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Quit Drinking One Step at a Time! There’s No Need to Rush – You Have the Best of Your Life Ahead!

by | Stop Drinking Alcohol | 8 comments

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” ~Lao Tzu

This quote is by no means just restricted to taking a journey, but taking a journey can often be used as an analogy for making personal changes.

I often use it myself to describe the journey away from alcohol, or more pertinently, the journey into your new life.

I love the idea of pursuing the bigger goal.

I think that we all should have a personal purpose in life, a goal that is bigger that us.

At times, it can seem very difficult to see these goals coming to be realized because they are so big.

And it helps to think about this quotation from Lao Tzu that in order to complete the journey of a 1000 miles, you not only have to begin by taking the first step, but that the entire journey can be completely broken down into tiny, single steps, one after the other after the other.

It can often seem like you’re not making any progress towards your goal, you’re not getting anything achieved.

This is one of the biggest reasons I tell people to have a goal.

If you don’t have a goal, you have nowhere to aim your steps, no direction.

You must be very clear about where you would like to end up so that first you can take the first step, second that you know which direction you are headed, and third you know that by taking these small steps, starting and completing each new task, building on your previous thoughts and actions, that you will eventually get to your end destination.

Taking the first step means jumping out of your thought processes and into actions.

If you don’t take that first step across the line into your new life, nothing is going to happen.

The right time or the right circumstances or the right mood or the right feeling, these are things that are probably never going to happen.

Now is the only moment where you can do anything.

Right now.

Even if that first step is in getting out a sheet of paper and planning how you are going to tackle what it is you want to change, then that is a step in the right direction.

After you’ve taken the first step, you get confidence.

You also get momentum.

Getting the whole thing moving can often be the hardest part.

Once you have momentum on your side, things become a lot easier.

The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you’re not going to stay where you are.

Until next time…
Onwards and Upwards!

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8 Comments

  1. Sandy

    Hey Kevin, Great video and beautiful what a beautiful country you live in. This is exactly what helped me quit drinking Sept 3, 2015, since I kept sabotaging my hard fitness workouts. It took me a while to realize that alcohol kept me from reaching my workout goals, and most of my bucket list.

    I truly believe that “goal setting” helps get our focus off all the thoughts and stress about quitting alcohol. If we don’t have another goal to look forward to, rather than “quitting”our thoughts will stay constantly on the actual quitting. It can be draining and really boring.

    Goal setting gives us something to look forward to and helps keeps us on track eliminating the booze and especially when we keep a journal. Healthy thoughts toward my bucket list is much more rewarding than thinking about booze all the time.

    Now, it is a walk in the park, but I tell you Kevin, 14 miles a day is a lot, you must feel great, keep on treading uphill my friend. Thank you Kevin, you have helped me reach my goal and I am forever grateful. I did not do this on my own!
    SW, Florida

    Reply
  2. Ann

    I love you Kevin!!!
    Wow, when I found your website I stopped drinking the next day. It has now been over three months and I won’t ever go there again. Albeit, not an easy first two months, but I just kept watching your videos, love that you do them walking.
    I know that you just did one on Never Drinking Again, (maybe you can touch upon that again) I find myself at times thinking Never…but I just go back to your videos. Never is a long time, even though I tell myself never. Twenty years of drinking and tried numerous times to stop. It has been the most challenging, and yet, the most simple thing I have ever done, strange as the must sound. I thank you for giving me the tools that I suspect I had, but just did not know how to use them. Please keep up the work. Because of you Kevin, I have a new life and won’t ever go back. Much love to you, and your family! Great book! Onwards and upwards!

    Reply
    • Kevin O'Hara

      🙂 Blushing 🙂
      It’s always hard to get past any long term habit in the beginning. Three months is great. As you say, you always had the tools to do this.
      Take care.

      Reply
  3. Geraldine

    Hi kevin, I found your video very motivating to get myself back to the health and fitness levels I once enjoyed. I loved the one step at a time concept, it takes the pressure off, stops me procrastinating but at the same almost giving myself permission to just start, no matter how slowly. I recently took your course on stopping drinking after years battling with drink and with aa. I find your approach so much more empowering and liberating. To be honest ive been battling with forcing myself to believe what aa has been telling me I should believe but deep down I didnt believe. Thank heavens I found your course, I was glued to every word you said, no battles, no forcing myself to get it, I 100% got it right from the start and listen to each video daily. A big thank you for your bravery and honesty in telling it as it really is. Now I know I can do this and be happy in doing so. Take care. Geraldine

    Reply
    • Kevin O'Hara

      Glad to help Geraldine and welcome to the site 🙂

      Reply
  4. Pauline

    Hi Kevin,
    Well i found a U-tube video on Saturday 5/21/2016 as i was sitting in my living room searching for an answer to quit drinking besides going to AA which i think is so not for me. Not really interested in sitting in a room full of past drinkers or what ever, listening to drinking stories. I could do that at the bar. I was sitting there depressed thinking, why?. I like your approach of mind over matter. I like what you said in this video about not thinking about not drinking because then your thinking about drinking. I didn’t think I had a problem but the more I think about it the more I think I do. Anyway, thank you for putting this out there to help people move on with there life.

    Reply
  5. Gary P

    My gal loves to have a glass of wine with her dinner and so do (had) I which is what I am trying to get past. I have been 3 months but tempted again by the time in memorial rite of wine with dinner. Alcohol and therefore wine is frequently juxtaposed as poison in your writings/videos. It seems to ring a bit overly in the category of “exaggeration” in the context of wine with dinner. I struggle with that although I have been without alcohol for 3 months. Where have you discussed your position (wine with dinner is poison) in your material? I need some help rationalizing that statement. For myself (personally) as contrasted with my gal, most friends, parents, siblings etc who drink wine with dinner that if alcohol (wine) is ok with dinner then a cold beer is ok on a hot day and then (for me) occasional binging is also ok and then the ultimate result of self loathing, hangovers kicks in… vicious circle. What if one can “handle” wine with dinner? I am wondering about Churchill’s quote at the end of his life when asked about his drinking “I have gotten more out of alcohol than it has gotten out of me”… Is that what wine with dinner folks say?

    Reply
  6. Jeffrey

    i am on day zero, thank you for the blog

    Reply

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