So you want to stop drinking. What are you waiting for? What’s the worst thing that could happen if you stop drinking alcohol?
Most people put off quitting drinking because they just fear something on the other side.
They fear what might happen if they stop, what might happen here or there, what could happen here or there.
You have to ask yourself what is the worst case scenario here?
What is the worst thing that can happen?
Really, in reality.
First of all, if you have any worries at all, any issues, if you’ve got fear behind you, one of the best things that you can do is to go down to your doctor.
Just have a chat with them and say ‘look, I want to quit drinking’ and see what they say to you.
You don’t have to take what they say and follow through with it but at least you can get your worries reduced a little bit.
What you’re going to the doctor for is to see whether you’ve done damage to yourself and damage which is going to stop you from quitting on your own successfully.
Most people are quite capable of quitting drinking on their own, there’s only a small minority of people who can’t.
One way you can tell whether you’re capable or not is to take a short break from alcohol.
Before you even go through this whole process of quitting drinking forever, just say ‘today, I’m not drinking anything’ and go through the whole day.
Don’t drink any alcohol and see how you feel at the end of the day.
You’ve actually stopped drinking for a whole day.
Most of the symptoms of people who get alcohol withdrawal syndrome happen within a few hours, so you’ll know whether or not you’re going to go through bad shit, and when I’m talking about bad shit, I’m talking about really bad shakes and hallucinations.
Stuff where under normal circumstances, you’d go down to your doctor being worried about something and pushing yourself into a worry state where you’re shaky and stuff.
If you’re that type of person, you will know.
Most people go through this when they go through the first day or two, they don’t get any of those symptoms.
The worst that can happen for most people is that they lose sleep and feel uncomfortable, they feel discomfort in their lives.
They don’t like to feel the discomfort.
They feel the cravings for the beer or wine or spirits.
But what are the cravings?
It’s you wanting to do something that you normally do, and you could say ‘I get cravings for potato chips or four cheese pizza’, it’s a similar something.
You get cravings, I get cravings.
When I don’t drink water in the morning or get out walking in the morning it’s the same thing.
It’s discomfort.
So, ask yourself what is the worst case scenario?
For most people, it’s that they go for a couple of days, they don’t drink for a few days and then go back on the alcohol again.
That’s the worst thing that’s going to happen.
As they say, if you’re successful with this, then the worst thing is you lose some sleep for a few days.
You feel uncomfortable, a bit shaky, like you’re missing out on something in our life.
This is the worst.
For me, it’s the wrong attitude to look at this.
You should be looking at what is the best thing that ca happen to you.
Look around you at the people who have done this, who are talking on the website, on YouTube, and you’ll see people telling you their own story and where they’ve been.
You have to ask what the best thing that can happen to you is.
If you stop poisoning yourself, you’re making your body healthy.
You will gain health. Absolute health in absolute terms.
Regardless of anything else you do to yourself after you stop drinking, you have eliminated a massive toxin from your life.
That is going to build you health benefits on its own.
Once you stop drinking, your life opens up in so many ways.
From Day 1, you start to think about how you can fill the gaps.
This is a natural part of the whole process.
The cravings are for the things that you used to do and still want to do.
And because you’re not doing it anymore, it’s leaving those holes in your life that you have to fill.
You’re doing your best to fill those holes and this is where you can start to improve your life, in your financial situation by moving away from a job you didn’t like but you were too much in the habit of drinking and drowning your sorrows to do anything about, now you can start thinking about in terms of ‘this is what I’m going to do.
Instead of doing this now, I’m going to make a positive push towards changing my job’.
You can make positive advances in your relationships, in your finances.
All these little areas in your life, this is the best thing that can happen to you.
You can improve all, not only the quantity of your life but the quality.
This is the main thing, the quality.
By just making this one change, you will start to see a snowball effect in all the areas of your life.
In overall happiness, I think I’ve never been so happy since I was a kid and I had no responsibilities and nothing to worry me, coming from a good family and everything.
I had a great childhood and I can’t remember ever feeling so happy in my life.
I had moments of happiness but overall in general, as a forward momentum, I’ve never felt so good and positive about the things I’m doing in my life.
This is the way you should be looking at things in terms of the positive thoughts all the time, trying to think positive.
Don’t look at the worst things in life or what could possibly go wrong, look at what will go right.
These are the things that are going to drag you forwards and pull you in the direction that you want to go, away from your past and your drinking.
People that go back on the alcohol do so because they believe the alcohol is offering them something they can’t get from the future, and I’m telling you that anything you get from drinking alcohol, you can get in a much better way from doing something completely different.
If you feel that alcohol is giving you the tools to relax or sleep or socialise, there are internal stuff, internal mechanisms that you’ve got that you’re dampening because of the alcohol that you can use to relax better, to sleep better, to socialise better and do anything you’re getting from alcohol.
Look at this in a positive light.
Always try and find the silver lining behind any cloud.
Look at the best that can happen instead of the worst.
Because, looking at these things is trying to find the best possible scenarios, these are the things that will influence you the most and give yo that motivation.
You can be, you should be your best inspiration.
You should be looking at the things you’ve achieved in your life and those things should inspire you to achieve more and push yourself forwards more.
It’s a good life, I’m telling you.
I never thought my life would be the same again after I stopped.
I always thought there was going to be something missing from my life.
It turns out that what was actually missing before was…you know, now I’m getting completely happy with the person I’m becoming, with my life, with the direction that I’m taking.
It takes time to get there, to build up the knowledge about yourself, to get the confidence in yourself, to push yourself out there and start looking at other things.
