Giving Up Alcohol Can Be Easy When You Use These 7 Powerful Navy SEAL Quotes

When you are thinking of giving up alcohol and designing a sober life, you're going to need a Navy SEAL's attitude. They have a never quit attitude and they keep going no matter what. It's the sort of mindset you need to succeed and it's one that can make giving up alcohol easier.

Sometimes you've just gotta change your attitude. 

You've gotta become a person who says no and stands up for themselves, because if you don't, no one else will.

When you try to give up alcohol, most of you are going to fail the first time around, and the second and the third. I know this because it's what happened to me and it happened to my friends and it happened to the lovely people who write to me and share their stories.

Just like the small print says on any investment product - past performance is no indication of future performance, so put aside any shame or guilt about falling off the wagon in the past and focus on these powerful Navy Seal mantras to get you through.

1. "Don't run to your death." ~ Unknown.

According to the World Health Organisation there are 3 million alcohol-related deaths each year and the harmful use of alcohol is a causal factor in more than 200 disease and injury conditions.

This is brutal, but it's something every drinker needs to think about. You may not be holding a gun to your own head, but that glass of alcohol is still a weapon of mass destruction. It can kill you or cause you serious harm. 

Take a leaf out of the Navy SEALS playbook and 'don't run towards your death' by drinking more.

2. "Extreme ownership. Leaders must own everything in their world. There is no one else to blame." ~ Jocko Willink.

This is a tough one to accept. It's so easy to have a drink and opt out of life. Living a sober life is going to require effort. There's no more hiding from life or yourself.

Getting drunk is a prop. It allows you to opt out of life and blame anything and everything on the drink.

If you said the wrong thing or broke your promises, it's ok because it wasn't you, it was the drink.

This all stops when you get sober.

Don't be scared of this. It's actually better because it brings with it honesty and integrity and a wholeness that was previously lacking. You finally get to live your truth and, as the saying goes, the truth will set you free.

3. "I think hell week is a time when a guy develops an "I will never give up" attitude. As you know, this mentality that is developed in training will stick with a Seal throughout his life." ~ Bill Bruhmuller.

For drinkers, Hell Week could be the first few days, the first week, the first month or even the first year of sobriety.

It's the time you need to really fix your mindset and get clear. It took my friend two years of sobriety before he was finally ready to say, "I will never give up being sober." I didn't need two years. I knew early on that I would never give up being sober.

I worked out that I had let myself be brainwashed by the big booze companies and the drinkers in society. 

I would often have a drink because something stressful had happened, but when I got sober I realised the events were all in the past. The bad day had already happened, so why did I need to make it worse by having a drink?

These days I'm learning to stop digging when I find myself in a hole. It's not easy after decades of self destructive behaviour. Now I find myself dealing with new unpleasant feelings which brings me onto the next awesome mantra.

4. "Get comfortable being uncomfortable." ~ Unknown.

Feeling uncomfortable sucks. There is no other word for it. Fortunately, nothing lasts forever, not even being uncomfortable. Giving up alcohol is going to result in some very uncomfortable feelings and situations.

They're not permanent. Adopting a growth mindset will help you deal with being uncomfortable as you build a sober life.

Stepping outside of your comfort zone is meant to feel and be different - otherwise, how would you know things were changing?

'Get comfortable being uncomfortable' is a perfect way of saying accept the discomfort you feel when you taper off drinking because it will pass and you will soon find yourself happily living a sober life.

5. "Discipline equals freedom." ~ Jocko Willink.

It's going to take discipline to give up drinking, but it will be worth it. In the beginning, you're going to need discipline to say no to alcohol time and time again. You will need discipline to change your mindset and build new sober life habits. It can be done. 

Sit down, plan, and create your sober life. I wrote about creating a plan in this article "The Secret to a Sexy Sober Life Is Actually an Unsexy Plan," read it to get you started.

Continuing the theme of discipline, we need to expand on discipline and embrace the next mantra.

6. "It takes discipline to focus only on high-value targets instead of giving into the temptation of the low hanging fruit life serves up daily." ~ Mark Divine.

This is a quote to remember when you are tempted to give in and have a drink. Maybe your friends are pushing you or maybe you've had a bad day and you want to take the edge off. Remembering that alcohol is the low hanging fruit will help push you through.

Ask yourself this question when you feel tempted:

Do I really want to be the person who always goes for the low hanging fruit? Or do I want to find out how much more I am capable of?

All you have to decide is whether you are going to keep throwing alcohol into your body or whether you are going to say, "Hell no! I've had enough of the poison. I respect myself enough to quit."

And finally:

7. "You don't ever let quitting enter your mind, as it is a sickness that will weaken you. Never quit, never consider it! "~ Ron Seiple.

Use this quote to guide you if you fall off the wagon or you are thinking of taking a drink.

If you have fallen off the wagon, get back on it right away. Never make it two days. 

In this article Visualize Your Sobriety if You Want To Stay Sober I talk about the two-day rule and how to build habits for a sober life. Use it to help you plan and prepare so you make the most of your sober life.

Final Thoughts

There has never been a better time to give up drinking than now. Finally, everything is coming together to make giving up alcohol socially acceptable. 

There are celebrities such as Daniel Radcliffe publicly denouncing alcohol. Governments are now advising there is no safe limit and top health and mental health experts like neuroscientist Andrew Huberman, and psychologist Dr Jordan Peterson beating the sober life drum.

Be brave and join the sober revolution today. YOU CAN DO IT!

Live Strong, Love, and Stay Sober

Join the sober revolution. Add a comment, and share with your sober-curious friends.

Join the Sober revolution and get my articles to inspire you and keep you sober delivered direct to your inbox. Join here: Sober Up