The medical fact is that once someone is addicted to alcohol they can never drink again. I have had conversations with many that have achieved lasting sobriety, some with decades of sobriety, only to drink again. Every time they explained to me that their experience was worse than before. Sometimes their experiences were not that bad to begin with but every time it eventually got much worse than before.
The other thing I found most interesting and scary is that those that had achieved lasting sobriety only to drink again explained to me that they did not feel that when they started drinking again it didn’t feel like they started where they left off when they quit, when they started drinking again it felt as if they had never stopped, super scary! That is why I never want to test drinking again and will do whatever I have to do to remain sober.
No alcohol of any kind in your home, this includes medicines that contain alcohol and foods that contain alcohol, it is imperative to read labels. For instance pure vanilla extract is required to be made from 35% alcohol.
No drinking nonalcoholic beer or wine. Many nonalcoholic beers and wines contain a little alcohol, usually around 0.5% alcohol.
No eating foods that contain alcohol or sauces with alcohol. Generally speaking alcohol will be cooked out of foods when they are cooked but if it’s not cooked enough there will still be alcohol present. In a restaurant they are often busy and may not have the time to cook out the alcohol.
The problem with ingesting items with low alcohol content for a person with an alcohol addiction is psychologically speaking when one drinks nonalcoholic drinks they may get the feeling that they are drinking the real thing and thus become ambivalent about drinking the real thing. They may then justify drinking the real thing. Also when drinking nonalcoholic drinks in public one may mistakenly pick up the wrong drink. Physically speaking any amount of alcohol for someone with an addiction can trigger the craving that is associated with someone in active alcoholic behavior.
Try to have certain completely nonalcoholic beverages that you can drink throughout a day. Always try to drink lots of water. Sodas are better then alcohol but they contain a lot of calories. Diet sodas are also better then alcohol but contain a lot of chemicals. Juices are good to help with some of the sugar cravings associated with early sobriety but they do contain a lot of calories so moderation is helpful.
Some examples of good drinks to have in sobriety, water, ice water, sparkling water, unsweetened iced tea, coffee, hot tea, ice water with fresh lemon juice, the list goes on and on.
Have a few “special occasion” no alcohol drinks that you can order when going out. Examples include; Thai iced tea, Roy Rogers, Shirley Temple, Kiwi ginger spritzer, most mixed drinks can be made virgin, you just have to be very careful to make sure there is no alcohol in them.
I don’t go to bars
If I’m going out to eat dinner I make sure we don’t sit in the bar
Many recovering alcoholics stay out of the alcohol and beer aisles at markets
One must be realistic about their alcoholism. One may crave an alcoholic drink, even long after becoming sober. We alcoholics must understand that this may happen for no known reason. One needs to have the right tools to deal with the craving. Someone to call, something nonalcoholic to drink, somewhere to go like a meeting, meditation, prayer. Usually one just needs around 15 minutes to get over a craving. The key is to pause and not drink.
Try to avoid situations that might trigger a craving. Stressful situations like; bars, parties, alcohol aisles in markets, celebration activities which may include alcohol, friends or family that may be drinking.
A good way to avoid stressful situations is to try to simplify life. Way easier said than done. But usually living a sober life usually will become less stressful all by itself.
Try not to let overwhelming problems become too stressful. Once again sometimes easier said than done. It can help by trying to understand that you may only have a limited amount of control over the situation. Try to take care of only the things you have control over. Try to take care of things just a little bit at a time. A little work on a daily basis will produce huge results.