On 12-12-93, I went to rehab. I joined a local aa, got a sponsor and started working the 12 steps. On 12-12-20, I will be alcohol free 27 years. It works if you work it.
Four days sober because of this great person! I live in Butte Montana which is a huge drinking town and i listen to AlcoholMastery and it's first time in thirty years i quit on my own. Your a awesome person and i cant thank you enough!!
Triggers are always why I start thinking I can drink "normally" again. For years I had the bad habit of drinking when I get off work to "unwind". After a few cups of wine you don't want the buzz to stop. It eventually gets out of control.
Its nuts when I do that I dont stop for 4 days and I'm telling u by the 4 day there is no buzz the 5day when I stop and 6 day is like living in a nightmare the last time was 2 months ago im 44 and that's it now I'm done I just can't do it anymore I done that 2 a month for 4 days the rest of the month I train work but when I'm on it it all stops.. The last binge was my worst I'm not going bk I'm I'm training 6 days a week working in bed 9.30 10 and up early it's been the best I have fealt in years.
I've been listening to your videos every day and they have helped a lot. You make so much sense to me. I like your analogies too. I've lost track of how many times I've tried to stop but I think I am in a better place to stop. I like that you say that it is a habit that we can break not a disease that we are stuck with. That is empowering. Thank you for all you do. Keep up the good work.
These videos are life changing for many. I was never addicted to alcohol but I had a tendency to binge drink once I started , now working on not drinking at all. It’s better to sit and be bored and think about what you need to do in your free time rather than grabbing a drink. I was drinking to fill my free time when I didn’t know what else to do. One has to stop drinking for themselves or to set a good example for people one cares about or those who look up to you. You want to set up a good example, that’s a good reason. You want to do more in your life is another good reason.
Thank you Kevin! My name is Scott I live in Seattle Washington... you videos have really help me staying off booze and enjoying life... every aspect of my life has changed for the positive...
What I'm doing lately with my vaping (could be used for alcohol too) is to meditate on it and I focus on 3 things. 1: I meditate and be mindful of the action itself. So in the case of vaping It's the picking up of the device, inhaling, exhaling, tasting the flavour etc. I have a mantra which I say to myself silently in my mind as I'm doing them. So for inhaling I say "inhaling", for tasting I say "tasting" and what that does it creates a platform for you to observe the feeling rather than engaging the feeling. When you start doing that you see the act of vaping, smoking, drinking or whatever it is for WHAT it is. Your pulling it out of the sub conscious mind and putting it into the conscious mind and when you do that you really get a perspective on it that you haven't had since you first started doing it since the first few times you did it it wasn't a habitual sub conscious action. It was a conscious one. 2: I meditate and become mindful of the liking and disliking of the action. Buddhists believe that liking AND disliking something are BOTH harmful since they're both attachments. You do this during and for the duration of the effect of taking the drug, cigarette, vape, drink or whatever. You can't force yourself to like or dislike anything. That's self deception. You DO like doing these things and embracing or rejecting it doesn't help. You simply need to just observe. So when you like the effect just say to yourself "Liking" and when you don't like it say to yourself "disliking" or "not liking" etc. 3: I meditate on the attachment of the drug itself. The cravings, the feelings of guilt, the feelings of wanting, not wanting, This is the hardest to get your head around because we need to accept that we ARE addicted to these things. Self deception is the biggest things holding you back because it reinforces the power this thing has over. It only has power because you've given it power. These attachments where created in your mind and it's your mind that'll overcome them. When you become mindful of all these elements they lose their power over you because you experience them for what they are. They're just momentary feeling, emotion, situations that rise and fall. Cravings are just cravings - nothing more. Hope this helps. It's changed my life personally.
Insight (Vipassana) meditation is what I suggest. I also suggest looking at yuttadhammo bhikkhu for how to do this. He can explain it better than I ever could. It's not about calming the mind, but rather just looking at our reality and how we react, lose focus and become addicted etc.
What a great comment, thank you-that really made sense to me in my screwed up head (I have depression quite bad but haven't felt the need to drink for years now, suicide yes, drinking no. Crazy. My dog stopped me from killing myself, I couldn't do it to her.
