15 Best Ways to Stop Drinking Alcohol & What to Expect
Letting others know about your choice to stop drinking may help motivate you to stick with your decision. What’s most important is to look at your drinking habits and find a way to cut back that works for 16 ways to stop drinking alcohol you. Physical activity can be a great way to shift your focus and boost your mood. Even a short walk or some light exercises can help reduce the intensity of cravings. Remove alcohol from your home and surround yourself with a supportive and alcohol-free living environment.
Understand and Manage Your Triggers
Valley Spring Recovery Center offers comprehensive addiction and mental health treatment services. Contact our admissions team, available 24/7, to start your journey towards recovery. Suddenly stopping heavy drinking can pose risks such as experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms, including delirium tremens. Seeking medical professionals’ guidance is crucial to managing these risks safely. Quitting alcohol would require developing healthy coping mechanisms. Stress and triggers, common challenges in recovery, can be managed through various techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, or regular exercise.
Prepare for Alcohol Cravings
Opening up about your struggles benefits mental well-being if done in a therapeutic setting. Whether it’s a trusted friend, family member, or a professional therapist, talk therapy is clinically proven to improve outcomes. Therapists, in particular, can offer strategies to support long-term recovery and relapse prevention. Remember, seeking help is a sign of strength and an important step in the recovery process. Belinda Gordon-Battle is a licensed clinical therapist and life consultant based in Miami while providing therapeutic services across the globe. BGB, as her clients and colleagues call her, is an advocate of “removing the stigma” and normalizing the therapeutic process.
Understanding Alcohol Cravings
Our guide on “How To Prevent Relapse—or Bounce Back From It” offers insight into navigating tricky social situations. If you’re looking for an alternative, consider programs like SMART Recovery or Telehealth services that provide structure without requiring total abstinence. Excessive drinking has numerous impacts on your body and mind, ranging from mild to severe. Learn which signs to look out for, and how to care for your well-being. We aim to change how you feel about your drinking so that getting free becomes easy, enjoyable and you do not miss anything.
For some people, it can be helpful to wear something like a bracelet to always have a reminder on hand when you need it. Satisfying hobbies can distract you from wanting to drink, but they also help you relax — something everyone needs to do. Practicing your refusal ahead of time can help you feel more comfortable and confident when you find yourself in a situation that involves alcohol.
Exploring healthy recipes and meal plans can make the journey of adopting a nutritious diet both enjoyable and sustainable. When you first quit drinking, there isn’t much that can take your mind off of drinking, but it’s a worthy effort to try and distract yourself. BetterHelp offers affordable mental health care via phone, video, or live-chat. Quitting alcohol cold turkey isn’t an easy feat to achieve, and it doesn’t happen overnight. For many people, recovery is a slow process, and drinking less can be a great way to start.
- Seeking medical professionals’ guidance is crucial to managing these risks safely.
- Research shows that most people believe that drinking can make them feel better.
- Prioritize a variety of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains, and ensure adequate hydration.
- If you answer “yes” to six or more questions, your symptoms align with severe AUD.
If you answer “yes” to six or more questions, your symptoms align with severe AUD. Consult with a licensed mental health professional to further explore AUD. Doctors may treat withdrawal syndrome with medication or supportive care and monitoring. This may include medications like benzodiazepines or barbiturates (off-label), which require close monitoring and reassessment. Typically, a diagnosis of alcohol use disorder doesn’t require a diagnostic test.
Call or text a friend and have your goals handy to remind yourself why you’ve dropped drinking. If you’ve become dependent on alcohol, cutting it out of your life may produce withdrawal symptoms, such as a rapid heartbeat, high blood pressure, sweating and shaking. Psychological symptoms can include irritability, anxiety and restlessness. If you drink to ease the pain of loneliness, then make a conscious effort to connect with others.
To overcome this challenge, ask your friends and family for support and engage in activities with them that do not involve alcohol. As you have a hard time fighting your cravings and working on ways to stop drinking, you may lose motivation now and then. The key is to stay focused on the benefits and reflect on the positive changes, improved physical health, better relationships, and mental clarity. Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a medical condition characterized by the inability to control alcohol use despite negative consequences. Symptoms may include a strong craving for alcohol, withdrawal symptoms when not drinking, and continued drinking despite personal or professional harm. You’ve been drawn to this page for a reason – perhaps you’re dependent on alcohol or justwant to change your drinking habits and cut back.
Be cool about withdrawal symptoms
Ask yourself, “While these reactions may be unpleasant, will I really go out of my mind if I don’t give in to the urge to drink? ” Note how these reactions vary across time as you respond passively to the alcohol cravings. Naltrexone is a prescription medication that can reduce your urge to drink or to drink heavily. It’s available as a pill (generic) and as a once monthly injection (Vivitrol) given in a physician’s office. Vivitrol is a bit more expensive, but does not require a daily decision. While the FDA has not approved naltrexone for moderate drinking in the U.S., it is used for this purpose in Europe.
- Sometimes you can’t avoid internal triggers which may be feelings you have or a physical sensation that comes on from time to time.
- With a decade of experience in producing content for drug rehabilitation centers, Ben has developed a deep understanding of the challenges and triumphs in this sphere.
- Use the NIAAA’s drink size calculator to determine the amount of alcohol in various drinks.
- Note down how you feel physically and mentally on those days.
With a decade of experience in producing content for drug rehabilitation centers, Ben has developed a deep understanding of the challenges and triumphs in this sphere. In 2019, he founded the video blog “A String Of Hope,” a platform that has become a beacon of inspiration and positive change for individuals seeking recovery, reaching millions worldwide. As someone who is personally journeying through recovery, Ben’s work is not only rooted in professional knowledge but also enriched by his own experiences.
Understand Detox
Explore the reliable ManipalCigna Health Insurance plans with comprehensive coverage tailored to your healthcare needs. Their support can provide accountability and encouragement that will help you keep going. Your loved ones will create an accommodative environment to support your alcohol-free journey. These cutting down tips can help reduce the chances of memory loss, risky behavior, or regret. Building a personalized plan around your habits, goals, and triggers keeps you accountable and gives structure to your change process.
With less alcohol in your life, you’re likely to have clearer skin, better sleep, and you may see a boost in your overall mood. Some people also lose weight as they taper off their drinking. Sunnyside uses a psychology-based approach to help you drink more mindfully, no matter what your goal is. You’ll get a 100% custom plan, then daily texts to track your progress and help you stay on target.
Plans By Categories
When everyone around you is drinking, it can pose a challenge to stay strong. Especially social events that come with expectations, where declining a drink may not be easy. You can prepare in advance for such situations and opt for non-alcoholic drinks to feel included without indulging. There are numerous forums and support groups for people coping with alcoholism.
This can help reduce the accessibility and temptation of alcohol. Consider how giving into an urge keeps it alive while not giving into the urge slowly kills it. While you can’t make the urge go away, you can see it for what it is.
Leave a reply →