Alcohol Abuse Prevention Strategies that Work

Adopting these strategies can help you start to live a healthy, alcohol-free life.

If you are a recovering alcoholic or a person that has a difficult time drinking alcohol in moderation you may be trying to figure out the best alcohol abuse prevention strategy. The best way to avoid alcohol abuse is to remain abstinent from the substance and avoid the temptation of drinking all together. However, that can be a complicated task being that alcohol highly present in many activities that you may not want to exclude yourself from. So the question remains…what is the best alcohol prevention strategy?

Strategies for Alcohol Abuse Prevention

There is no right answer for alcohol abuse prevention because different strategies will work for different people. But, one aspect of alcohol abuse prevention that is certain is that if you wish to avoid alcohol abuse you will need to inform the people that you are close with about your goal.

Informing your family and friends, and even coworkers of your goals will help you to be able to avoid the temptation of drinking alcohol. If the people close to you know of your goal to stop or cut back drinking they will be reluctant to drink around you and instead of doing activities with you that include drinking they will most likely do other activities that are alcohol free.

Unfortunately some people lose friends when they stop drinking because some friends are not as supportive as others, but your health is more important than friends who only wish to hang with you if you drink.

According to www.helpguide.org, an important strategy to stay sober if you have stopped drinking is to build your support network. Surround yourself with positive influences and people who make you feel good about yourself. The more you’re invested in other people and your community, the more you have to lose, which will help you stay motivated and on the recovery track.

Other strategies you should do to help you avoid alcohol abuse area:

• Stay clear of bars and places that serve alcohol for a while: If you are stopping drinking do not place yourself in a situation where you know alcohol will be present
• Take up a hobby: Retract back to a hobby you used to do before you began drinking or find a new hobby; exercising may not be your favorite thing to do but it releases endorphins which cause people to feel more happy
• Join a support group: Support groups like AA encourage people to stay away from alcohol and are a safe environment for people to go to make new friends without the use of alcohol, and AA is completely free
• Set clear and concise goals for yourself that are realistic: Whether you are cutting back or stopping drinking you should set clear dates, times and objectives that are doable for yourself to accomplish without causing too much stress

According to www.dosomething.org, alcohol abuse is the third leading cause of death in America. Alcohol abuse prevention is an important step for you to take for your health and although your strategies for prevention may continue to change you should keep trying until you find the right strategies that work best for you.