Stock your kitchen with other tasty drinks you can substitute for alcohol when you want something comforting to drink. Tea, sparkling water, lemonade, root beer, and soda are better for you than alcohol. If you have a party and there’s a lot of leftover alcohol, give it away to friends. If no one wants it, pour it down the drain. Don’t get trapped into thinking you have to finish it because you don’t want it to go to waste.
Don’t fall into the trap of making every day a day to celebrate. Make sure you save drinking for truly special occasions when someone has something worthy of celebration.
Drinking water will help fill you up and keep you hydrated. You will be less likely to guzzle drinks if you are properly hydrated and feel fuller. Do not engage in beer drinking contests or any activity that involves chugging excessive amounts of alcohol in a short period of time.
If you’re invited to a social function that takes place at a bar, like happy hour with your boss and coworkers, try ordering club soda or another nonalcoholic drink. If the place has a food menu, order yourself a treat so you’ll still feel like you’re indulging. When you do go to bars, choose places that have more going on than just drinking. Go to a place with pool tables or bocce ball, for example, so the focus isn’t solely on how much alcohol you can keep down. You may find it easier to drink less when there are distractions.
This will not only make you cut back on your drinking, but it will also make you healthier overall by getting you more active. [4] X Research source
This may mean cutting people out of your life if it becomes a problem. If you really like the person that drinks all the time, learn to say no instead when they are around. Just because he is drinking doesn’t mean you have to. [5] X Research source Maybe they will pick up on your attempts to cut back and do the same.
Try signing up for a 5K or joining a community soccer or basketball team. You’ll soon find yourself passing on alcohol the night before you need to be at your physical best. Along with exercise, make sure you’re eating well, getting sleep, and generally taking care of yourself so you’ll be less prone to drinking.
If you were a heavy drinker, you may experience some additional symptoms, such as sweating, nausea, headache, lack of appetite, vomiting, and palpitations. [7] X Research source
According to the USDA, moderate drinking is defined as up to 1 drink per day for women and up to 2 drinks per day for men. Frequently going over this, especially for a sustained period of time, puts you at greater risk for alcoholism. [8] X Research source Keep in mind that more than 7 drinks per week for women and 14 drinks per week for men is considered heavy drinking. Try to stay well below this limit. Having a family history of alcoholism, mixing alcohol with medication, and having depression can all put you at greater risk for developing a dependency. [9] X Research source
You can also write down the reason you want to cut back, such as: “I want to be healthier. " or “I want to stop alienating my family and friends. “[11] X Research source It’s not going to be easy, but putting your promise to paper can help.
Being accountable for each drink can help you be more conscious about how much you drink and help you cut back. If you find that you drink a lot more than you expected, you can create a journal and log every time you have a drink. You should also write about why you decided to drink, what feelings you experienced before taking a drink, and how you felt afterward. This will help you look for patterns in your emotions. [13] X Research source Write down your triggers and situations that make it extremely difficult for you to avoid drinking. As the weeks progress, you should start learning what to avoid. [14] X Research source
For example, if you’ve been in the habit of drinking a glass of wine every night, taking a break will change things up so you’ll no longer feel you need that daily glass. If you are a heavy drinker, this can cause withdrawal symptoms. Pay close attention to how you feel and the way your body reacts to the change. If you have serious reactions to this step, see your doctor as soon as you can.
If you can’t limit your consumption to a low level without feeling withdrawal, you can’t say no to a drink, you have blackouts, or you experience other signs of alcoholism, you should seek help right away.
If you have morning and evening cravings, develop irritability, have mood swings, drink alone or in secret, chug drinks, are depressed, or experience shakiness, you should seek immediate help. You should also seek help if you neglect your responsibilities due to drinking. You could be neglecting them either because you’re busy drinking or because you have hangovers that prevent you from going to work or school. [17] X Trustworthy Source HelpGuide Nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free, evidence-based mental health and wellness resources. Go to source You are at risk if you’ve gotten in legal trouble because of your drinking, such as being arrested for public intoxication, getting into a fight while drunk, or getting a DUI. You should be concerned if you keep drinking even though people in your life have expressed concern. When your drinking has gotten problematic enough that other people notice, you should seek help. You should not use drinking as a coping mechanism. It is extremely unhealthy to use alcohol as a way to cope with stress, depression, and other problems. If you tend to do so, you should seek help. [18] X Trustworthy Source HelpGuide Nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free, evidence-based mental health and wellness resources. Go to source
You may learn that you cannot drink safely anymore, and it will be important for you to have a support system in place to help you deal with that reality and help you eliminate all alcohol and negative influences from your life. You can search online to find a nearby AA support group in your area. AA is a faith-based organization, so only try this method if you are comfortable with this. They use religious passages and messages to help guide recovery and rely on sponsors and group meetings to back up their teachings. [20] X Research source
This is an abstinence-based program, meaning that they teach the complete removal of all alcohol from your life. Despite this, SMART Recovery welcomes those who are ambivalent about quitting drinking. [21] X Research source This program is for those who do not need too much structure and who can be personally motivated to quit drinking. Cognitive-behavioral approaches rely on self-actualization instead of group or sponsor related help like AA. This program relies heavily on your own motivation and participation. [22] X Trustworthy Source University of Rochester Medical Center Leading academic medical center in the U. S. focused on clinical care and research Go to source
You can also use programs like LifeRing Secular Recovery (LSR), which is a secular organization that upholds three tenets, sobriety, secularity, and self-help. They believe that inner motivation is the best way to stay abstinent from alcohol and have group meetings for encouragement and help when your self-motivation is lacking. This is similar to AA in that they have group sessions, but their beliefs are not steeped in Christianity. [23] X Research source For more information about support groups that might be right for you, go to Faces and Voices Recovery’s Directory of support groups. They have options for support groups based on gender, religion, type of addiction, and age. They also provide listings of groups that meet in person, provide medical assistance, meet online, are friend and family-focused, and that are 12 steps.
A therapist can also help you if you are worried about social pressures to drink, don’t know how to avoid triggers, or have guilt over any relapse. She can help you get over the guilt of these situations and help you get stronger in your recovery.
Ask if you can do activities together that don’t involve drinking.