My attorney guy once said: "caloz the only way you're gonna stop drinking is if you have a gun pointed at your head!" I took those words to heart. Every day have to remind myself
Every time I watch one of your old videos, I make a personal list/outline of things you talk about and what I learn from you. Today's list from this video was a long one! Thank you Kevin 👍
I appreciate your videos so much. I have a drinking problem and an addiction to kratom and am quitting in the next 4 days. I'm so scared, but your words have inspired me so much! Very eye opening thank you.
You ROCK. Been watching for 2 years. Daily reminders strengthen all of us and charges the battery. I quote you daily “ Keep the alcohol out of your mouth” that is the bottom line 🤪😘
Some great tips Kevin I'm learning a lot thank you for making these videos and sharing your own experience it's really inspired me and no doubt countless others. My own approach is this: 1. Accept and admit you have an unhealthy dependency relationship with alcohol which is no different to any other drug addiction. That's the first important step. 2. Next comes testing your will-power and deciding whether you can moderate drinking to a sensible safe level and have alcohol-free weeks, or whether you need to quit completely. I think this comes down to the individual and how bad your drinking is and how strong your will-power. 3. Once you have decided to moderate or quit you have to stick with it. I keep a journal to record my progress daily and weekly and find it helps identify weak moments and also good strong moments when I resisted drinking. 4. Changing habits. For many drinkers like myself your lifestyle has probably fit around drinking and you always find excuses or reasons to need a drink. Changing these old habits and avoiding those tempting situations works for me. 5. If you drank like me to be more socially outgoing or to get along with people easier you need to realise and accept that is not really you. it's the alcohol. Once you accept that and make a real effort to develop social skills and be nicer to people you realise you don't need alcohol. Yes it requires time, effort and practice but it's well worth it and free. Alcohol is an expensive short-term quick fix and the downsides far outweigh the social benefits which are not sustainable. 6. Think of all the money you save not wasting it on alcohol. Take a close look at how much you are spending each week, month and year. Think what you can do with that money. That alone is a strong motivator to quit if your finances are suffering.
Keep thinking of an Eric Clapton comment who gave up substance abuse years ago. Even after the death of his son Connor he still didn't resort back to the bottle. I always think of of that if I fancy a drink, which is very rarely now. There's no excuse really to cave in the power is in your hands.
Great video Kevin,I'm coming up to 4 months clean of alcohol next week and am 7 months clean of opiates. Everything you said is so true it is YOUR choice. You have the power and you either want it badly enough or you don't,I did and your videos have been an amazing help, support and motivation,thank you stay strong 👊
Very sensible approach to quitting alcohol. Also the Allen Carr's Easy Way to quit alcohol is excellent. I think Kevin also mentioned in one of his Videos that someone who has a cronic alcohol problem should seek Medical advice. That's very true.
I've given up 4 substances in the last 8 weeks, not before a few failures I can tell you. I'm 44 and my alcohol and cigarette problem began when I was 14/15. The class A problem (crack and H) started 13 years ago. Long story short you have to set goals and busy yourself too. Mine is saving for a Van to enable self employment and get out of the craphole town I live in and move to another flat (rented). What do I do in between ? Well I feel a million per cent better than I used to and always look at the negative effect that all those substances had on my life. my health is improving all the time and if I am bored I comment on fantastic videos like this and look up allsorts of self help research I love learning new life skills and building social skills I didn't have before my personality was held back put on pause when I was drinking and/or on drugs ... I have a mountain bike as I have not got another vehicle yet I passed my driving test in 1999 and always had a car and a job but I was a functioning binge alcoholic. I take each day step by step I don't think too far into the future just look to the near future .. my nest step once I've achieved the goals mentioned above is to learn to code /program and I'm going to start using the most simple which I'm told is Python. These are just little ideas that might help others, I am very nostalgic about past computer games and microcomputers so I've started building my collection of Spectrum 128 games etc. Look at what you used to love before you started drinking alcohol in excess. God bless and like Kev says : Onwards and Upwards
yes, but is/was he an alcoholic? It's not that easy for many to just stop when very far down and out unhappy, far from hope, health, no family, no support or help from authorities and health care, . But I guess he can't cover all cases and wants to focus on the hopeful ones..
I'm twenty months sober. I started by controlling the time I started drinking and kept pushing it back in half hour increments. When I felt ready I swapped my drink of choice(lager) for something else I really liked (orange juice and lemonade). I stuck at it and was so pleased and confident at the one year mark I stopped smoking.
