What are Some of the Different Methods to Stop Drinking with?

For the true alcoholic, the idea that they can just stop drinking is no light matter. Since there are several different strategies that can be used to quit drinking with, which ones give good results in most situations?

1) Willpower - This is essentially the same as not using any technique at all, but only relying on one’s own willpower to avoid picking up another drink. Now this idea has been tested a million times over by virtually every alcoholic who has tried to beat the problem of drink, and the consensus is that it is never a sustainable method for anyone. Ever.

2) AVRT - this stands for “Addictive Voice Recognition Technique,” so this is essentially an example of a cognitive therapy for quitting drinking. The main idea in this technique is to be aware when the addictive side of your brain starts acting up and stay vigilant against it. The you can deny the addictive voice once you are aware of it and can actively respond to it.

There are other cognitive therapies as well, all of them intending to restructure the way we think in order to overcome alcoholism. These kinds of cognitive techniques do work well for some alcoholics, but for most of us in recovery, these types of mental gymnastics are not really enough to completely solve our drinking problem.

3) AA - Twelve step programs are probably the most widespread solution for alcoholism, and because of this, they offer the most amount of hope and the most realistic solution for most people in most situations. But there are problems and limitations with AA as a solution as well. For starters–while it is very hard to prove statistics regarding this fellowship–the rate of sobriety in 12 step programs likely runs around the rate of 5 to 10 percent. To be fair, though, no other treatment method seems to offer substantially better numbers than this, and AA certainly has helped a lot of those who wanted to know how to stop drinking.

The problem is not that AA doesn’t work for people, but only that it does not work for the majority and if it does then it usually requires a supplemental strategy. The real solution for recovery is a holistic approach that addresses all aspects of the recovering individual. This is what’s known as the creative life theory of recovery. Finding your way to this solution requires a holistic approach if you want to stop drinking.