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“7 Life-Changing Tips For Staying Sober: How I Finally Kicked My Addiction”

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I didn’t realize just how unhealthy I was until I decided to quit drinking alcohol. Although some of the noticeable changes happened rather quickly, others were much subtler and I can only identify them after looking at photos of myself before and after.

Right away, my body stopped forcing me to throw up in the mornings and my face became less puffy over the course of the first month. After 6 months had passed, I was very pleased to find out that my blood pressure had stabilized back to a normal 120/80, and I was even able to stop taking one of the medications that I was on for another unrelated heart condition. It took a bit longer for me to start seeing the weight loss results because, unexpectedly, I went from drinking alcohol to indulging in sweet snacks instead. But by the beginning of my second year without alcohol, I had lost a total of two and a half stone.

What a difference it made! My mental clarity returned, and in that moment I realized how deeply connected I am to life and to my loved ones. It has now been two and a half years since I last consumed alcohol.

You don’t necessarily have to have an addiction to benefit from taking a break from alcohol, so if you’re considering taking part in Dry January or simply ditching it altogether and doing it permanently like I chose to do, here are seven essential tips for not only achieving that, but making sure you stick with the decision.

1. Talk to Your Doctor or Other Medical Professional

For those of you who only drink on an occasional basis and have never had any type of withdrawal symptoms, you can usually free yourself of alcohol without much difficulty. However, if you’ve been consuming alcohol on a daily basis, and you have noticed any form of withdrawal whether it be slight or significant, it is important to speak to your doctor before making any drastic decisions.

Some of the tell-tale signs of withdrawal include feeling clumsy or headachy the morning after drinking, and they tend to go away pretty quickly once alcohol is consumed. If you are worried about anything being recorded on your medical history, there are charities or apps that can provide assistance such as DrinkAware or DrinkCoach. And if things have gotten extremely bad, keep in mind that there are also substance misuse services that have been listed on the NHS website, or you can always try Alcoholics Anonymous which now has virtual meetings for those of you who don’t feel like being around a lot of people.