Getting The Mindset To Change Anything… Including Quitting Drinking

Getting The Mindset To Change Anything… Including Quitting Drinking

Let’s be honest, shall we? Changing anything about ourselves—whether it’s dropping a few pounds, kicking a bad habit, or finally learning to play the guitar instead of just air-jamming to Led Zeppelin—is a bit like trying to herd cats while riding a unicycle and juggling flaming torches. It’s bloody hard. But when it comes to quitting drinking, the stakes are higher, the demons are louder, and the excuses are as plentiful as cheap lager at a student union bar. So, how do you get the mindset to change anything, especially something as sneaky and seductive as booze? Buckle up, dear reader, because I’m about to take you on a wild ride through the human psyche, peppered with real-life tales of triumph and a dash of my trademark dry wit.

The secret sauce, as I’ve learned from years of helping folks escape the clutches of the ethanol beast, isn’t willpower, magic pills, or chanting affirmations in front of a mirror (though that last one might make for a cracking YouTube video). It’s all about mindset. Get that right, and you can move mountains—or at least stop pouring poison down your gullet every Friday night. Let’s dive into a story that lit a fire under me recently and sparked this very article.

The Wake-Up Call: From ICU to Inspiration

Picture this: a bloke staring down the barrel of his own mortality, hooked up to more tubes than a science fiction movie set, all because he’d spent the better part of 25 years treating his liver like a punching bag at a boxing gym. This chap had danced with the devil of alcoholism, depression, and anxiety for decades, until one day, four years ago, he found himself in intensive care, having nearly drunk himself into the great beyond. Fast forward to today, and he’s not just sober—he’s thriving, sharing his hard-won wisdom with anyone who’ll listen. His tale isn’t just a sob story; it’s a neon sign flashing: “You can change, mate!”

What flipped the switch for him? It wasn’t the hospital gown or the beeping machines—it was the moment he realised he didn’t want to die a pickled footnote in someone else’s story. That’s the mindset shift we’re chasing here: the point where you stop seeing booze as your mate and start seeing it as the con artist it really is. As Mark Twain once quipped, “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” For this guy, getting started meant getting out of ICU and into a life worth living.

Now, if you’re sitting there thinking, “Craig, I’m not in a hospital bed, so this doesn’t apply to me,” hold your horses. You don’t need to hit rock bottom to change. You just need to want something better. And trust me, there’s a better life waiting beyond the bottle—sharper, clearer, and a damn sight more fun than you’d expect.

The Power of ‘Why’: Finding Your Fuel

Here’s the thing about quitting drinking: it’s not about what you’re giving up—it’s about what you’re gaining. Take another story I stumbled across recently. A woman, let’s call her Sarah, was once the life of the party, knocking back cocktails like they were going out of style. But somewhere along the line, the hangovers got longer, the apologies piled up, and she woke up one morning realising she couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt truly alive. Her ‘why’ wasn’t a dramatic collapse—it was a quiet, nagging whisper that said, “There’s more to life than this.”

After 85 days sober, Sarah’s singing a different tune. Mental clarity? Check. Healthier body? Double check. No more grovelling to mates for behaving like a twit under the influence? Priceless. She’s even become the designated driver and the last one standing at parties—ironic, isn’t it, how sobriety makes you the real rock star? Her secret? She stopped focusing on the booze she wasn’t drinking and started obsessing over the life she was building. That’s the mindset trick: find your ‘why,’ and the ‘how’ sorts itself out.

Research backs this up, too. A study from the University of Sussex found that people who focus on the positive outcomes of sobriety—like better sleep, more energy, and sharper thinking—are far more likely to stick with it than those who dwell on what they’re missing. So, ask yourself: what’s your ‘why’? Is it your kids, your health, or just the sheer joy of waking up without feeling like a bag of spanners?

The 200-Day Turnaround: From Fear to Freedom

Let’s shift gears to another tale that’ll make you sit up straighter than a drill sergeant’s spine. Meet Tom—not his real name, but bear with me. Tom hadn’t gone a day without a drink since his teenage years, a streak that stretched over two decades. He was terrified that quitting would strip away his social life, leaving him a lonely hermit sipping herbal tea in a dimly lit flat. But 200 days ago, he took the plunge, and the results? Forty pounds lighter, a mind as clear as a mountain stream, and—get this—he can actually see better. Turns out, booze was fogging up more than just his brain.

Tom’s story is a corker because it flips the script on the biggest lie alcohol tells us: that life without it is dull as dishwater. He was scared he’d be the odd one out, but instead, he found freedom. No more waking up wondering what he’d said or done. No more pretending he was fine when his body was screaming for mercy. As I always say, “Alcohol doesn’t make you fun—it makes you think you’re fun while everyone else is rolling their eyes.” Tom’s proof that sobriety isn’t a sentence—it’s a bloody liberation.

