There are many women who are sure that nothing terrible will happen if you drink a little beer or a couple of glasses of wine in the evening to relax after a hard day. A single use of alcohol will not harm, but if the evening "relaxation" is repeated often, then gradually they turn into the category of habits and addiction is formed. Everything happens imperceptibly, and one day a woman discovers that the condition of the skin is deteriorating, circles appear under the eyes, and without a dose of alcohol it is already impossible to cope with irritability.
How to stop drinking on your own
Women are almost twice as likely to become addicted to alcohol as men, and it is harder for them to quit. Usually, the refusal of alcohol occurs against the background of various stresses:
- identification of a serious illness;
- pregnancy (desire to bear a healthy child);
- the need to take care of loved ones (parents, husband, child).
Then the woman mobilizes all her will to correct the situation that has arisen and "forgets" about the need for daily alcohol consumption. Well, if there is no strong stimulus from the outside, and in the evening the hand habitually reaches for the bottle, then it is important to realize your problem and decide to give up alcohol forever.
How to force yourself
First of all, you need to identify the cause of the appearance of craving for alcohol. This may turn out to be painful self-doubt, everyday problems, misunderstanding of loved ones, and much more. Determining the provoking factor is an important step. If the cause is not eliminated, then in the future motivation may weaken.
If it is difficult to figure out the reasons on your own, then you should seek help from a psychologist. In parallel, you should consider what you will have to lose if you continue to drink. Most likely, the list will contain:
- career;
- respect for children and husband;
- beauty and health.
The motive can be anything. It is important that you very much want to preserve the already existing successes.
After the decision is made and the priorities are set, the hardest part begins. It is necessary to overcome the habit, to force yourself to learn to live without the daily intake of alcohol. It will be difficult, because the body is already accustomed to receiving a daily dose, therefore, without alcohol, the first time you will feel irritability, mood swings, and problems with sleep may arise. Overcoming addiction requires a few tricky steps:
- Determine the date of refusal. You can decide to quit drinking from tomorrow morning, but most of those who made such a decision, by the evening, decide to postpone the refusal to drink until the next day. It is better to choose a specific date and set yourself up for success in advance.
- Understand that rejection is not a sacrifice. Alcohol destroys the brain and greatly damages female beauty. By stopping drinking, a woman has nothing to lose.
- Remove all alcoholic beverages from the house. There is no need to justify yourself that alcohol will be in case of the arrival of guests. If the bottle is "at hand", then the temptation to drink stronger. Guests can be treated to tea with cake or cookies.
- Find an activity to your liking. An evening without a drink will seem boring and dull if you do not turn your attention to other interests. It can be anything: walking, knitting, playing sports. The main thing is that the lesson is fascinating, forcing you to forget about alcohol.
And after preparation, take a decisive step into a sober life. At first it will be very difficult and will have to act through "I don’t want", but gradually the craving for alcohol will decrease, and soon the woman will learn to enjoy walks, delicious food, creativity, communication with family and friends.
What to do
To begin with, adequately assess your strength. If it seems that it will not work to overcome the painful cravings, or attempts to refuse alcohol led to another breakdown, then it is better to consult a doctor. There is nothing shameful in visiting a narcologist, and you can be treated on an outpatient basis and anonymously. Perhaps, to maintain willpower, the doctor will prescribe pills or drops that reduce cravings for alcoholic beverages:
- Disulfiram. The drug inhibits the production of acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, an enzyme that is necessary for the breakdown of ethanol and increases the concentration of acetaldehyde by 5-10 times. As a result, instead of enjoying drinking, the woman will experience an unpleasant flush of heat on her face and scalp, increased heart rate, nausea and vomiting.
- Cyanamide. Available in drops. Like the previous agents, it blocks the action of acetaldehyde dehydrogenase. In combination with alcohol, it causes nausea, shortness of breath, and increased heart rate.
Medicines are prescribed so that a woman has a negative attitude towards alcohol. Additionally, the narcologist recommends taking vitamins and hepatoprotectors to support the liver.
Drugs that help form an aversion to alcohol cannot be taken without a doctor's prescription. They have many side effects and, if used incorrectly, can cause irreparable harm. At home, you can drink decoctions that have a similar effect:
- wormwood and thyme mixed in equal proportions;
- ram.
But you must drink vitamins. They will strengthen the body and have an antioxidant effect, helping to reduce the effects of alcohol intoxication. It will also be useful to drink a course of Karsil - the plant hepatoprotector will improve the functioning of the liver.
But it is more important to pay attention to the psychological attitude and firmly believe in success. This will help:
- An activity to your liking or a list of fun things to do to fill the evening without leaving time for a drink.
- A sober social circle. At first, you need to avoid companies where it is customary to drink, it is better to be with friends who love to relax with a conversation over a cup of tea or coffee.
- Small indulgences. Many women have become a habit of giving up sweets for fear of ruining their figure. But a slice of cake or ice cream will help relieve stress just as well as alcoholic beverages, and there is much less harm to health.
- Expression of self-love. Previously, it seemed that manicure, body scrubs and bath salts were an unaffordable luxury. Then it's worth counting how much was spent on booze. Lot? Then, instead of alcohol, it is worth spending these funds to please yourself.
Medicines and home remedies will help, but only as additional help. The key to success in quitting alcohol is your mental attitude. Self-love, new interests, and sober friends can help you overcome addiction.
Further work on yourself
The first 2-3 days, the condition worsens. Irritability, negative perception of reality, constant internal tension, poor sleep - these are just some of the symptoms that a woman will have to endure after stopping alcohol. But you need to set yourself up that refusing alcohol is a manifestation of tremendous willpower and very soon everything will be fine even if you do not drink.
With a complete refusal of alcohol, not only will the impaired health be almost completely restored, but also the risk of diseases such as stroke, cirrhosis of the liver, oncology, and dementia will decrease.
Health
After three days, the decay products of ethanol are completely removed from the body. Although alcohol intoxication still persists, overall well-being is gradually improving:
- In a week. Full sleep will be restored and digestion will improve. In some women, due to persisting intoxication, nausea may appear for a short time, but it is mild.
- In two weeks. Frequent dizziness and headaches disappear, blood pressure normalizes and tachycardia ceases to bother. The woman begins to feel vigor and increased mental abilities again.
- A month later. Alcohol toxins are completely removed from the brain tissue, the emotional background is normalized, the vitality rises. Around this time, the liver begins to work fully, purifying the blood of toxins and improving the absorption of fats. Ladies will be able to notice that, despite occasional receptions of "forbidden" sweets, the fat layer on the abdomen and thighs is gradually decreasing.
- In a year. Fit, cheerful and energetic woman.
Appearance
Wrinkles, dry unhealthy skin, circles under the eyes - a drinking woman cannot hide these defects even with the help of bright makeup. But, after giving up alcohol, positive changes will soon appear. Within seven days, a healthy glow will appear, and the skin will gradually begin to acquire elasticity.
In about a month, the characteristic circles under the eyes will disappear and wrinkles caused by alcohol abuse will partially smooth out.
Quitting drinking, a woman gradually regains her lost energy and beauty. Becomes sociable and cheerful.
A woman can stop drinking on her own only at the first stage of alcoholism, when tolerance to ethanol is just being formed and only psychological cravings need to be overcome.
At the second and subsequent stages, only a few who have a strong will or have a powerful motivation manage to "tie" with alcohol. Most of the fair half will need the help of a psychologist and a narcologist.