If you have been having any kind of consequences from your drinking - legal, interpersonal, financial, professional, etc. - you might be wondering how to quit drinking alcohol successfully. There are many approaches one may take when it comes to giving up drinking and some may be more appropriate than others. This article will highlight how to quit drinking alcohol if you are a problem drinker but not an alcoholic. If you are an alcoholic you should seek help with an addictions counselor or through a recovery fellowship such as Alcoholics Anonymous. Quite commonly an individual will start drinking in college or in their late teens or early twenties and get a great deal of enjoyment from their drinking activities. As one gets older and begins to desire a career or family alcohol typically becomes an obstacle to achieving these goals. Therefore, one is faced with a choice: Should I continue drinking and lose out on some of things that I have always wanted in life or is it time to give up alcohol or severely moderate my drinking? The problem arises when the person makes that first attempt to quit drinking. They usually simply attempt to stop on their will power without having a strategy or plan beyond, "I'm not going to drink anymore." This is a recipe for disaster. If you do not take steps to ensure that you will be successful in your attempt to stop drinking then you will almost surely fail. After a failed attempt or two, a person who is serious about quitting drinking will take a look at their behavior and begin to implement changes. The old behaviors are going to produce the old results. So, if you want to make progress and are determined, you will have to examine your behavior.