How long until I stop thinking about alcohol?

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e do give me a follow if you want to hear more about that process … I’ll get to writing it as soon as I have a spare moment).Around Day 10 I stared feeling the full benefits of the new lifestyle. <a href="https://readmedium.com/four-positive-changes-ive-noticed-10-days-after-quitting-caffeine-20cadbfe5435">I wrote this article about Day 10 without caffeine</a>, which I quit at the same time, but all of the good feelings described in there apply to getting off the drink too.<figure id="013d"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*vKPpzOgNWmrgCKxi3Dl0uQ.jpeg"><figcaption>Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@anthonytori?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Anthony Tori</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/thinking?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure><h1 id="33ff">The return of mental clarity</h1>I really can’t say enough about the mental clarity that comes with not having to build your day and emotions around when’s the next time you can take your drug. The pace at which I’m writing articles here is a testament to that. Zero chance I’d have close to 20 bylines to my name in a little more than a week.So, if you’re thinking of dropping booze from your life, take heart: freedom isn’t as far away as you think. I can personally vouch for feeling a lot better after 14 days or so. And I think you’ll find that a whole new world opens up to you at t

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hat point.Hey, I hope you enjoyed this article and thank you for reading this far! If you did find it encouraging, please give it a clap and make it easier for others to find it. Also, if you’re interested, check out the other pieces I wrote this week on quitting drinking:<ul><li><a href="https://readmedium.com/why-i-finally-decided-to-quit-drinking-alcohol-39862c8ad68e">Why I finally decided to quit drinking alcohol</a></li><li><a href="https://readmedium.com/what-musician-james-taylor-taught-me-about-sobriety-and-myself-11c54c131442">What musician James Taylor taught me about sobriety — and myself</a></li><li><a href="https://readmedium.com/six-ways-alcohol-is-destroying-your-health-262d57c550f4">Six ways alcohol is destroying your health</a></li><li><a href="https://readmedium.com/quitting-alcohol-gives-you-hours-back-every-day-what-are-you-going-to-do-with-them-d574a09e139c">Quitting alcohol gives you hours of your life back every day — what are you going to do with them?</a></li></ul>Have you found Medium via this story but aren’t yet a member? Did you know membership starts at just $5 a month (and you can cancel any time)? There’s no risk and you get access to all Medium has to offer. To continue reading stories like this and give me a ‘lil kickback, <a href="https://jamesjulianwrites.medium.com/membership">please consider supporting this publication directly by using my link to sign up!</a> You can also leave a tip using the button below if you enjoyed this article!</article></body>

How long until I stop thinking about alcohol?

I’m sure a lot of you are wondering how long it takes for thoughts of drinking alcohol to stop dominating your mind after you quit.

I know it’s probably different for each and every one of us and is dependent on many factors, but I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly my mental bandwidth was freed up to focus on more productive things.

It was definitely a lovely experience to reach the end of a day and suddenly realize: “hey, that’s weird. I have zero interest in drinking.”

Finally, freedom

Today marks 17 days since I decided to quit drinking alcohol. I can honestly say that, as of this writing, the pull toward the liquor store has completely disappeared.

Believe me, I’ve read A LOT of content and listened to a lot of audiobooks about quitting. Numerous authors have stated that it usually takes about 14 days for you to completely exit withdrawals and free up your brain.

I can vouch for that timeline. In retrospect, I think the last time I thought about drinking as any kind of a possibility or desire was a few days ago. Since then, the only time it has crossed my mind is when I write about it here.

That said, the first two weeks were really, really tough. I needed all the tools at my disposal and did all kinds of mental gymnastics to get myself through the first week or so as my body adjusted to its new chemical balance (please do give me a follow if you want to hear more about that process … I’ll get to writing it as soon as I have a spare moment).

Around Day 10 I stared feeling the full benefits of the new lifestyle. I wrote this article about Day 10 without caffeine, which I quit at the same time, but all of the good feelings described in there apply to getting off the drink too.

The return of mental clarity

I really can’t say enough about the mental clarity that comes with not having to build your day and emotions around when’s the next time you can take your drug. The pace at which I’m writing articles here is a testament to that. Zero chance I’d have close to 20 bylines to my name in a little more than a week.

So, if you’re thinking of dropping booze from your life, take heart: freedom isn’t as far away as you think. I can personally vouch for feeling a lot better after 14 days or so. And I think you’ll find that a whole new world opens up to you at that point.

Hey, I hope you enjoyed this article and thank you for reading this far! If you did find it encouraging, please give it a clap and make it easier for others to find it. Also, if you’re interested, check out the other pieces I wrote this week on quitting drinking:

Have you found Medium via this story but aren’t yet a member? Did you know membership starts at just $5 a month (and you can cancel any time)? There’s no risk and you get access to all Medium has to offer. To continue reading stories like this and give me a ‘lil kickback, please consider supporting this publication directly by using my link to sign up! You can also leave a tip using the button below if you enjoyed this article!