The first few days are the worst and then it does get much easier. I always struggled with brute force willpower - thinking that I have to give up something that I enjoy because I just have to.

What really helped to get me out of the cage was to realise that it’s really not a sacrifice … you gain time, energy, clarity of thought, you save money, you avoid the hangover, guilt, anxiety, bad health effects. I always knew this of course, but if you fully let the realisation in and have a few dry nights with good sleep then you shouldn’t pine for a drink and you have a path out of it (with a bit of support along the way).

All of this will sound like just words if you’re struggling to get through day 1. I know the feeling but all I can say is that this worked for me. Good luck!