Anyone addicted to alcohol knows how hard it can be to give up. Anyone living with an alcoholic is equally aware of the power of addiction. But many alcoholics do break the habit and manage to live without recourse to alcohol. They may have an occasional lapse, or they may not, but generally speaking many people succeed. They are known as recovering alcoholics. This is because it is a disease and something from which you can be cured but must always treat with respect.

There are many steps a person can take to win the war against alcoholism but the first is often the hardest. They have to choose to give up. They have to take the first step and decide they want to be free. Nobody can make that decision for them. But once they do choose to stop drinking there are many resources to help them succeed.

They could attend a clinic, often attached to a hospital, and seek help as an out-patient. This means they are not residing in the clinic and they go home at night or on weekends. The major benefit is that the person is able to continue with their normal daily activities such as their employment.

But of course temptations abound out in the real world and temptation to drink is not what the recovering alcoholic wants.

They can and should join a support group. Alcoholics Anonymous is the best-known support group with meetings held often and almost everywhere. People who attend are known only by their first name and each individual is appointed a sponsor, a reliable person they can contact at any time if they find their craving for alcohol is proving too much. Certainly the sponsor and the patient can communicate by phone and email but personal, face to face counseling can sometimes be essential.

The other medical option is to admit yourself to a residential treatment center for fighting alcoholism. These programs are very often successful but also expensive. These facilities have been treating people with alcohol problems for decades and know all the problems faced by patients. But even assuming the program works and the patient is able to quit drinking, nobody resides in the center for life. Sooner or later they will return to the real world and face the same old temptations.

That's why joining a support group is so important. The battle against alcoholism is an on-going one and former drinkers know they must live a day at a time.

One practical aid is to change your lifestyle. Going back to your old haunts can be fatal. Many who succeed do so by joining a group or club where alcohol is not part of the culture and where they can find something interesting and worthwhile to do. Keep going to your support group but make a change in the things you do and the people with whom you mix.

Remember there's no such thing as being weaned off alcohol. It really is a cold turkey scenario. And once you have stopped drinking, there's no going back. Quit and quit for good, forever.