How To Stop Drinking Alcohol

Because of the vast amount of research that proves the strong correlation between genetics and addiction, it would be easy to blame someone’s mother, father, or another close family member for their drinking problem. Yet several other factors in place influence the likelihood of a person making their way through each of the stages of alcoholism.

This is important to understand because alcohol use disorder can cause serious mental and physical health effects, legal issues, financial and relationship problems, and increase the risk of someone becoming addicted or physically dependent on the substance. By taking steps to reduce or stop drinking, a person can prevent much of this harm from occurring.

How To Stop Drinking Alcohol: Where Do I Begin?

Like all important changes that have to be made, learning how to stop drinking alcohol begins with a modification of one’s mindset. Stopping drinking isn’t something that can be forced on an individual because they will simply return to their drinking habits as soon as they are left unsupervised.

Sometimes, if someone’s alcohol addiction is out of control or they have become a danger to themselves or others, they may need to be admitted to a rehabilitation facility against their will.

But they will still have to make the ultimate decision regarding what they want the remainder of their life to be like and whether they are ready to pursue recovery and work toward their goals.

If a person is interested in learning how to stop drinking alcohol, there are a few steps they can take to change their habits and form new ones that lead to sobriety.

Evaluate Your Drinking Habits

It is easy to stay in denial of a substance use disorder if you have never really evaluated the facts regarding the situation. The first step in stopping drinking alcohol is to take a hard look at the number of alcoholic beverages that you are consuming each day.

This includes evaluating how much money is being spent on alcohol and how drinking has affected your education, jobs, family members, friends, and other important areas of your life.

Begin Replacing Drinking With Other Habits

Drinking, like any other habit, can be replaced in time with something healthier. All it takes is the conscious decision to change. The new habit has to be something that is enjoyable and good for the body and mind, though.

For example, instead of going to the bar after work every night, you could try attending an exercise class or joining a book club. That way, there will still be plenty of socialization from all the people around you. This can help you to feel less lonely and isolated.

Stopping Drinking Vs. Cutting Back On Drinking Alcohol

Not everyone can stop drinking at once because they may start to feel serious withdrawal symptoms, especially if they have been drinking alcohol for many years. In some cases, it may even be dangerous to do this without being medically supervised because the withdrawal symptoms could pose a major risk to a person’s health.

It may be necessary to cut back on your alcohol use at first, a process known as tapering. The only problem with this method is that it doesn’t redirect your attention to forming new, healthier ways of coping.

Reasons To Taper Off Drinking

There are several reasons why you may choose to taper off your consumption of alcohol as a way to stop drinking alcohol. The first reason is that it can help you to begin the detoxification process slowly so that your withdrawal symptoms won’t be as uncomfortable.

People who drink heavily every day should not attempt to stop abruptly without medical supervision. Alcohol withdrawal is one of the few withdrawal syndromes that can be fatal.

Delirium tremens (i.e. a severe form of alcohol withdrawal involving seizures, hallucinations, and cardiovascular instability) can occur 48 to 72 hours after the last drink and requires emergency medical treatment. Anyone who drinks heavily and wants to stop should speak with a healthcare provider before doing so.

Tapering off alcohol is also helpful because it allows the process of change to occur in the mind as well as the body, which can reduce the risk of a relapse occurring and help make it easier to make the mental adjustments needed to ensure that the new changes will stick.

Reducing your alcohol intake slowly can also help prevent certain mental health effects that can occur if a person suddenly stops drinking, such as depression, anxiety, and hallucinations.

5 Ways To Stop Drinking Alcohol

Whether in formal treatment, at the beginning of stopping drinking at home, or during long-term recovery, there are a few behaviors a person can implement which lend to a sober lifestyle and help prevent relapse.

The following is a list of five ways to stop drinking alcohol:

1. Keep A Drinking Log Or Journal

The only way that a drinking log or journal will be effective in helping you as one of the ways to stop drinking alcohol is if you are completely honest regarding what you record in it. Writing down how many drinks you have each day can help you by making it real, seeing it on paper, and allowing you to see how much you drink in a day, week, and month.

