Know that you can quite safely detox in the ‘comfort’ and privacy of your home. If at any time in the process you are worried about any experience or have had a negative experience in the past, please get help from your doctor or even a local alcohol support group. Punishing yourself for your habit with horrible withdrawals will not help you or those around you.

Expect for the first three days to be the worst of the physical symptoms. Many people have experiences of anxiety, being short tempered and restless and many have had flu-like symptoms. See it through. Stick to your decision to quit drinking and in a week to ten days you will see a great improvement.

Since alcohol has a high sugar concentration, it is helpful to replenish this for the first few days. Drinking fruit juice is the best way to achieve this.

Alcohol also disrupts your natural sleep rhythms. Don not stress if you can’t sleep or wake after only a few hours, this is quite ordinary and will correct itself after a few weeks. Cope with the adjustment by learning some relaxation exercises.

Things you used to find interest in will return as the days pass. Take advantage of them to stay busy. See a movie or read a book if that’s what you enjoy. Make sure to set little goals for yourself that with a little work you can reach. If you want to lose weight or quit smoking, save those goals for a later time as they are much harder to achieve. Your body should deal with only one thing at a time right now.

You may find the desire to discuss with people close to you what you are experiencing and feeling. If they seem to lack faith in you, don’t be discouraged. Those around you also need time to adjust to your alcohol free choice just like you.

The action of putting down the bottle for good will not fix all of the problems created by your drinking or why you started in the first place. You will set yourself up for failure if you try to correct all of them right away. Make sure you are stable physically and clear headed mentally to be better able to work through your issues and seek help from a counselor or specialist in alcohol addiction.

Beware of setting yourself up to drink again. Prepare in your mind what you will say if someone offers you a drink.

It is not easy giving up alcohol, but by taking things slowly - one day at a time as AA puts it - and being realistic, you will succeed.

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