The Business Resource Directory have been working on several Health and Wellness topics for our blogs and clients this month. With what is going on in the world today there is no better time to start a new category of health and wellness posts and topics than now. Today I am going to share with you a number of tips for alcohol avoidance. These are tips that have personally helped me stay clear-headed and sober for the past 3 years.
We all know that alcohol contains toxins that can damage the liver, heart, brain, and other organs. But it also can adversely affect your mental health and the mental health of the ones around you. That is why the first step to better mental health is alcohol avoidance. It is the first step because alcohol abuse can be an easy habit to fix. All you need to do is avoid alcohol completely.
While these tips may not work for everyone, they have worked wonders for me. As an atheist, I knew that AA would never work for me and that I would have to rely on my own personal strength. In the past 3 years, I have excelled at business, repaired fractured relationships, and generally feel better about myself and my place in this world.
Of course, this is easier said than done so here are a few tips that have helped me avoid alcohol over the years.
Top 5 Alcohol Avoidance Tips
- Avoid the places and people with whom you regularly consumed alcohol. In time you can start to see these people and places again, but give it enough time or the habit will return.
- If you were a beer drinker switch to seltzer or even hopped water. The bubbles play a great mind trick on your senses and there are 0 calories options available, say hello to your high school waist.
- Find a support system that appreciates you as a non-drinker. This may also seem hard but the relationships you build with people outside of the “party” are far more rewarding mentally.
- When you are not thinking about drinking you are not tempted. Take up a hobby to occupy your mind. Boredom is why a lot of us drank in the first place so replace that boredom with something you love or used to love. Get out that old guitar or sketchbook.
- Always refer to alcohol in the past tense. It sounds silly but it reinforces the fact that you are not a drinker, you were a drinker.
If you’re suffering from mental health issues like anxiety, bipolar disorder, or depression a good first move is to stop drinking altogether. Alcohol does far more harm to those with a delicate mental state than to those who do not suffer from the various symptoms.
If you are having suicidal thoughts please stop and reach out to the suicide prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255 – there are people out there who have felt the way you do and can help you get through it. Promise.
Website developer, field recordist, instrument builder. My background is largely based in design for the music industry; websites, micro-sites, and apparel. With that experience, I bring a fresh approach to corporate and construction-related web projects looking to stand apart from the competition. My goal is to help clients better understand different aspects of SEO and website development; I write short, easy-to-digest articles on search engine optimization and website performance-related topics.
In my free time, I enjoy field recording, sound design, and building unusual musical instruments.
Michael Winchester is a website developer and search engine consultant in Southern California.
Michael Winchester Design | (562)283-5688