Most people who claim to have a drinking problem don't realize that there is an alternative to going to rehab. This article, for example, describes the process CORE, which stands for Commit (Committed), Objectify (Concrete), Respond (Responding), and Enjoy (Enjoy). By applying these simple techniques, you can quit drinking quietly and for free, in your own home.
Step
Part 1 of 2: What's Your Reason for Drinking?
Step 1. Understand why you drink alcohol
Before you can apply the process CORE effectively, you must recognize the problem you are facing. In rehab, alcoholism is considered a disease that can only be treated with God's help. However, outside of rehab, there are other forms of alcohol dependence. One way to look at the problem of alcohol dependence is from a survival instinct. The brain is divided into two main parts, which we will refer to as the human brain (you) and the animal brain (it). Animal brains only process survival issues, and when you are chemically dependent on alcohol, your animal brain mistakenly thinks you need alcohol to survive. Therefore, you can call it the liquor brain. If you don't understand how the liquor brain works, the human brain (yours) can easily be tricked into drinking.
Part 2 of 2: Implementing CORE
Step 1. Make a commitment to forever abstain from alcohol
You don't need booze to survive. Make a plan to stop drinking forever. When you're ready, say, "I'm not drinking anymore." Pay attention to how you feel afterwards. If you're scared, panicked, angry, depressed, or just not feeling well, your booze brain is at work. To be honest, you DEFINITELY feel bad at first. Your body has been functioning with this chemical for whatever it is. Your brain thinks your body needs it. Your body must now learn how to function without alcohol, and learn that it has its ups and downs. Give your body time to learn.
Your nerves, which have been dulled by drinking for a while, are now occupied with various activities. This means that you may find it difficult to rest and sleep for several days. Meanwhile, your booze brain will lie to you. Tell him he's lying and watch late night television until your booze brain stops lying
Step 2. Concrete the liquor brain
The human brain is much smarter than the booze brain, which doesn't understand that you can live without alcohol. You can beat the booze brain by learning how to think of it as an detached part of your body, and listening when the booze brain talks to you. Concrete the booze brain by saying, “The booze brain wants to drink,” instead of, “I want to drink.” When you concretize the booze brain, you realize that the booze brain doesn't rule your life. You are in control and the booze brain is not an internal part of your body. All the booze brain can do is trick you into drinking, but you can beat it whenever the booze brain tries to trick you.
The booze brain will try anything to get you to drink because it believes you need booze to survive. If you're feeling bad, the booze brain will tell you that drinking will make you feel better. If you're feeling good about yourself, your booze brain will tell you to drink to party or celebrate a happy mood. In fact, the drinking brain will try to use any event in your life (good or bad) as an excuse to drink. Every time you think or feel like drinking, that's when the booze brain tries to trick you
Step 3. Respond to your booze brain by saying “no” every time you hear it want to drink
This will cause the booze brain to recoil because it realizes that the booze brain is out of control and that it's impossible to force you to drink. The booze brain will try various devious ways to trick you into drinking (especially in the early days of wanting to quit), but now that you know this, you'll continue to be aware of the trick. Remember that any thought or feeling that prompts you to drink is when the booze brain is working. When you do, just say, "I'm not going to drink," and continue with what you're doing. Don't argue with the booze brain. Just say you won't drink.
- If your friend offers you a drink, say, "No thanks, I'm going to stop." You can also say, "I'm drinking less," or even just, "No thanks," if you don't want to elaborate. However, if your relatives or people around you tend to drink frequently, you might want to talk to them openly so they can support you by drinking in your presence. If they don't support your decision, make new friends.
- Your booze brain will become more and more desperate over time and bother you less and less. You'll soon become an expert at dealing with the liquor brain, making it easier for you not to drink.
Step 4. Enjoy your recovery from alcohol dependence
When you decide to stop drinking for good, one of the first difficulties you will face is going about your daily activities without alcohol. If you're just sitting at home doing nothing, your booze brain will tell you to drink. If that's the case, stopping it will be very difficult because your human brain is inactive. This is why you need to do something to occupy the human brain. Find (or rediscover) a hobby that you can use to spend your time with. Get your body fit, fix an old car, or make a new relationship. Learn to cook, play an instrument, make up, or travel with friends (no booze). Write helpful articles on wikiHow. Set aside the money you would normally use to buy liquor and watch your piggy bank get full. Celebrate every moment you stop drinking, whether it's a week or a decade. Your life will continue to improve from here on.
- Don't be afraid to fail or relapse. The fear is caused by the booze brain at work, trying to give a reason to give up.
- Eventually, the CORE process will become automated. This means you don't have to try hard not to drink. You may feel bad, angry, sad, or depressed every now and then, but that's normal. If the booze brain tries to use those feelings as an excuse to drink, you already know its trick and how to deal with it. You're better, smarter, funnier, smarter and even bolder when it comes to booze brains!
Tips
- The CORE process can be applied to other substance dependence besides alcohol. This technique can be applied to overcome addictions to cigarettes, prescription drugs, narcotics, and other harmful substances. When it comes to quitting something, all dependencies work the same way. Just replace words like “alcohol” and “booze” with words that relate to your addiction, whatever it is. You don't have to take drugs or other harmful substances that you don't want to take. The CORE process and similar approaches can help you learn to be in control immediately with minimal effort. Addiction is a strong opponent, but knowledge is your strength.
- Technically, the human brain is called the neocortex, and the animal brain (aka the liquor brain) is called the midbrain. The neocortex is a complex and conscious part of the brain. It's the part of the brain that makes you feel individual and who you are. The midbrain, on the other hand, is the unconscious part of the brain that regulates all the survival functions like breathing, eating, sexual intercourse, etc. When you depend on alcohol, liquor becomes one of the midbrain's motivation to keep you alive. However, the midbrain only makes you drink if you make a conscious decision to drink. This decision making takes place in the neocortex. If (your) neocortex studies how the midbrain works, the midbrain becomes powerless to make you drink more liquor. You control your body and you can stop.
- Your friends may also make you feel guilty for not drinking. It's the booze brain. Ignore it.
- Find something you can be addicted to other than alcohol. You can jog or walk on the treadmill and chat with friends. You can ride a bicycle, along the natural scenery near the house. Exhaust you physically with a deep need for fresh air and water. You may find a new opportunity to start a healthy lifestyle.
Warning
- If you have a very severe alcohol dependence and stop drinking completely for some time without medical or social support, but then choose to drink again, there is a good chance you will drink more than before. It's your booze brain's way of compensating for the amount of booze you've missed during quitting. Do not do this under any circumstances. This can lead to alcohol poisoning, liver failure, and even death.
- If you have a very severe alcohol dependence, you may want to go to a detox center for a few days to avoid developing any health problems. However, if you feel that rehab isn't right for you, don't let a detox center enroll you in an addiction treatment program after the physical symptoms have stopped. Almost all treatment programs are based on a 12-step rehabilitation center. Go home, apply the CORE process, and don't drink.