If you’re hovering on the edge, wondering if you can pull this off, let Tom’s 200-day streak be your nudge. You don’t need to be a superhero—just someone who’s fed up with the same old merry-go-round of regret. Want to know more about how to kickstart this journey? Check out my free quit-drinking webinar at www.stopdrinkingexpert.com. It’s packed with tips to get your head in the game.

The Courtroom Epiphany: One Last Chance

Now, let’s get gritty. Imagine standing in a courtroom, 14 years ago, the judge’s gavel hovering like the Sword of Damocles. That was the reality for a man we’ll call Mike. He’d been a slave to the bottle, his life a chaotic cocktail of bad decisions and worse hangovers. But that day, walking out with one last chance dangling before him, he decided enough was enough. Fourteen years sober later, he’s not proud of the old Mike, but he’s damn proud of the new one.

Mike’s epiphany wasn’t gentle—it was a sledgehammer to the skull. Sometimes, life has to throw you a curveball to wake you up. For him, it was the threat of losing everything that sparked the change. He didn’t need a fancy rehab or a 12-step sermon; he needed to see the abyss and choose to step back. “Anyone can do it,” he says now, and I reckon he’s spot on. The mindset here? It’s about owning your mess and deciding you’re worth more than the bottom of a glass.

Science agrees—studies from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism show that a strong personal motivation, like avoiding jail or saving your family, can be the rocket fuel for lasting change. If Mike can do it, so can you. Curious about the nitty-gritty of quitting? Have a gander at this guide on how to stop drinking alcohol.

The Gutter to Glory: 18 Months of Redemption

Here’s one that’ll tug at your heartstrings and then give you a high-five. A lad—let’s call him Johnny—was drowning in despair 18 months ago. Booze and cocaine were his crutches, suicide his constant companion. He was, in his own words, “in the gutter”—no hope, no future, just a bleak spiral of self-destruction. But today? He’s 18 months sober, fresh off his second solo holiday, grinning like a Cheshire cat in Lisbon. From contemplating the end to sipping a mocktail under the Portuguese sun—what a turnaround!

Johnny’s story is a masterclass in mindset. He didn’t just quit drinking; he rebuilt his entire world. It started with a flicker of belief that maybe, just maybe, he could claw his way out. That flicker turned into a flame, and now it’s a bloody bonfire. As Nietzsche said, “He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” Johnny found his ‘why’—a life worth loving—and the rest followed. If he can go from gutter to glory, what’s stopping you?

This kind of transformation doesn’t happen by accident. It takes guts, grit, and a willingness to rethink everything you thought you knew about yourself. If you’re ready to fan that flicker into a flame, my free webinar at www.stopdrinkingexpert.com is your next step.

The Two-Year Triumph: A Life Reclaimed

Let’s wrap this up with a beauty of a story. Two years ago, a woman—we’ll call her Alya—was wrestling with alcohol and cocaine, her life a blurry mess of highs and lows. Fast forward to today, and she’s clocked 781 days sober from booze and 784 from coke. Every day, she says, life gets better. She’s not just surviving—she’s blooming, like a flower pushing through concrete.

Alya’s triumph is a testament to the slow burn of change. It wasn’t overnight; it was day by day, choice by choice. Her mindset shifted from “I can’t” to “I bloody well can,” and that’s the golden ticket. Sobriety isn’t about deprivation—it’s about reclamation. It’s about taking back the steering wheel and driving towards a horizon that’s yours, not the bottle’s.

Studies from the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment highlight that long-term sobriety is linked to incremental mindset shifts—small wins that stack up over time. Alya’s 781 days didn’t happen by magic; they happened by choice. And that, my friend, is where you start. One choice. One day. One step away from the chaos and towards the calm.

So, where does this leave you? If you’re worried about your drinking—whether it’s a nightly glass of red or a weekend bender that’s starting to bleed into Monday—don’t wait for the ICU, the courtroom, or the gutter to force your hand. You’ve got the power to change your mindset right now. It’s not about being perfect; it’s about being done with the excuses. Want to know how to make that first step stick? Join me at my free quit-drinking webinar at www.stopdrinkingexpert.com. It’s no-nonsense, no fluff—just the tools to get your head straight and your life back. As I like to say, “Booze is a liar, but sobriety tells the truth.” Ready to hear it?

References

• University of Sussex. (2019). "Positive Reinforcement in Addiction Recovery." Journal of Behavioral Science.
• National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (2020). "Motivational Factors in Alcohol Cessation." Alcohol Research: Current Reviews.
• Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment. (2021). "Long-Term Sobriety and Incremental Change." Volume 45, Issue 3.