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Need more alcohol support?
Having a plan to quit and exploring resources that can help you give up alcohol successfully can improve your chances for success. There are times when cutting back on your drinking can be helpful, but there are times when quitting alcohol altogether is the best solution. If you want to stop drinking for good, don’t let past relapses discourage you from trying to quit.
Know When to Stop Drinking Alcohol
There is no exact timeline for alcohol withdrawal, and individual factors, such as the level of dependence on alcohol, will influence it. She notes that it can help to avoid your triggers as much as possible in early recovery, since triggers are often most intense when you first stop drinking. Coping tips can absolutely offer short-term solutions when you’re trying to cut back on alcohol. That said, permanently changing your relationship with alcohol may require a more in-depth approach. Checking in with another person in your life who’s trying to stop drinking can certainly help you ride out a craving with someone who understands. External triggers refer to the environmental cues you link to alcohol, including places, times, people, and situations.
Be aware of your triggers
- If you are thinking about quitting drinking, talk to your healthcare provider.
- Delirium tremens (DT), also known as alcohol withdrawal syndrome, is a severe form of withdrawal that can happen when a person gives up alcohol.
- For help quitting, resources are available from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) or the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).
- Try to occupy yourself with short activities, such as television shows, walks, video games, or trips to a store.
- Ask your doctor whether any medications may help in the process.
Place pictures that remind you of your why around your home, in your car or on your phone and computer backgrounds. Ultimately, it’s best to consider all of your options, including in-person treatment, online programs, and DIY tools that you can use right now. This way, you can choose the path that best fits your unique circumstances.
- Remove all alcohol from your home or ask a friend or family member to do it for you.
- Try hobbies and self-care activities that make you feel relaxed, proud of yourself, included, and mentally and physically healthy.
- For example, one study showed that biological women who drink less than one serving of alcohol per day have a lower risk of infertility compared to biological women who consume more alcohol.
- The most compelling research on drinking in pregnancy shows that children may experience lifelong learning challenges if exposed to alcohol during the first trimester.
Some people may also need supplements such as folate, multivitamin, thiamine, and dextrose. However, deep reflection may help uncover where internal triggers arise. These triggers How to Stop Drinking may come from a fleeting thought, an emotion, or a physical sensation, such as a headache or nervousness. Managing internal triggers may require keeping a journal or alcohol diary.
Expert Tips For Reducing Your Alcohol Consumption
Talk about it
- Keep it interesting and varied with sparkling water, virgin cocktails (also known as mocktails), fruit juices, low-fat milk, or kombucha.
- In a large-scale study of alcohol treatment methods, researchers found that a combination of medical management, medication, and cognitive-behavioral interventions was most effective.
- In this post, I’ll show you how to stop drinking using simple techniques, mindset shifts, and relying on the support systems around you.
- Doctors, nutritionists, and counselors can help people stay on track to stop drinking.
- Examples include Alcoholics Anonymous, SMART Recovery, and other programs.
- People can also use a drinking diary to examine their reasons for abstaining on certain days and the effectiveness of their strategies to avoid drinking.
