, we certainly did as children, and other cultures manage to quite easily.”

Jonathan references other resources and actions that helped him escape from the alcohol trap – the most important point being that he found it ridiculously easy and inspirationally enjoyable to quit drinking.

Read more about ‘How to Stop Drinking’

Read the full story in Huffington Post

#QuitAlcohol #StopDrinking #BeAddictionFree #AllenCarr

From the desk of John Dicey, Worldwide CEO & Senior Therapist, Allen Carr’s Easyway