Psychologist and therapist Wiktoria Dróżka says that in her work she has met many women who have given up drinking alcohol. They usually want to take care of themselves in a holistic way. – They have been working on their consciousness for some time and are able to admit to themselves that alcohol is not good for them. There are also cases when someone in the family abused percentages and they do not want to repeat this scheme or they felt that they also had a tendency to addiction – he explains.
Some only give up drinking during the week. Others decide not to drink at all. – I also notice that many take breaks. Then they go back to drinking and take a break again. The roads are different in this matter. Instead, it starts with a key thought: Alcohol doesn’t do me any good. I would like to do something about it, says the psychologist.
“I stopped using alcohol as a sedative”
Weronika*, only after she gave up alcohol a year and a half ago, noticed how much others drink it. She herself became teetotaler due to the medications she was taking. After several months, he sees only advantages of this change.
– A lot of minor health problems have gone away. Also, I stopped using alcohol as a sedative and went to therapy to learn how to deal with my fears, not artificially calm them down. It also had a great impact on the wallet, because these are hundreds of zlotys saved – he says.
Is she missing something right now? As he confesses, the only thing he misses is the taste of white wine. – Fortunately, I already have my proven brands of non-alcoholic alcohols or those with a very low alcohol content below 0.5%. When I want white wine, I reach for it. However, I do not miss the physical or mental state to which drinking led me – points out Weronika.
And as he emphasizes, he does not encourage his friends and relatives to abstinence. So she is glad that no one is forcing her to change her mind.
“I think everyone should try it”
Natalia, on the other hand, appreciates what her weekends look like now. – In the morning I feel good, I don’t have a headache, I don’t waste the whole day in bed. Another plus is the lack of a hangover mood – she reveals.
Natalia initially feared that it would be impossible to function normally in our society without alcohol. However, it turned out that relatives respected her decision. – Funny thing is, some people feel sorry for me. And I think that everyone should try and give up alcohol for at least a month – he says.
However, it happens that Natalia has to explain her decision. And that can be annoying. – It’s like everything revolves around alcohol. I remember at a company party when a colleague found out that I didn’t drink and started asking for details, he was worried if I was okay. I felt very uncomfortable. I find it amazing that people worry about how someone doesn’t drink rather than people who drink non-stop.”
“I can’t drink”
Zofia does not hide the fact that she is an alcoholic. Some time ago, she decided to change her life. “If I’m asked why I don’t drink, I’ve answered truthfully that I can’t drink. I am an alcoholic but recovering. Today I know that alcoholism is a fatal and incurable disease that can be stopped. However, he remains an alcoholic for the rest of his life.
Zofia realizes that the addiction is stronger than her. That’s why he won’t drink anymore. “I hope to live in sobriety and not face alcoholism again, because I’m doomed to fail,” she says.
In her case, each day is a challenge and work on yourself. However, Zofia appreciates her transformation and does not miss the times when she drank. – Giving up alcohol was also a decision to avoid certain situations, as well as the company where it flowed in streams – he adds.
“I drank my sorrows”
At the end of March, Ula will celebrate the fifth anniversary of her sobriety. Even though she’s never been diagnosed as an alcoholic, she knows she has a drinking problem. Therefore, she would rather not go back to it, because she has only bad memories of it. “I was drinking my sorrows away, I was a very frustrated person. I was always looking for an opportunity to drink. At the same time, I did terrible stupid things that I am ashamed of to this day – she recalls.
At some point, her body began to rebel against this lifestyle. – My hangovers were a nightmare. I had to turn to alcohol to ease my anxiety and depression the next day after drinking. Then I got really scared,” she says.
Ula decided not to drink for a month. The beginnings were difficult, there were crises. However, when she persevered for 31 days, she extended the challenge to six months. At the end of this period, she could have had a drink, but it turned out that she did not feel like it at all.
– For many people, it is probably strange that such a party girl became a teetotaler. But I don’t care about that at all. Without depressive and anxiety hangovers is great! I don’t drink because I don’t want those terrible states and that life back. Looking back now, I see that I’ve wasted too many days feeling so awful. So I’m not going back to drinking. I just know it’s not good for me.
By not drinking, you can organize your time outside of work in a completely different way
As the psychologist and therapist Wiktoria Dróżka argues, giving up alcohol is associated with many benefits. It gives you a chance to develop mature ways of coping with stress and to live your life better.
– These are benefits for general health – gaining energy, improving physical condition, reducing the risk of developing depression, anxiety disorders, but also improving cognitive performance, for example memory, concentration, attention. By not drinking, you can organize your time outside of work in a completely different way, develop your passions, become interested in new things, invest time in deeper relationships. Very often it turns out that giving up alcohol helps to achieve greater satisfaction with interpersonal relationships, and therefore with life in general – he explains.
Our interlocutor also cites an interesting example from her work. – One lady decided not to drink alcohol at all, because her father had alcohol problems and this posed the risk of developing addiction in her. Shortly after making this decision, she “dug out” her passion for painting, pulled out long unused brushes, went to the attic to get an easel. After a year, she organized vernissages, and after two, she co-created the gallery – says the psychologist. “In many cases, giving up alcohol is a gain of time, saving a significant amount of money, greater inner peace, and job satisfaction,” he concludes.
*Names of all characters have been changed at their request.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
