How to Quit Alcohol, Smoking and Other Addictions

Maybe it started with friends, or with stress, or "just once in a while." Now it's every day — a drink in the evening, a cigarette after every meal, gutka through the workday, or something stronger. You have promised yourself, and maybe your family, that you'll stop. And then the craving comes, and you're back.

If that is you, please know: you are not a bad person, and you are not alone. Many people in Ekantik Vartalap share this same struggle openly — some after decades — and many of them speak of having come out of it. The path has three parts: a real decision, inner strength to keep it, and practical help so you can do it safely.

Why can't I quit even though I know it's harming me?

A man who had been caught in intoxication for thirty years asked how he could keep his vow to quit for the rest of his life. Maharaj Ji's answer goes to the root: until we have the inner strength that naam-jap gives, no vow, no rule and no amount of knowledge succeeds 0:000:00 · 4 minEkantik Vartalapनशा, वीर्यनाश और भोगों में फँसा हुआ हूँ, लेकिन अब सब कुछ छोड़ना चाहता हूँ।. We may know we shouldn't do something, he explains, but we also need the capacity not to do it — otherwise the senses and mind are strong and will force us into it 0:000:00 · 4 minEkantik Vartalapनशा, वीर्यनाश और भोगों में फँसा हुआ हूँ, लेकिन अब सब कुछ छोड़ना चाहता हूँ।.

That is why willpower alone so often fails. It isn't that you don't care. The craving is simply stronger than the decision, for now. The Gita says the mind can be your friend or your enemy, and asks us to lift ourselves by our own effort (Gita 6.5).

What does Ekantik Vartalap teach about breaking an addiction?

It starts with you wanting it. To a young man who had fallen into drinking through bad company, Maharaj Ji said honestly that no one can reform another person; if we want to change, help can come — through guidance, inner strength and grace — but no one can do it for us 31:2531:25 · 3 minEkantik Vartalapकुसंग के कारण शराब आदि की लत लग गई है, इसे छोड़ना चाहता हूँ।. So take a clear resolve: "From today, I will not drink" 31:2531:25 · 3 minEkantik Vartalapकुसंग के कारण शराब आदि की लत लग गई है, इसे छोड़ना चाहता हूँ।.

There is no magic. He is clear that it isn't some miracle that makes people stop. What helps is faith in the guidance you've been given and acting on it 31:2531:25 · 3 minEkantik Vartalapकुसंग के कारण शराब आदि की लत लग गई है, इसे छोड़ना चाहता हूँ।. And it is real: he notes that many people have come out of addiction this way 31:2531:25 · 3 minEkantik Vartalapकुसंग के कारण शराब आदि की लत लग गई है, इसे छोड़ना चाहता हूँ।.

Make the decision complete. When a seeker said he had left 95 percent, Maharaj Ji encouraged him to make it a full 100 percent 0:000:00 · 4 minEkantik Vartalapनशा, वीर्यनाश और भोगों में फँसा हुआ हूँ, लेकिन अब सब कुछ छोड़ना चाहता हूँ।. A half-closed door keeps swinging open.

Be sincere, not showy. He warns against having a mala in hand while the conduct stays the same. Walk honestly, even a little, and God is pleased with that much 0:000:00 · 4 minEkantik Vartalapनशा, वीर्यनाश और भोगों में फँसा हुआ हूँ, लेकिन अब सब कुछ छोड़ना चाहता हूँ।.

Use the money with love. Instead of spending on intoxicants, he suggests offering that money to your parents and serving them 31:2531:25 · 3 minEkantik Vartalapकुसंग के कारण शराब आदि की लत लग गई है, इसे छोड़ना चाहता हूँ।41:5341:53 · 3 minEkantik Vartalapजब किसी ने कहा पहले चोरी, शराब बीड़ी, खाता पिता था और नशे में माता पिता को पीटता था !.

He also takes chewing tobacco seriously. He shares that a dentist told him he had seen many people die painfully of cancer linked to gutka, because of the chemicals added to it, and gently asks people to give it up 41:5341:53 · 3 minEkantik Vartalapजब किसी ने कहा पहले चोरी, शराब बीड़ी, खाता पिता था और नशे में माता पिता को पीटता था !.

