Learning how to stop drinking alcohol for some people is a long and difficult process. If you have become dependent on alcohol to cope; if you drink in the morning or before work; if you are unable to cope in social situations without your "friend" (the drink); if you have hurt people while you were drunk - then you have some important decisions to make.



The most important decision, of course, is to get rid of that alcohol addiction. Unfortunately, without that decision, it all too often ends up on that "slippery slope", that "downward spiral".

Another decision to make, and this is an important one, is whether to aim at becoming a teetotaler, where you never drink alcohol again, or allowing yourself the occasional drink in social situations.

This is a controversial topic. Some people and organizations claim that once you are addicted, you are addicted for life. Just as an ex-heroin addict can become instantly re-addicted after just one dose, so the ex-drinker can become instantly re-addicted with just the one drink.

Other people, such as certain NLP practitioners (but not all), say instead that it's better to aim for choice. In every situation, the ex-drinker can choose to drink or not to drink.

I believe that it's a little more complicated. Firstly, there are degrees of addiction. An alcoholic needs to aim at total abstinence in the first place. Only when he or she has become an ex-drinker, and (with the help of mind skills such as NLP, EFT or self-hypnosis) can have a good time without drinking any alcohol, can the decision be made.

The ex-drinker would do well to always err on the side of caution. If there is any doubt at all, then the safe route is to avoid all alcohol. The problem is not that the person may be irresponsible, but that the first thing to disappear with a drink is judgment (that is why drink-driving is so dangerous). So, after the first drink, the ex-drinker is no longer in a position to judge whether another drink is safe.

Here are my tips for an ex-drinker as to whether a social drink is safe. If the answer is "no" to any of them, then stay on the wagon!

1. Are you enjoying yourself?

2. Are you in a safe environment, where you will not be subjected to stress or bad feelings?

3. Have you coped well with this situation before without drink?

4. Have you learned to take control of your emotions even in stressful situations?

5. If you have drunk in this situation before, did you do so in strict moderation and in good spirits?

6. Finally, are you absolutely sure that you will cope with just one drink and know how to stop drinking alcohol before it has any effect on you?