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You Have The Motivation You Need To Quit Drinking

Sober January, where people resolve to either drink less or stop drinking entirely during the first month of the year, is an increasingly popular trend. However, many participants do not achieve their stated goal, despite their motivation to quit drinking. In fact, those who try to cut back on their alcohol intake at any point during the year often fail.

A recent British study conducted by the University of Bristol attempted to discover if those who were motivated to stop or reduce alcohol consumption actually did. One of the primary goals was to see if motivation alone would result in a reduction in actual consumption. The results were far from ideal.

Dr. Frank de Vocht, Senior Lecturer in Epidemiology and Public Health Research at Bristol Medical School, led the study, which was funded by the NIHR School for Public Health Research. 2,928 at-risk drinkers were interviewed. Of those, approximately 20 percent said that they wanted to reduce or eliminate drinking. They gave many reasons why they wished to cut back on alcohol use. Some of the most commonly cited included a desire to lose weight, become more physically fit and attractive, reduce their spending in order to save money, and to avoid or reduce the severity of various medical issues.

Participants were then interviewed six months later to find out if they had actually reduced the amount of alcohol that they consumed. The average drinker who was motivated to stop drinking didn’t reduce their drinking by any more than the average drinker who was not motivated to stop drinking. These findings strongly suggest that motivation alone is not enough to cut back on drinking; something more is necessary. They also suggest that factors other than motivation to quit drinking, such as financial and life circumstances, have a greater influence on the reduction of alcohol consumption.

Help Is Out There

Luckily, the something more necessary to quit drinking is out there. There are thousands of alcohol rehab treatment centers out there that are dedicated to helping you or your loved one find the road to recovery. Alcohol rehab, in particular inpatient rehab, is the most proven method of helping alcohol abusers achieve and maintain sobriety.

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There are many advantages to attending a treatment facility. Perhaps most importantly, medically supervised detox is considerably safer and more comfortable than unsupervised detox, which in the case of alcohol can be extremely dangerous, and even deadly in some cases. Additionally, the many therapies provided by top-notch rehabs allow patients to uncover and work through any underlying issues behind a patient’s alcoholism, including co-occurring mental disorders. Rehabs also teach a number of life and sobriety skills that will help a patient maintain their sobriety going forward.

For more information on treatment options, contact a treatment provider today.