I knew I was drinking too much for a long time. And it was costing me all my money.

I would stop after a bad weekend of vomiting, hangovers, and regretted behaviour but after a few days I would find myself drinking again. Just one. Then another. By the weekend I was ready to party. Finally, a day came when I said enough is enough!

In order to stop I had to make some changes. The first step was to make a list of where I went to drink and with who. Then I wrote down all the excuses I made to keep drinking when I knew I shouldn’t. I knew I also drank more I also noticed that most of my friends also drank too much. Then I had to find solutions.

I told my beer friends that I had stopped drinking. I avoided them and going to the places I used to drink. I ended up totally changing friends over a few months. I also had to develop self-control. Then I found ways to handle my stress that did not involve drinking – I started watching movies and playing soccer. That was three years ago and I haven’t had beer since. I can’t believe I didn’t know I was addicted to alcohol! I have started explaining to others how I stopped and it’s inspired some of them to stop too.

Alcoholics Anonymous can help you. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. Find a support group near you by calling 0954 210 446 or 0973 154 222 FB: Young Christians Drugfree Network Zambia.

Read our guides on how to stop.

This story was written by a Tune Me community member.