In the last article (< < To quit drinking, one must first make up one’s mind and set a good goal > >), we talked about how starting to quit drinking. When you really start to quit drinking, you will find it really difficult to overcome physical and psychological dependence. What should we do? I hope this article can provide you with effective suggestions. Phase 3: Safe abstinence Some people can stop drinking on their own, While others, In order to pass the withdrawal reaction safely and comfortably, Medical monitoring and intervention by psychiatrists may be required. As to which option is most appropriate, Depending on how much you drink, how long the problem lasts and your health. After frequent and heavy drinking, The human body will become dependent on alcohol, If you stop drinking suddenly, The body will react strongly, Medically, this is called “alcohol withdrawal syndrome”. The symptoms of alcohol withdrawal syndrome can be mild or severe. It mainly includes: headache and tremor, shaking hands, sweating, nausea or vomiting, anxiety and uneasiness, sit-in, stomach cramps, diarrhea, poor sleep, inability to concentrate, elevated heart rate and blood pressure. Usually, alcohol withdrawal symptoms will begin to appear within a few hours after stopping drinking. The next day or two, The severity of the symptoms reached its peak, It will gradually improve in five days. However, For some alcoholics, The withdrawal reaction is not only as simple as a few hard days, It may kill people. If the following withdrawal symptoms occur, You need to call 120 immediately, Or go to the emergency department: Severe vomiting, confusion and disorientation, fever, hallucination, abnormal emotional excitement, epileptic seizure-like symptoms if the above symptoms occur, Alcoholics may be experiencing alcohol withdrawal delirium, It is a very serious withdrawal reaction. This rare emergency will disturb the brain’s centers that regulate blood circulation and respiration. It can easily lead to death. So, At this time, you must go to the hospital as soon as possible. For some long-term serious alcoholics, Taking medicine under the supervision of a doctor may be a safer and appropriate way to withdraw from the withdrawal stage. Treatment at this stage can be carried out in outpatient or inpatient departments. Alcoholics can take drugs according to the doctor’s advice. And prevent complications and relieve withdrawal symptoms under medical supervision. For more relevant information, You can consult a psychiatrist. Stage 4: Finding the Truth of Life Although getting rid of alcohol dependence is an important first step, However, this is only the beginning of abstinence from alcohol. Further treatment or psychological treatment (counseling) by the rehabilitation department, Can put you on the road to gradual recovery, But in order to persist in not drinking alcohol for a long time, You need a new, meaningful life, Let drinking no longer have a place. Here are five ways, Help you build a lifestyle away from alcohol: Take good care of yourself. To avoid mood swings, fight the thirst for alcohol, Alcohol abstinence requires balanced nutrition and adequate sleep. Exercise is also crucial. It relieves stress, Stimulate positive energy. Consolidate the social support system. Leave behind people who can bring you positive energy and correct your pessimistic views on yourself. The more carefully you manage your interpersonal relationships, The more you will lose after drinking again, This will help you maintain motivation in the process of recovery. Explore new hobbies. Find new hobbies, volunteers or jobs full of meaning and purpose. If what you do makes you feel satisfied, The attraction of drinking will become smaller. Stick to treatment. If you join a group like the Anonymous Alcoholic Assistance Group (AA), Or receive addiction treatment, and regularly go to psychiatric outpatient clinics to get drugs, take drugs regularly, Then you are more likely to quit drinking successfully. Cope with stress in a healthy way. Alcohol abuse is often regarded as a way to relieve stress. In fact, this is just an escape. In order to get rid of the dependence on alcohol, You need to manage and deal with stress in a healthier way. Relaxation exercises such as exercise, meditation, breathing exercises, Are all good choices. Stage 5: Skillfully dissolve craving, limit drinking or abstain from drinking for the first half of the year, Alcoholics may have a particularly strong thirst for alcohol. Good abstinence treatment, Can help abstainers prepare for these challenges, And develop new coping methods, In the end, you can overcome your nervousness and desire for alcohol without relying on alcohol. Refuse the glass handed over in social occasions in an appropriate way. 1. Avoid reminders of [drinking] In fact, Before having to face up to the desire, We can avoid all kinds of [reminders] that evoke greedy people. Specific people, occasions or activities, Is likely to trigger a thirst for alcohol, Alcoholics need to avoid it as much as possible. This may mean that, Alcoholics have had to make major changes in their social lives, For example, we have to pull our former drinkers to develop new hobbies together. Even give up those friends, No more dealings with them. In addition, In social situations where drinking is needed, Learn to say no. No matter how hard you try not to drink, There may always be occasions when you have to face the glass handed over. You need to be prepared in advance for such occasions. Think about how to say it in a firm and polite tone [No, Thanks]. 2. Control the thirst for alcohol If the thirst for alcohol is tormenting you again, Try the following policy: (1) Talk to someone you trust, such as your partner who quit drinking with you, Support your family members or friends, Or members of your religion. (2) Divide your attention. Before the thirst passes, You can go for a walk, listen to music, Even do a clean-up, Or run a leg for someone. Anyway, Find something, Keep yourself busy. (3) Remind Yourself of Reasons Not to Drink When people are eager to drink, Often only read about the benefits of drinking, And forgot its negative effects. At this time, Be sure to remind yourself, Drinking doesn’t really make people feel better, It is only a way to escape. (4) Control your thirst. Don’t resist the thirst for wine. Accept it, Harness it. Imagine your thirst for wine as a huge wave. He came at great speed, Mighty. Like surfing, You don’t need to stand in front of it and try to block, judge or ignore it. But can stand on the skateboard and bravely sprint forward along it. After [the huge wave], You will find that, The speed at which it retreated, Much faster than you think. The purpose of this exercise is to control the desired [trilogy]. Not to let the desire disappear, It is a new way to experience craving. Continuous practice can make alcoholics more familiar with their craving. So that we can further learn how to control it and let it leave the body naturally. 1. Carefully examine the desired experience and sit in a comfortable chair. With your feet flat on the floor, Put your hands in a comfortable position and take a few deep breaths. Focus your attention on your body’s feelings and let your attention wander freely in your body. Find out where [thirst] is hidden. Carefully experience the body part where thirst is located. It is what’s feeling. Carefully distinguish where thirst is located in each body part. Describe them, for example: [My thirst is in my mouth, nose, and stomach] 2. Focus on the feelings of individual parts. Pay attention to the exact feelings of individual parts of the body where the thirst is located, for example: Feel hot or cold? Feel tingling or numbness? Are the muscles tense or relaxed? What is the extent of the affected areas? Describe your feelings carefully, Note the changes. For example: My mouth feels dry and hot, My lips and tongue feel stiff. I have been swallowing saliva. When exhaling, I seem to smell the bouquet of wine and feel the tingling pain on the tip of my tongue.] 3. Repeated feeling of thirst in various parts of the body for most people, Desire comes and goes quickly, and passes in a few minutes. Alcoholics need to repeatedly feel whether the body parts with thirst have what experience in senses and how changes over time. Continue to focus on the [feeling] itself until the thirst has completely passed.