You just have to focus on you, your spouse might turn make a change when he sees a change. Basically once you feel strong in Sobriety then you can talk about it but nobody changes they want to make a change, you can't hound someone into Sobriety it never works out well. Main thing is concentrate on what is good. I wish you all the best.
There has been times I went to the bar and I didn't drink a drop when I quit before. It's not the easiest but he's right focus on something else other than what would trigger you.
You know something Kevin my brother quit altogether used to drink and after he Had his son he quit completely. And right sometimes inlife. Some one or something happens marakuls and you quit all together. That's so true Kevin. Well said.
For me the biggest trigger is the place I live. As soon as I am out of here, I feel so much better and don't have desire to drink. So change of the location and lifestyle for me is a must if I want to quit once and for all and get a new life..
If you want to quit Alcohol after years of drinking and abusing it Please go and get medical advice first from your Doctor. Don't do what I did and go Cold Turkey. Every thing was ok at first or so I thought then became very ill after 2 months or so. Alcoholism is a physical disease with addiction and dependency. It can take anywhere from 6 to 12 months to get well and stop being dependent on it but the addiction will always remain for the rest of my life. I have been clean now for Thirteen years. I will repeat Get Medical Advice.
Kevin I listen to you everyday. I appreciate your videos. I'm still drinking daily. I want to stop drinking. I know my future hinges on quitting this... .Is there something i can do tomorrow to make fix all this?
Hi, Great work, I'd be more in if you did not talk bad of AA, though. Someone who hasn't even been there, in it, gone the12 steps, working to understand on a bit deeper levels, maybe having talked/learned from mostly people who didn't really know AA that well, just does not feel so appealing, juste or respectable to me. Some things can't be fairly judged from outside, you have to go in. I can maybe see your point against it, but it's our weaker part that's being addressed, the part that is obsessed and under bad influence from evil powers, adversaries of man. It's for reminder, not for keeping us down and feeling bad etc. I myself agree with you that many can recover fully, but not everyone has the physical, etheric, astral and soul resources to manage like you. Many are too damaged and so alone/lonely, and need the loving fellowship, the sponsoring, the social-spiritual fellowship, reminder and upliftment. Ppl who are socially able and not isolated have a lot better starting ground. I'll look for your start-vids, to see what your starting place looked like. It just pains to have great AA unfairly criticised, 1 thing out of its context. Love and life to you? Thanks.
On 12-12-93, I went to rehab. I joined a local aa, got a sponsor and started working the 12 steps. On 12-12-20, I will be alcohol free 27 years. It works if you work it.
Four days sober because of this great person! I live in Butte Montana which is a huge drinking town and i listen to AlcoholMastery and it's first time in thirty years i quit on my own. Your a awesome person and i cant thank you enough!!
Triggers are always why I start thinking I can drink "normally" again. For years I had the bad habit of drinking when I get off work to "unwind". After a few cups of wine you don't want the buzz to stop. It eventually gets out of control.
I agree its tough when you get going and you want to keep the buzz feeling alive and going on longer.
Its nuts when I do that I dont stop for 4 days and I'm telling u by the 4 day there is no buzz the 5day when I stop and 6 day is like living in a nightmare the last time was 2 months ago im 44 and that's it now I'm done I just can't do it anymore I done that 2 a month for 4 days the rest of the month I train work but when I'm on it it all stops.. The last binge was my worst I'm not going bk I'm I'm training 6 days a week working in bed 9.30 10 and up early it's been the best I have fealt in years.
I've been listening to your videos every day and they have helped a lot. You make so much sense to me. I like your analogies too. I've lost track of how many times I've tried to stop but I think I am in a better place to stop. I like that you say that it is a habit that we can break not a disease that we are stuck with. That is empowering. Thank you for all you do. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for another great video & for walking & talking taking us all on a lovely walk with you, keep 'em coming Kevin!
Thank you so much for this! So helpful! I've been looking for help with this for ages but all I get is religious/spiritual advice. You're so real
I need to stop drinking, thank you for your videos.
