How to Quit Drinking and Smoking with the Five Precepts
Use the fifth precept as your anchor to quit alcohol and cigarettes: start with a vow for a set period, meet cravings with mindfulness, change your surroundings and get safe support.
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Understand the fifth precept and why it matters
The fifth precept is "surāmerayamajjapamādaṭṭhānā veramaṇī sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi": I undertake the training rule of refraining from intoxicants, which are a cause of heedlessness. Intoxicants cloud mindfulness and make it easy to break the other precepts. The Dhamma principle page on the six ways to ruin (apāyamukha) lists the harms of drinking, such as loss of wealth, quarrels and illness. Smoking is not directly covered by this precept, but the same principle of not harming yourself and those around you applies.
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Start with a vow for a set period
"Quitting for life" can feel too far away, so begin with a vow for a set period: seven days, every Buddhist holy day (wan phra), or the three months of the Rains Retreat, a popular Thai custom known as "no alcohol for Buddhist Lent". Make the vow in front of a Buddha image, or receive the precepts from a monk, say it out loud, and tell your family. You can find the holy days and the start of the Rains Retreat in the calendar on this website.
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Stay safe: talk to a doctor
People who drink heavily or have drunk every day for a long time should not stop suddenly on their own, because alcohol withdrawal can be dangerous, with shaking, confusion or seizures; stop under medical advice. Smokers can also ask a doctor or pharmacist about aids for quitting. For advice, call Thailand's quit-alcohol hotline 1413 or quit-smoking hotline 1600 — if you are outside Thailand, contact a local helpline or emergency service.
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Meet cravings with mindfulness
Cravings come in waves: they peak and then fade within minutes. When one arises, note "wanting" and watch the feelings in your body and your breath without fighting them and without obeying them. Tell yourself you will wait ten minutes first, and meanwhile drink water, take a walk or do something else. If you slip, there is no need to hate yourself; simply renew your vow straight away.
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Change your surroundings and routine
Remove alcohol, cigarettes and lighters from your home and workplace. Learn which situations trigger cravings, such as drinks after work or a cigarette with coffee, and change your routine at those times. Tell friends plainly that you are abstaining, and spend time with those who support you; keeping bad company is itself one of the ways to ruin. Try new activities such as exercise, visiting a temple or volunteering.
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Find support from family and temple
Ask your family to encourage you rather than blame you, and to celebrate each day you succeed. Many temples hold ceremonies where you can take the precepts or make a vow to abstain in front of a monk, and some run meditation activities that give the mind a refuge. Ask at a temple near you; what is offered differs from temple to temple. Short daily chanting and sitting meditation also help steady the mind.
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Count your days with the site's Quit-the-Vices Groups
This website has Quit-the-Vices Groups, including programmes for quitting alcohol and quitting smoking. Once you join, it counts the days that have gone well and gives you badges at milestones such as 5, 10 and 30 days, up to 365 days. Only you can see this information. If you slip, you can simply start counting again without feeling you have let anyone down.
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Encourage yourself and notice the benefits
Write down the good changes: money saved, better sleep, better health, a happier family. You might put the money you save towards making merit or spend it on your family, and rejoice in your own good actions each day. Every day you keep the precept is real goodness, even if you have slipped before.