Why Can't I Stop Drinking and Doing Drugs Despite my Desire

Why Can't I Stop Drinking?

FDH Team • Nov 09, 2021

After 10 years of heavy daily drinking, Chris felt that he could not stop even though he desperately wanted to. It seemed like he tried everything:

He got rid of all the alcohol in his home to limit his access, but ended up going to the liquor store or having alcohol delivered when he wanted a drink

He tried to limit his drinking to weekends, but when Monday came around, he felt bored and was back at it.

He tried limiting himself to 3 drinks per day, but after the third drink he felt intense cravings for more and continued to drink so he could prolong the effects

He tried to stop drinking by 11:00pm every night, but when the time came, he was disinhibited to the point where he didn’t care about adhering to this rule

He tried to only drink beer rather than hard liquor, but he ended up drinking the beer more quickly and choosing a beer with a higher blood alcohol content

He tried to limit his drinking to social situations, but ended up drinking alone because he felt that during social situations, he couldn’t drink the way he wanted to

Why was Chris unable to adhere to the boundaries he set for himself?

There are many possible reasons. One is that the boundaries only addressed the symptoms of a deeper problem.

Chris struggled with depression and anxiety for many years, which were never treated. He drank to self-medicate these feelings. His drinking was a symptom driven by underlying depression and anxiety.

Therefore, no matter how many rules Chris set for himself, without addressing the underlying problems - depression and anxiety - it is unlikely that he would be successful in the long-term.

After Chris began to address his mental health, the cravings to drink, while not completely absent, diminished significantly and Chris was able to abstain from alcohol with continued addiction and mental health treatment.

Today, Chris feels better than he has in a long time.

Call us today at 773-747-5500.

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