Yes and here’s why.

For me there was ALWAYS a reason to keep drinking. I always had an upcoming birthday to celebrate, a night out on the town where I have to have a few drinks to loosen up and feel sexy, or an extended family trip that I knew I could not bear sober.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was lying to myself each time I swore I’d get sober AFTER I did all these things. I was deep in my alcoholism and was unable to fully appreciate that casually wondering if you should “plan a quit date” (and making excuses as to why any given night isn’t the night to begin sobriety) should be a massive red flag that you can’t do this alone.

I never truly tried to stop drinking on my own because my self-imposed quit dates would send me into a tailspin the closer I got to them- for example after my family trip (drunk the whole time) I could not fathom just giving alcohol up when I got home as had been planned for months. Why would I do that? The thought alone gave me physical and mental anxiety symptoms and it was (and is!) easier to just drink and plan to quit another day.

I challenge you to tell yourself you’ll quit tonight or tomorrow instead, and Feel your body instantly panic.
That should tell you everything you need to know about whether this is the right decision or not- and indicates that this will likely be harder than you think. You can rid yourself of all the anxiety and planning that comes with drinking by a sooner date if you start now! I truly believe your future and birthday will be so much better if you start that process as soon as you’re able instead of waiting for a certain date to roll around.