10 Things That Happened When I Quit Drinking Alcohol — Talk Sober at YouTube.com

Disclaimer: Marcus is NOT a doctor or a trained addiction counselor. The information in these videos is provided as a resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. Nor is it to be used as a substitute when professional diagnosis and treatment is needed. Please seek professional help when needed. Alcoholism is serious… DON’T mess around! Visit www.TalkSober.com/help or get professional help. 

Three years ago, I couldn’t stop drinking no matter what. When I finally did, here is what happened:  

Life slowed down. In real life, everything was urgent and needed attention, except for when I drank. When I stopped, my anxiety and energy were high, but life slowed down.  

I had to learn new coping skills. Growing up, I liked to drink because I didn’t have certain social skills and life skills that everyone else seemed to have. Alcohol seemed to help make up for that. When I stopped drinking, I had to deal with feelings of anxiety, nervousness, inadequacy, etc. Developing these coping skills were really difficult, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. They’ve helped shape who I am as a person, and they’ll be with me for the rest of my life.  

My anxiety got worse. When you drink, your body and mind get accustomed to having a “cure” for your anxiety. Alcohol dampens that feeling. But when you stop drinking, your anxiety gets high and you start craving alcohol, since that used to be your solution for anxiety. So, the alcohol you were using to stop anxiety symptoms will make it worse. When I stopped drinking, my anxiety issues were really bad, and it took me a long time to get past them.  

I learned how OCD works. When you are an alcoholic, you have OCD. I learned I don’t have to give in to alcoholism. I learned how to deal with OCD in my own life.  

I stopped living in a narcissistic dream world. Ever since I was a kid, the world revolved around me. Things happened to me, and I was a “victim of life.” When I stopped drinking, I realized the world didn’t revolve around me. I learned that other things mattered other than myself.  

Life got easier. Life got slower and easier and more calculated. I could slow down and deal with things as they come, not let them pile up. I allowed myself to have forgiveness and say that sometimes things take a while, and that’s okay.  

I started reading more. When you drink, your timeline gets messed up. You don’t realize what you’re missing. I stopped drinking and realized that I had a lot of time to learn and do more things. I realized I have all the time in the world right now. And if you live in the moment, you have all the time in the world, too.   

I earned more money. This didn’t happen right away. But after my recovery, I wasn’t as frantic, stressed, or worried. I was able to work from a place of abundance rather than a place of lack. Instead of just reacting to everything going on around me, I was able to slow down and respond.  

It was the end of my alcoholic insanity. When I was an alcoholic, my thought processes weren’t working. Everything was about the bad, moving toward depression.  Alcohol controls the way your mind works. In our minds, we have the content of our minds and the working of our minds. Alcohol controls the working of your mind. And when I stopped drinking, I had control of my mind.  

I got a new philosophy on life. After I stopped drinking, I started understanding new ways of looking at life. Now, I wake up every day looking forward to what’s coming next. 

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