I wish you well my friend I got me a alcohol problem
Me too Eric... I lost a few jobs couse of it...😔
Me too😪😪
@@sinialombana2484 i landed a job because of quitting
These videos are life changing for many. I was never addicted to alcohol but I had a tendency to binge drink once I started , now working on not drinking at all. It’s better to sit and be bored and think about what you need to do in your free time rather than grabbing a drink. I was drinking to fill my free time when I didn’t know what else to do. One has to stop drinking for themselves or to set a good example for people one cares about or those who look up to you. You want to set up a good example, that’s a good reason. You want to do more in your life is another good reason.
I agree we have that choice and decision to either drink or not drink. Well said Kevin.
U are truly saving my life
thanks man...day three...I got a long road ahead...your videos will get me thru today
Just wondering how you are doing?
Thank you Kevin! My name is Scott I live in Seattle Washington... you videos have really help me staying off booze and enjoying life... every aspect of my life has changed for the positive...
What I'm doing lately with my vaping (could be used for alcohol too) is to meditate on it and I focus on 3 things. 1: I meditate and be mindful of the action itself. So in the case of vaping It's the picking up of the device, inhaling, exhaling, tasting the flavour etc. I have a mantra which I say to myself silently in my mind as I'm doing them. So for inhaling I say "inhaling", for tasting I say "tasting" and what that does it creates a platform for you to observe the feeling rather than engaging the feeling. When you start doing that you see the act of vaping, smoking, drinking or whatever it is for WHAT it is. Your pulling it out of the sub conscious mind and putting it into the conscious mind and when you do that you really get a perspective on it that you haven't had since you first started doing it since the first few times you did it it wasn't a habitual sub conscious action. It was a conscious one.
2: I meditate and become mindful of the liking and disliking of the action. Buddhists believe that liking AND disliking something are BOTH harmful since they're both attachments. You do this during and for the duration of the effect of taking the drug, cigarette, vape, drink or whatever. You can't force yourself to like or dislike anything. That's self deception. You DO like doing these things and embracing or rejecting it doesn't help. You simply need to just observe. So when you like the effect just say to yourself "Liking" and when you don't like it say to yourself "disliking" or "not liking" etc.
3: I meditate on the attachment of the drug itself. The cravings, the feelings of guilt, the feelings of wanting, not wanting, This is the hardest to get your head around because we need to accept that we ARE addicted to these things. Self deception is the biggest things holding you back because it reinforces the power this thing has over. It only has power because you've given it power. These attachments where created in your mind and it's your mind that'll overcome them.
When you become mindful of all these elements they lose their power over you because you experience them for what they are. They're just momentary feeling, emotion, situations that rise and fall. Cravings are just cravings - nothing more.
Hope this helps. It's changed my life personally.
Insight (Vipassana) meditation is what I suggest. I also suggest looking at yuttadhammo bhikkhu for how to do this. He can explain it better than I ever could.
It's not about calming the mind, but rather just looking at our reality and how we react, lose focus and become addicted etc.
James Carmichael you almost lost me in the first line with vaping... but very well said and very helpful. So thank you
Michael Seally has a great meditation on UTube
What a great comment, thank you-that really made sense to me in my screwed up head (I have depression quite bad but haven't felt the need to drink for years now, suicide yes, drinking no. Crazy. My dog stopped me from killing myself, I couldn't do it to her.
@@lyndapayne3298 I had those urges. I’m happy to say they’re now far from my mind. I hope you’re feeling better
Great video. Thank you. Your videos are helping many people. I don’t want my kids to drink or smoke .
We’re on a new journey - as a couple and you’re definitely helping us! Thank you for you’re willingness to share the temptations and success! 💞
You got this and well done! 🙏
My attorney guy once said: "caloz the only way you're gonna stop drinking is if you have a gun pointed at your head!" I took those words to heart. Every day have to remind myself
Every time I watch one of your old videos, I make a personal list/outline of things you talk about and what I learn from you. Today's list from this video was a long one! Thank you Kevin 👍
I appreciate your videos so much. I have a drinking problem and an addiction to kratom and am quitting in the next 4 days. I'm so scared, but your words have inspired me so much! Very eye opening thank you.
Thanks. You've helped me get my mind set to quit. I smoked for 30 years and quit last year. This is tough though.
God Bless you are such a motivation for me, I hate the taste of alcohol and I am ready ready ready to stop!
You are so amazing... so intelligent and eloquent. I truly appreciate your kind soul, sir.