If you’ve been drinking for any length of time, if you’ve been relying on alcohol for different things in your life, then it makes sense that you’re going to have to start thinking about where you’re going to find your buzzers from now on, where you’re going to get the same things that you’ve always gotten?
Where are you going to find better things?
The only way you’re going to do that is thinking about it.
That takes time.
It takes time for you to start looking around for different things.
It takes time for those ideas to percolate downwards into your brain, for want of a better word.
For you to do different things, to go out and try different things, try other things, and try even more things.
Some of the things that you hate doing.
In the beginning, you will do things purely based on what other people tell you, but it’s not all going to be good for you because you’re individual.
Only some things are going to be for you.
Other things won’t be.
It’s a gradual process but you’ll only get through this by thinking of what you want to do and allowing those thoughts to develop, by main choices about what you want to do, by actually doing things and then by saying ‘I don’t really like this’ or ‘I really like doing this’, then by taking decisions based on those choices, based on those decisions and based on the actions you’re taking.
Eventually you’ll find your way. It builds on another, it builds momentum.
You find one thing that you like doing, and it will draft you off into another direction that you didn’t even think of.
Think about the first things you’re doing, those first thoughts about what you’re going to replace alcohol with.
It’s an uncomfortable time, it’s not a time that’s pleasant for any of us.
It’s a mixture of fear about the unknown and putting yourself out there and having to do all this over again, fear about having to make these decisions and making a fool out of yourself, along with exhilaration about the new life that awaits you.
Look at this from all perspectives, health, relationships, finances, all these areas in your life, whatever it is that you want to look at, and look at the improvements you can make in those areas, and you’ll find an exhilaration there, and that’s what will drag you forwards.
You’ll find inspiration there.
Those first thoughts are going to be tinged with fear but as you make small steps, then eventually you’ll find what you like to do, what gives you a much better buzz than alcohol can ever do.
Because you’re feeling it, you’re alive.
Alcohol is a dead buzz.
Think about it.
It’s all bullshit.
The real buzz is when you’re going around with a smile on your face and thinking ‘this is life’, and you’ll get there.
Persistence is the thing that will guide you and pull you forwards.
Inspiration is also a thing that will guide you.
Leave a comment down below, like the video, share it.
Every comment helps.
If you’re ahead of the game and you’ve quit, please tell the people about the first few days because those are the most crucial.
This is a big community and it helps people.
It’s a chance to help others in the same situation.
Please take the time to drop a few words on inspiration.
Do that here on YouTube or on the website.
Until next time, stay safe, keep the alcohol out of your mouth, keep pulling yourself forwards into the new direction that you want to do.
Don’t look at the negatives, look at the positives.
At the end of the day, the worst case scenario is you go back drinking again.
Once you get the ball rolling on this I guarantee you that there is a brighter side on the other side, a better life to look forward to. I’m saying this from other people’s experiences.
I’m going to start doing this more, putting comments on videos because I think it helps people to see that there is another side to this once you get through the first few weeks.
THERE IS NO PROGRESS WITHOUT STRUGGLE.
Until next time…
Onwards and Upwards!
I just want to say thank you for giving me the inspiration to quit drinking. It has been 10 days and I have even purchased alcohol for my husband on 3 occasions and still been strong enough to abstain.
How much healthier I feel now. Onwards and upwards to a better life.
Thank you
Carol
Hi Kevein, great video again, you are a great philosopher! I really love Ve the way you put the whole
drinking issue in such a holistic way of thinking! That is so amazing and inspiring. And true.:-)
Kevin,
Thanks for the time and effort you are taking to produce these videos. You are truly helping people if they will take the time to help themselves. Great road map.
Brian
Hi Kevin, today is 100 days not taking the drug alcohol for me. I cant help feeling slightly smug Ive done the 100 days. But thats not the best bit.
Getting to here has had its up and downs. The downs have ranged from slight discomfort to the pits of thinking I can’t do this and feeling sad that that I thought failure was imminent and sometimes relief that ending this struggle was imminent and my delight at thinking fuck it I am having a bottle of wine. I even bought the wine once. Feeling a relief at just having the bottles in my hand.
But I never drank it. I forced my self to tip it down the sink, waste of money maybe, but showed myself I meant business (it did hurt) ha ha.
These internal battles sometimes minutes sometimes what seamed like full days. (they probably was hrs rather than days in reality) The feeling of I just want a drink so I can have a night off my thoughts probably being the best argument I came up with against my self. This argument was pretty convincing at the time. look silly now.
But increasingly I have noticed evenings where I watched tv or read a book and I never thought about the alcohol. The last few weeks this is becoming the norm. Going to bed early with a book has become a treat and I really enjoy it. I even enjoy half an hour with my book after a night out.
I am very confident I no longer want to drink consciously or subconsciously
My physical health as improved so much in such a short space of time. Gone from 1 mile walk to 4.5 mile runs. weight has literally melted off me. I am just starting to enjoy working (this is spooking me out a little, but I think I am)
The best bit for me is I see the drug alcohol for what it is “poisonousness piss”, with no benefits at all. once you know that and are confident in that, Alcohol can not take you for a fool ever again and not drinking is a pleasure.
I recently went out with some other couples they all drank I stuck with my dilute orange (simple, cheap and the best drink).
One of the guys got a bit more pissed than usual and was prating about with his coat on his head. His wife rollicking him adding to the general amusement. I was so glad I was sober and could just drive home. I did laugh at his antics but I also felt a little sorry for him. Out with same couples tonight my ambition to be a great example of a dilute orange drinker ha ha
Congratulations on your 100 days Mick