If you find that you struggle to reduce your alcohol consumption, you may have already developed an alcohol use disorder. You may need to try to quit drinking altogether or seek help to quit. If drinking has become a big part of your life, try substituting other activities during those times when you might usually drink.
Thinking about a change?
- When you don’t have alcohol at home, you are more likely to engage in alternative activities that don’t involve drinking.
- This conscious purchasing encourages you to be more mindful of your drinking habits.
- By removing the convenience of readily available alcohol, you are training your mind and body to resist the urge to drink.
- You can use a handwritten note that you keep in your wallet or record your drinks on your smartphone, whatever is more convenient for you.
The NIH Clinical Center (the research hospital of NIH) is open. For more details about its operating status, please visit cc.nih.gov.
Understand Detox
Drinking alcohol is a part of many people’s diets and social lives, but it can have negative impacts on your health, weight, and sleep quality. Cutting down on alcohol can bring many health benefits, such as reducing your risk of cancer and improving your sleep. This could include removing alcohol from your home, using smaller glasses, alternating alcoholic drinks with water, or trying non-alcoholic alternatives. Plan alternative activities that don’t involve drinking, such as exercising, outdoor activities, book clubs, or trying out mocktail bars. Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning that it causes the body to lose water, so it is important to alternate alcoholic drinks with water to stay hydrated. Drinking water between alcoholic drinks can also help you consume less alcohol overall, reducing your risk of accidents, high blood pressure, liver disease, and certain types of cancer.
Be patient with yourself, and if one approach doesn’t work, try something else. Each small change adds up and makes a significant difference in the long run. Share your progress and celebrate your achievements with supportive friends or family members. Surround yourself with people who will encourage you and cheer on your successes.
Getting Started With Drinking Less
- Although it can help some people fall asleep quickly, it can disrupt your sleep patterns and stop you sleeping deeply.
- So many other methods of quitting drinking put fear in your mind – warning of terrible “serious” symptoms of alcohol withdrawal.
- Mainstream advice recommends cutting down gradually to control your alcohol intake.
- Memory loss can be a problem during drinking and in the long term for regular heavy drinkers.
- However, these are extremely uncommon and any site that mentions them will say that too in the small print.
These include non-alcoholic beer, wine, and cider, as well as mocktails, kombucha, and ginger beer. You can also try infusing sparkling water with natural fruit flavors, herbs, or bitters for a refreshing and sophisticated alternative. Drinking water is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. Staying hydrated helps keep our brain, digestive system, heart, and immune system working properly, while giving us energy and even boosting our mental health. If a setback happens, get back on track as quickly as possible. Research shows that most people who drink heavily, even those with AUD, can cut back significantly or quit.
Avoid Your Triggers
Yet these symptoms are “irritability, poor concentration, feeling shaky, feeling tired, difficulty sleeping or bad dreams”. The willpower and cold turkey method is likely to cause abject misery and failure because of the feeling of giving up something that you want and need. Before the top tips a few celebrities who have freed themselves from addiction with Allen Carr’s Easyway. By Buddy TBuddy T is strategies for cutting down drinking a writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism.
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For some, eating food will reduce their craving for alcohol. This is not true for everyone, but if eating something reduces your craving for a drink, eating a meal at times when you usually drink might help you reduce the amount you drink. Recording how many drinks you have may also help you reduce or slow down your drinking.
Alternate alcoholic drinks with water or non-alcoholic drinks, and use smaller glasses. Not stocking up on alcohol at home tests and strengthens your willpower and self-control. By removing the convenience of readily available alcohol, you are training your mind and body to resist the urge to drink. Over time, this can lead to better impulse control and a healthier relationship with alcohol. You can use a notebook, a calendar, or apps like the free NHS Drink Free Days App.
Changing unhealthy behaviors such as smoking, overeating, or drinking too much can take a lot of effort, and you may not succeed with the first try. Mainstream advice recommends cutting down gradually to control your alcohol intake. Yet they don’t recognise that cutting down is even harder than stopping. How many times have you tried to cut down in the past and failed? It ends up as torture and misery, and ‘old habits’ die hard but as we explain this is not a habit. People who drink within the recommended guidelines have a much lower risk of developing problems.
In fact, according to the National Institutes of Health, only two out of every 100 people who drink within the guidelines have an alcohol use disorder. If you need support and advice around your drinking behavior, we’re here for you — and members don’t need a referral to get started. Learn more about treatment and recovery options at Kaiser Permanente. But at the end of the day — less booze means better health.
Whether your goal is to cut back a little or quit altogether, here are some tips to help you get started. If you’re having trouble doing the same things you used to do, try new hobbies to fill your time. Join a gym, learn a new skill, or find sober social groups you can enjoy. It’s always wise to check with your doctor — she should be able to help you decide whether it is best for you to cut back or to abstain. People who are dependent on alcohol, or have other medical or mental health problems, should stop drinking completely. The Sinclair Method involves taking naltrexone before drinking.
Chances are, you are going to be in situations in which someone offers you a drink or expects you to drink with them as you have done in the past. Learn how to politely say “no, thank you,” and really mean it. Say it quickly and firmly so that you don’t give yourself time to change your mind.
Surround yourself with people who will support your goals, and ask a friend or family member to join you. Remember, cutting down on alcohol intake is a journey, and it’s okay to make gradual changes. Removing alcohol from your home is a significant step toward achieving your drinking goals and improving your overall health and well-being. Remember, changing drinking habits can be challenging, and it’s okay if you encounter setbacks.