I don't know if I can do it. But you are like a brother to me and I want you to keep talking to me. God bless you.
You ROCK. Been watching for 2 years. Daily reminders strengthen all of us and charges the battery. I quote you daily “ Keep the alcohol out of your mouth” that is the bottom line 🤪😘
Some great tips Kevin I'm learning a lot thank you for making these videos and sharing your own experience it's really inspired me and no doubt countless others.
My own approach is this:
1. Accept and admit you have an unhealthy dependency relationship with alcohol which is no different to any other drug addiction. That's the first important step.
2. Next comes testing your will-power and deciding whether you can moderate drinking to a sensible safe level and have alcohol-free weeks, or whether you need to quit completely. I think this comes down to the individual and how bad your drinking is and how strong your will-power.
3. Once you have decided to moderate or quit you have to stick with it. I keep a journal to record my progress daily and weekly and find it helps identify weak moments and also good strong moments when I resisted drinking.
4. Changing habits. For many drinkers like myself your lifestyle has probably fit around drinking and you always find excuses or reasons to need a drink. Changing these old habits and avoiding those tempting situations works for me.
5. If you drank like me to be more socially outgoing or to get along with people easier you need to realise and accept that is not really you. it's the alcohol. Once you accept that and make a real effort to develop social skills and be nicer to people you realise you don't need alcohol. Yes it requires time, effort and practice but it's well worth it and free. Alcohol is an expensive short-term quick fix and the downsides far outweigh the social benefits which are not sustainable.
6. Think of all the money you save not wasting it on alcohol. Take a close look at how much you are spending each week, month and year. Think what you can do with that money. That alone is a strong motivator to quit if your finances are suffering.
Keep thinking of an Eric Clapton comment who gave up substance abuse years ago. Even after the death of his son Connor he still didn't resort back to the bottle. I always think of of that if I fancy a drink, which is very rarely now. There's no excuse really to cave in the power is in your hands.
Great video Kevin,I'm coming up to 4 months clean of alcohol next week and am 7 months clean of opiates. Everything you said is so true it is YOUR choice. You have the power and you either want it badly enough or you don't,I did and your videos have been an amazing help, support and motivation,thank you stay strong 👊
Tim Johnson are you still holding on sir?
Outstanding keep up the outstanding job Brother
Are you still on the waggon
Thanks Kevin a lot of information day 3 I know I can do this 👍
2 days today.. Gonna try again.. Very helpful videos..
Very sensible approach to quitting alcohol.
Also the Allen Carr's Easy Way to quit alcohol is excellent.
I think Kevin also mentioned in one of his Videos that someone who has a cronic alcohol problem should seek Medical advice.
That's very true.
Kevin Outstanding videos, Thank you very much and God Bless you Brother
We dont need this fuckin alcohol.. 8 days sober and I never want to relapse again
Also sick and tired of being sick and tired.
Kevin you are a blessing, thank you my friend 🙌🙏
Awesome video.
Excellent, thanks so much!
I've given up 4 substances in the last 8 weeks, not before a few failures I can tell you. I'm 44 and my alcohol and cigarette problem began when I was 14/15. The class A problem (crack and H) started 13 years ago. Long story short you have to set goals and busy yourself too. Mine is saving for a Van to enable self employment and get out of the craphole town I live in and move to another flat (rented). What do I do in between ? Well I feel a million per cent better than I used to and always look at the negative effect that all those substances had on my life. my health is improving all the time and if I am bored I comment on fantastic videos like this and look up allsorts of self help research I love learning new life skills and building social skills I didn't have before my personality was held back put on pause when I was drinking and/or on drugs ... I have a mountain bike as I have not got another vehicle yet I passed my driving test in 1999 and always had a car and a job but I was a functioning binge alcoholic.
I take each day step by step I don't think too far into the future just look to the near future .. my nest step once I've achieved the goals mentioned above is to learn to code /program and I'm going to start using the most simple which I'm told is Python. These are just little ideas that might help others, I am very nostalgic about past computer games and microcomputers so I've started building my collection of Spectrum 128 games etc.