If you attempt to lie to conceal how many drinks you have each day or the reasons why you were drinking, all it does is perpetuate the cycle of addiction, so that it will take longer for you to become sober.

2. Find Healthier Coping Habits

One of the main reasons to stop drinking alcohol is to ensure that you become physically and mentally healthier. Keep this in mind as you start to work towards forming healthier coping habits.

Counseling or cognitive behavioral therapy can help with this because they can both teach new ways of handling stress or other uncomfortable emotions. Everyday ways to cope may include stress management techniques, such as yoga, meditation, and spiritual support.

3. Learn Your Drinking Triggers And How To Manage Them

Just about everyone with an alcohol addiction has a drinking trigger that makes it harder for them to refuse an alcoholic beverage. For some, it is the encouragement of a bad influence in their life, such as a coworker or friend who also drinks heavily.

Others may turn to alcohol when they have had a bad day or they are starting to feel depressed. Those who aren’t sure what is triggering their drinking may discover the root cause of their disease by keeping the above-mentioned drinking journal. Recognizing your triggers can help you identify and manage them before they occur.

A useful framework for identifying drinking triggers is HALT: asking yourself whether you are Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired before a craving arises. These four states are among the most common precursors to relapse across all substance use disorders.

Addressing the underlying need (eating, processing the emotion, reaching out to someone, or resting) can interrupt the urge before it becomes difficult to resist.

4. Change Your Lifestyle To Avoid Events With Alcohol

Until you learn healthier coping methods and feel strong enough to turn away from what triggers you to drink, it may be necessary to avoid any situations where other people will be drinking.

This won’t be easy at first because those who do not support the changes that you are trying to make in your life might criticize your efforts or claim that they are offended if you don’t join them for a beer or a glass of wine.

5. Find Support To Stop Drinking Alcohol

During the initial stages of reducing your consumption of alcohol, it may be necessary to remind yourself of all of the reasons to stop drinking alcohol. A good support group, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, can help with this.

Asking friends, family members, or a sober sponsor to help encourage you during this time can also make the process easier because you will have someone to talk to about all of the struggles you are going through.

When asking loved ones for support, it helps to be specific about what you need. This may be accountability, someone to call during cravings, or simply company during times when you would normally drink.

Family members who want to support a loved one in recovery can benefit from Al-Anon, a free peer support program specifically for people affected by someone else’s drinking.

Beyond in-person support, there are several digital tools you can use to help you stop drinking. The NIAAA’s Rethinking Drinking tool offers self-assessment and goal-setting resources. There are also apps that provide tracking, community support, and in-app coaching. Plus, SMART Recovery offers free online and in-person meetings as a secular alternative to AA.

Setting Goals To Help You Stop Drinking Alcohol

The following is a list of three types of goals that you may set to help remind yourself why you have made the decision to stop drinking alcohol and the benefits of staying sober:

Sobriety Goals

Make a list of your short-term and long-term goals regarding your sobriety. Of course, sobriety goals will be different for everyone.

A few ideas to get started include:

• having one less drink per day until no alcoholic beverages are consumed at all
• sticking to coffee at the next social gathering
• allowing yourself to decline the next beer or glass of wine that someone offers you

Health Goals

Heavy alcohol consumption does serious harm to the brain and body. It may take time for you to start to feel the health benefits of your sobriety.

A few mental and physical health goals to work towards can include:

• having more energy
• feeling less depressed and anxious
• reducing high blood pressure and other cardiovascular symptoms caused by heavy drinking
• helping the liver to repair itself from the damage that has been done to it

Life Goals

Working towards new life goals can encourage you to want to stay sober because they help give you something to look forward to. They also help distract you from your usual drinking routines and habits.

Going back to school, spending more time with your children and other loved ones, or working towards getting a new promotion at your job are three life goals that you may enjoy working toward with your newfound sobriety.

Consider Entering An Alcohol Rehab Program

If you have tried to taper your drinking down slowly without any success, you may have already developed an addiction or become physically dependent on alcohol. The best thing you can do to finally become sober is to get help from professionals at an alcohol rehabilitation center.

Browse our directory or reach out to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) for more information about addiction recovery.

Written by the Addiction Resource Editorial Staff