Is it okay to get medical help for addiction?

Yes — and it's encouraged. Speaking about young people caught in drugs and other intoxicants, Maharaj Ji urges families to take them to de-addiction centres, where medicines and a disciplined routine help them become free 33:2033:20 · 4 minEkantik Vartalapमाता पिता को पता भी नहीं चलता और बच्चे घर में ही सूखे नशे करना सीख जाते हैं ? माँ बाप अवश्य सुनें !.

This matters for safety. If you have been drinking heavily or daily, or using certain drugs or sedatives, stopping suddenly can be medically dangerous — withdrawal can cause shaking, confusion and even seizures. Make the firm decision, then quit under a doctor's care. For free, confidential support any time, call Tele-MANAS at 14416 (24×7). Smokers and tobacco users can also get medicines and counselling from a doctor that make quitting much easier.

How can families help someone who is addicted?

Maharaj Ji asks parents to give their children time — to sit with them, talk to them like a friend, and notice what is going wrong 33:2033:20 · 4 minEkantik Vartalapमाता पिता को पता भी नहीं चलता और बच्चे घर में ही सूखे नशे करना सीख जाते हैं ? माँ बाप अवश्य सुनें !. Shame and shouting push people further away; closeness brings them back.

And if it is a parent who drinks, his advice to one son was not to find fault with his father but to keep serving him with respect, while keeping away from alcohol himself 41:5341:53 · 3 minEkantik Vartalapजब किसी ने कहा पहले चोरी, शराब बीड़ी, खाता पिता था और नशे में माता पिता को पीटता था !. That said, safety comes first: if drinking leads to violence at home, reach out to family, a counsellor or the authorities.

A step-by-step plan to quit

1. See a doctor first if you drink or use daily, so withdrawal is handled safely 33:2033:20 · 4 minEkantik Vartalapमाता पिता को पता भी नहीं चलता और बच्चे घर में ही सूखे नशे करना सीख जाते हैं ? माँ बाप अवश्य सुनें !.
2. Take a clear resolve, out loud: "From today I will not drink / smoke / chew gutka." Aim for 100 percent 0:000:00 · 4 minEkantik Vartalapनशा, वीर्यनाश और भोगों में फँसा हुआ हूँ, लेकिन अब सब कुछ छोड़ना चाहता हूँ।31:2531:25 · 3 minEkantik Vartalapकुसंग के कारण शराब आदि की लत लग गई है, इसे छोड़ना चाहता हूँ।.
3. Start naam-jap daily — even a few minutes morning and night — and chant whenever a craving comes 0:000:00 · 4 minEkantik Vartalapनशा, वीर्यनाश और भोगों में फँसा हुआ हूँ, लेकिन अब सब कुछ छोड़ना चाहता हूँ।31:2531:25 · 3 minEkantik Vartalapकुसंग के कारण शराब आदि की लत लग गई है, इसे छोड़ना चाहता हूँ।.
4. Change your company. Stay away from the places and people tied to the habit 31:2531:25 · 3 minEkantik Vartalapकुसंग के कारण शराब आदि की लत लग गई है, इसे छोड़ना चाहता हूँ।.
5. Redirect the money to your parents or family needs 31:2531:25 · 3 minEkantik Vartalapकुसंग के कारण शराब आदि की लत लग गई है, इसे छोड़ना चाहता हूँ।41:5341:53 · 3 minEkantik Vartalapजब किसी ने कहा पहले चोरी, शराब बीड़ी, खाता पिता था और नशे में माता पिता को पीटता था !.
6. Tell one person you trust, and call Tele-MANAS (14416) on hard days.
7. If you slip, don't drown in guilt. Renew the resolve the same day and keep going.

The Gita offers great hope here: even one who has done great wrong, once they turn to God with a single heart, is to be seen as good, for they have resolved rightly (Gita 9.30).

If guilt about the past is weighing on you, read how to free yourself from the guilt of past mistakes. For screen habits, see how to break mobile addiction.

Today can be the first day. Make the decision, ask for help, and take the Name with you — you don't have to do this alone.