Stop Drinking Alcohol: 5 Questions to Ask Yourself

I met with a patient who, after decades of everyday drinking, made the decision to quit drinking. His decision to stop drinking alcohol was not easy.

He associated drinking beer with many aspects of his life: getting through the pandemic, watching the sports game on Sunday afternoons, playing pool with his buddies, at the weekend barbecue, de-stressing after work. The list went on.

The Most Common Questions About Quitting Drinking

At a consult, one of the questions we ask is their history of negative consequences from drinking alcohol.

This important question helps us diagnose alcohol dependence because it helps them face the fact that they are continuing to drink even while experiencing negative consequences.

Though I’ve noticed that this question can keep people in denial.

“Not me.” they say, “I’ve never been pulled over, or lost my job, and never felt withdrawal when I stop. It’s just light beer.”

5 Lost Opportunities When Drinking Alcohol

In those conversations, it may be more helpful to ask about opportunities they lost out on instead of negative consequences.

1. Would you have called your mom back if you hadn’t been drinking a beer?

2. Would you have taken out your dog if you hadn’t had that first beer?

3. Have you ever forgotten a conversation with your child or wife because you had too many beers?

4. Would you have had a different tone to your voice with your spouse if you hadn’t been drinking?

5. Have you not kept your health commitments because when you’re drinking it gets pushed to the back burner?

You can find more questions to ask yourself in our series Alcoholic or Just A Bad Habit? Part 1.