How to Remember that I Want to Stop Drinking?

In addition to starting with AA meetings and seeking a sponsor so that you have someone to call when urges hit, you can also make new and different choices.  I know that this sounds easier said than done, but there is no magic bullet. 

You may need to be in a rehab center, in order to detox your system, and start from a clean slate.

I don't know how long you've been drinking, but clearly this doesn't sound like a new habit.  Let's start with some clearly defined steps you can choose to take:

1. In patient detox- rehab... even without ins. there are hospitals that will accept charity care, or emergency in-pt. service
2. Out pt. AA meetings... Depending on where you live there are often many meetings offered at various times of day and night. You can check on-line for local mtgs times and locations.
3. Think about times when you were sober and you handled your life... maybe not great, but you were sober.  Part of deciding to be sober, means you have to be willing to face yourself, your challenges, your fears with trust that you can, in fact cope.
4. When urges to drink hit, you need to have someone to call who will support you in being sober.  That means that you can't call your friends with whom you grab a beer.  Who else is in your life who you can call???
5. Are you really ready to be sober?  You started drinking for a reason... Are you ready to look at those reasons and make new decisions?
6. Please know that the purpose of any addiction is to keep us away from our feelings...What feelings seem so overwhelming to you that you are desperately trying to drown them?  Trust me, you won't drown them, your feelings will  just become better swimmers.
7. There are no tricks, there's just a simple basic willingness to face the truth that no matter what has happened in your life, Who You Are is worth fighting for, taking care of... that's the core decision you have to make... Are you willing to take care ofand love, respect and nurture yourself into health...
8. Whether it's me, a sponsor a rehab center a doctor, etc... no one can care for you more than you do.  I'm willing to offer you the support, guidance, strategies and tools necessary to live a sober and more fulfilling life, but the work is yours...
9. Stop, breathe & Focus... each and every time you feel an urge to drink... this will give you the time you may need to make a different choice.

I hope that some of these suggestions will prove to be helpful as you embark on a new path in your life...Wishing you the best, Loren