“How do I stop drinking?” What a wonderful question if you are the one asking it right now. It’s wonderful because by asking this question you have already taken the first step to quitting drinking. You are probably aware that your drinking no longer gives you what you really want and is perhaps hurting you and others. Of course, you have heard of AA’s Twelve Step Program. Perhaps your next step is to attend a meeting. Once you start on the steps you can see yourself through “one day at a time.” Getting support is a next essential plan of action. But some people don’t want to go the route of AA. An alternative would perhaps be going to a therapist who specializes in addiction. In the years I have been in practice working with addiction I have observed a very profound thing: when a client has the desire and courage to face past wounds and express their emotions then the desire to drink begins to fade. As they learn from me the process of healing the past they automatically change in the present. By the way, courage is not the lack of fear. It’s the willingness to persevere in spite of it. The key to freedom from drinking is to face the pain you couldn’t face in the past. You can do it now with the help of a professional. Your freedom is right around the corner.
Wendy Hill, M.A., Ph.D. candidate (2013) has been in private practice in psychotherapy and hypnotherapy in San Diego and Encinitas for over thirty years. As a therapist and counselor Wendy specializes in transforming self-defeating core beliefs. Her therapy includes using hypnosis and counseling to treat anxiety, depression, addiction, childhood abuse, sexual abuse, relationships, self-confidence, and life challenges. Her website is www.wendyhill.com.