How to Stop Drinking Alcohol Cold Turkey

What Does it Mean to Stop Drinking Alcohol Cold Turkey?

I promise it has nothing to do with eating Thanksgiving dinner cold. It has everything to do with stopping, abruptly, when you come to a place where you can make that decision for your life and effectively stick to it.

Before I go any further on this topic, it is crucial to know that not everyone is medically safe to stop drinking cold turkey. This will depend on how much alcohol you consume, and the severity of your body’s dependence on alcohol. If you are unsure, please consult your primary doctor to discuss this and determine the best course of action.

If this method is safe for you, and you are curious about it, read on. Quitting cold turkey is an effective way to quit alcohol because you are essentially making a decision (which only takes a few seconds) and sticking to it, and that’s the hardest part.

Many people will challenge their drinking habits, or choose to reduce alcohol first, which often doesn’t work in the long run. Once you have fully committed to quitting drinking cold turkey, you can start to make changes in your life that support you in this new lifestyle.

Planning for Success

It takes time to make these changes and for some, great effort. If things don’t go as planned, do not give up. Learning along the way is indeed part of this process.

Creating your success path is crucial in quitting drinking. Understanding your triggers, lifestyle patterns, and cravings will help you to map out how to be successful, especially in the early months. You will be unlearning behaviors, at the same time as learning new ones.

Planning out your week in advance can be helpful. If you have an idea when you will likely experience cravings, pre-plan activities during those times. Leaving gaps in your schedule can be counter-intuitive during the start of sobriety.

Creating a list of go-to activities to choose from is helpful. Some of those things can be free and accessible at any time, anywhere (like taking a walk) and some of them can be more enticing, like booking a massage. Choosing to spend your time in new ways takes some practice and patience. Remember to have grace with yourself during this time.

Knowing your why is critical, and it needs to stay at the forefront of your mind. Journaling about it is extremely important, and you want to include as many impactful reasons as possible. Taking 10 minutes a day to reconnect with this why will help you to stay motivated on those tough days.

It’s also really helpful to journal about the wins, the days after you overcome your urges. You are confirming your decision in these journal entries and building new neural pathways in your brain.

Building a Supportive Community

Having a strong community around you is essential to your success. If you only spend time with people who drink, your chances of success are much less likely. You may need to make some minor or major adjustments in this area, but it will be well worth it, and in time you will see that.

Joining a sober community of any kind can jumpstart your success. Having support, accountability, and friendship in a shared goal helps to strengthen you much faster. You are not only learning from your own lessons and experiences but from those around you.

If you need additional, personalized support, sobriety coaching is highly recommended. This is tailored specifically to you, and your life and its challenges. Sobriety coaches are more often than not, sober themselves and have walked this path with great success already.

You can also work with a counselor or a therapist to work on the deeper issues that led you to drink in the first place.

Managing Physical and Emotional Changes

When quitting alcohol cold turkey, you may experience changes in mood, emotional state, physical state, and more. This is completely normal and can be supported through ongoing connection and support, journaling, and time.

Practices such as meditation, breathing exercises, and movement can help a great deal. Nothing feels better than overcoming hard things, whether they exist in your mental space or physical body.

Over time you will have changed, and the urges and cravings will lessen and eventually be gone. It is so important to acknowledge your wins, big and small. Writing them in your journal is the best place to do that, so you can go back at any time, see where you were at, and compare it to how far you have come.

The Cheat Code Academy offers both group and one-on-one options for support in your sobriety. Explore our website to learn more: www.thecheatcode.academy