How do I stop drinking?

My husband is retired now, and all his past years of heavy drinking has finally caught up with him-he had 2 strokes, (directly linked to alcohol) his liver is a mess, and the worst part (which you dont think of when you are a younger drinker "deserving your after work drink" -  he has developed Alcoholic Dementia, and the neurologist told him he has damaged his neurons, and  has basicaly given HIMSELF demenial !!!

You have taken the first step in the right direction, admitting you know there's a problem and need help! And it IS out there, my husband doesnt seem to think there's anything wrong,even though he has hallucinations, has fallen down so many times and recently broke his ankle, was in plaster, and was sober for 6 weeks, because he couldnt go and buy his vodka!! Please think years ahead, you will end up a wreck, (my grandchildren are forbidden to go in the car with him, he's been done twice for drunk driving) and no sleepovers with us, (after 14yr old got up at 9am, and saw him swigging out of a vodka bottle!!) Get a grip NOW, control your drinking, and perhaps you might be able to turn your life around.

It's a real problem that needs a real solution. You took the first step by admitting the problem. The best thing you can do for yourself is get professional help. 

You wont regret it, and you will live a good life.Husband says I will NOT control him, but he doesnt realise that the booze IS controlling him!  I wish you sooo much luck, you CAN do this, think  of how much you'll gain, and all that you could lose. xx

As someone who is on the outside reading your post, it sounds as if your head also knows that you may be drinking too much. It is tough quitting. But as the saying goes nothing in life comes easy. I'm also a man who took drinking too the next level. Sometimes I think I've done everything I could subconsciously do to kill myself. But I arrived at that point I had to make a choice. Sobriety won out. I really don't believe there is one true way to become sober. But what is very evident you have to want it. No other person or professional can make you want to be sober. I met up with my brother yesterday at a bar. I finally told him what I was doing. He asked if I wanted to go somewhere else but the truth of the matter was if I felt uncomfortable I would not have gone in the first place. To me sobriety is all about being selfish. For the first time in a long time I feel like I deserve good things in life and I finally feel like me again. Sorry to have rambled on. Good luck and God's speed. Matt

In your head, you know the truth or you would not have sought out this website and posted that message

You are struggling with the idea of letting go of alcohol because it has tricked you into believing that it has a positive effect on your life, That is how addiction works. You need a change of thinking

For example, you work hard, you earn your money, you buy alcohol with it, you feel some initial reward, you feel guilty, you worry about your health.....

Just that little bit of reward in the middle there is your sole reason for drinking. You need to have a rethink and, in order to do that, you probably need a lot more information about the negative effects alcohol has on you if consumed excessively.

From that, perhaps you can try and put something else in place of the alcohol.

Do you live alone? Have a partner? Kids? Any interests that you pursue (or used to and could pick up again)?

I'm sorry if all that comes across as if I think it is an easy problem to fix. I know it isn't, at all, and you may need to seek some help in the form of counselling to help you adapt how you do things.

Thank you all for your kind words and constructive comments, all of them are so true and make sense, don't know if I'm being a coward putting a end to this cycle or I need 'that' thing to get me to the place I'm looking for. In my head I'm like let's start afresh for the new year and that makes sense, I hope that's a goal and I can wake up from what now feels a long sleep.

My heart goes out to you.I just recently conquered my drinking problem.This will sound cliche but Jesus took it away from me in one night,when I seriously asked him. God knew you beore you were born,He doesn't want you to live like this.I couldn't imagine WHAT I would drink,I drank a 6 or 12 pack a day!I have been sober for 104 days today,and I feel so much better.There are meetings where people won't judge you,and really care about you. Please don't give up.I will pray for you right now.

At once you can stop drinking because you have become addicted to it, but try to reduce the amount day by day and one day will come where you will not take a sip of it. As well whenever you will feel like drinking just divert your mind somehwere and always be busy in some work so that you will not get a thought of it.