How to Stop Drinking: 9 Expert Tips

I am only on day 4 and so far this program has changed my life! It is so refreshing to be treated as a person of value rather than a degenerate. The vast majority of drinkers don’t need to take time off work and spend $30,000 or more on expensive rehab. If you are entirely functioning in life but stuck in a loop of daily alcohol use, there is a better & quicker way. Who knows what would have happened if I had carried on drinking. It turns out there is a lot of calories in all that alcohol I was knocking back. You are not alone, problems with alcohol are more common than most appreciate.

Feeling at your best physically can boost resilience and emotional strength, equipping you to weather challenges that trigger the desire to drink. Check out apps like Meetup to find other people interested in alcohol-free activities. Depending on where you live, you might be able to visit a sober bar and socialize without alcohol. Building new relationships with people who also choose to avoid alcohol can have a lot of benefit. Letting others know about your choice to stop drinking may help motivate you to stick with your decision. Drinking mocktails and nonalcoholic beer is another way you can abstain without calling attention to yourself, Koob says.

Avoiding drinking triggers

My memory is not as good as it was before drinking.______5. I get anxious and sometimes preoccupied about drinking.______6.

It often takes more than one person to help someone quit drinking, but it can be done. Try downloading our app as a 24 hour sober companion that also features nearby rehabilitation centers if you need additional help. Rehab can be expensive, but when you’re weighing the cost of a treatment center against your livelihood, it shouldn’t be a contest.

Most people spend years struggling on their own, why?

You’ll get to experience something out of the ordinary without feeling tempted to drink. Consider cultivating friendship and romance with people who don’t prioritize drinking as an important part of their lives. Maybe your partner, sibling, or roommate is also thinking about making a change.

For heavy drinkers who are dependent upon alcohol, cutting it out cold turkey can be dangerous and even life-threatening. A medical detox facility can help you get through the withdrawal process safely. Finding something to do instead of picking up a drink is an important part of recovery. Determining why you want to quit drinking is important to your success, but the amount of self-reflection is takes to understand your reasoning can be scary. This lack of distinction is what makes me a bit concerned whenever I read a glossy magazine boasting a headline such as “has everyone stopped drinking? ” Trends generate much-needed conversation but also flatten nuance, and alcohol use disorder requires a comprehensive understanding and approach. Typically, when someone wants to know how to quit drinking by themselves, they’re really asking, “how can I quit drinking without attending AA” or “how can I quit without going to rehab”.

Withdrawal symptoms include:

“Once you have a sense of how much you’re drinking, it’s helpful to track how many drinks you’re having per day,” says Witkiewitz. “You could use a calendar, journal or any number of tracking How to Stop Drinking apps.” Drink Control Alcohol Tracker or Less are two examples of free tracking apps available on iOS devices. If you answer “yes” to two to three questions, your symptoms align with mild AUD.

• As you find yourself achieving goals or hitting major milestones in your progress, don’t forget to reward yourself.
• In the beginning stages of drinking, the experience and effect can be subtle on schoolwork.
• Let loved ones know you’re quitting alcohol, and find a few that are willing to check in on you or act as an ally throughout the process.
• All the time, failing to make the connection that my alcoholism was the reason for the vast majority of my problems.
• Ask a friend or family member to be on-call when you face a situation that makes you want to drink.
• For instance, if you consume five glasses of wine daily, consider reducing your intake to four glasses for several days and then reducing it to three.