Look at what you used to love before you started drinking alcohol in excess. God bless and like Kev says : Onwards and Upwards
Hope you stayed clean ;)
Great video !
nice one once again
yes, but is/was he an alcoholic? It's not that easy for many to just stop when very far down and out unhappy, far from hope, health, no family, no support or help from authorities and health care, . But I guess he can't cover all cases and wants to focus on the hopeful ones..
I'm twenty months sober. I started by controlling the time I started drinking and kept pushing it back in half hour increments. When I felt ready I swapped my drink of choice(lager) for something else I really liked (orange juice and lemonade). I stuck at it and was so pleased and confident at the one year mark I stopped smoking.
thank you Sir. fresh fruit for rotting vegetables . (quoting Dead kennedys)
What if your spouse drinks when he gets home from work? He won't quit having some beers and a glass of wine. The temptation is awful! Any tips?
You just have to focus on you, your spouse might turn make a change when he sees a change. Basically once you feel strong in Sobriety then you can talk about it but nobody changes they want to make a change, you can't hound someone into Sobriety it never works out well. Main thing is concentrate on what is good. I wish you all the best.
I have the same problem 😤
Same here and it is always a constant temptation, most the times the urges overcome me. 😞
Same!
There has been times I went to the bar and I didn't drink a drop when I quit before. It's not the easiest but he's right focus on something else other than what would trigger you.
You know something Kevin my brother quit altogether used to drink and after he Had his son he quit completely. And right sometimes inlife. Some one or something happens marakuls and you quit all together. That's so true Kevin. Well said.
I've quit several times but I agree with 5 it's you have to really want it. With a full commitment.
Thank you.
Thank you
I'm a firm believer of number 7. Because there's always a trap waiting or some jerk that wants you to drink. Or a bad influence.
Thank you!
great tips Kevin.What football team do you support?
You seem like a good man.
For me the biggest trigger is the place I live. As soon as I am out of here, I feel so much better and don't have desire to drink. So change of the location and lifestyle for me is a must if I want to quit once and for all and get a new life..
Saving money. Is definitely 1 of them. 2 i cant stand hangovers.
20/20 any new videos?
a shitty life can be a trigger...
If you want to quit Alcohol after years of drinking and abusing it Please go and get medical advice first from your Doctor. Don't do what I did and go Cold Turkey. Every thing was ok at first or so I thought then became very ill after 2 months or so. Alcoholism is a physical disease with addiction and dependency. It can take anywhere from 6 to 12 months to get well and stop being dependent on it but the addiction will always remain for the rest of my life. I have been clean now for Thirteen years. I will repeat Get Medical Advice.
'...this is the way I always wanted my life to go,..' ( 14:50)
Kevin. Did you get cravings after the first month?
Roger Elliott i got post acute cravings, so during the fifth and sixth weeks
Are there citrus fruits in Ireland?
===
"...sitting and watching RUclips all day long..."
i think he is in Spain
Kevin I listen to you everyday. I appreciate your videos. I'm still drinking daily. I want to stop drinking. I know my future hinges on quitting this... .Is there something i can do tomorrow to make fix all this?
Why do you want to stop drinking and why do you continue to drink?
Great video. Drinking sux.
Help
Watching this for the first 5 minutes stressed me out.
Which country is he in, I wonder. Looks nice...
Spain :)
Hi, Great work, I'd be more in if you did not talk bad of AA, though. Someone who hasn't even been there, in it, gone the12 steps, working to understand on a bit deeper levels, maybe having talked/learned from mostly people who didn't really know AA that well, just does not feel so appealing, juste or respectable to me. Some things can't be fairly judged from outside, you have to go in. I can maybe see your point against it, but it's our weaker part that's being addressed, the part that is obsessed and under bad influence from evil powers, adversaries of man. It's for reminder, not for keeping us down and feeling bad etc. I myself agree with you that many can recover fully, but not everyone has the physical, etheric, astral and soul resources to manage like you. Many are too damaged and so alone/lonely, and need the loving fellowship, the sponsoring, the social-spiritual fellowship, reminder and upliftment. Ppl who are socially able and not isolated have a lot better starting ground. I'll look for your start-vids, to see what your starting place looked like. It just pains to have great AA unfairly criticised, 1 thing out of its context. Love and life to you? Thanks.
Alcohol is WAY overrated.
Just stop fucking drinking. Right now.
👋👋👋👋👋👋
Why is he walking while filming? It's distracting..