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Have mental health issues, such as grief, anxiety, depression, eating disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder. Alcohol use disorder is a medical condition involving frequent or heavy alcohol use. People with alcohol use disorder can’t stop drinking, even when it causes problems, emotional distress or physical harm to themselves or others. Whether or not substance abuse and/or addiction run in your family, all people experience increased tolerance for alcohol the more and longer that they drink.
What happens mentally when you quit drinking?
Dopamine Levels Begin to Normalize
Alcohol use overloads the brain with dopamine, while also reducing the brain's dopamine receptors in the process. When you first quit drinking, the lack of dopamine and diminished receptors can lead to feelings of sadness and hopelessness.
Your health care provider can help you figure out if one of these medicines is right for you. They are not addictive, so you don’t have to worry about trading one addiction for another. They are not a cure, but they can help you manage AUD.
More Information About Alcohol Addiction
It typically goes away after 3 to 4 weeks of not drinking. And people with alcohol dependence are 3.7 times more likely to have had MDD in the previous year. The link between depression and alcohol use disorder is complex. With the right treatment, it’s possible to manage both disorders. Alcohol, as we know, reduces inhibitions and makes one more courageous. Sometimes, this also results in people acting impulsively, leading to suicide.
Surround yourself with positive influences and people who make you feel good about yourself. The more you’re invested in other people and your community, the more you have to lose—which will help you stay motivated and on the recovery track. It’s much easier to avoid drinking if you don’t keep temptations around. After three months, I will cut back my weekend drinking even more to a maximum of two drinks per day and three drinks per weekend.
Graduate School of Addiction Studies
This may mean making major changes to your social life, such as finding new things to do with your old drinking buddies—or even giving up those friends and finding new ones. Whether you choose to tackle your alcohol addiction by going how to overcome alcoholism to rehab, getting therapy, or taking a self-directed treatment approach, support is essential. Recovering from alcohol addiction or abuse is much easier when you have people you can lean on for encouragement, comfort, and guidance.
How can I change my mindset to stop drinking?
Make a plan for cravings.
The urge to drink will inevitably come—so make a plan for it. Remind yourself of why you want to cut back, talk to a friend about it and distract yourself with a hobby or exercise, the NIAAA suggests. Accept that you have the urge and that it will pass.