Even just setting and sticking to a few drink-free days a week, or swapping to lower-strength drinks, are great steps in the right direction. One simple way to cut down is to have at least a few drink-free days every week, so choose yours and get practical support to stick with it. I don’t know if many other drinkers go through this phase, but there was a clearly defined period of time when I knew that I was a danger https://sober-house.org/treatment-and-recovery-national-institute-on-drug/ to myself and others while under the influence of alcohol. This didn’t motivate me to quit, but I was afraid of how bad things could get if I drank too much. One thing that has kept me sober is that I no longer wanted to be the person I was as a drinker. I’m not just referring to how I behaved while under the influence, but my general demeanor, reputation, and options for life were all begging for a massive change.
Develop and lean on a support system
A person may require intravenous (IV) rehydration fluids to correct any electrolyte imbalances. Some people may also need supplements such as folate, multivitamin, thiamine, and dextrose. These are challenging to avoid and work through because they may appear randomly.
Take some time to explore your relationship with alcohol
- For additional support, see the activities on drink refusal skills and handling urges to drink.
- In January 2020, more than 6 million people reportedly participated in Dry January, a campaign to reduce alcohol consumption organized by Alcohol Change UK.
- It’s possible to experience withdrawal symptoms such as hangxiety, heart palpitations, and even seizures.
Some people may relapse, or drink alcohol again, to relieve the symptoms. Avoid people who may encourage you to drink alcohol or may not support your decision to stop. It may be easier on your rehabilitation to skip visits with “drinking buddies” or avoid gatherings with a focus on drinking. Eating nutritious food, exercising, and getting enough sleep can help reduce some withdrawal symptoms, such as mood swings.
How does alcohol affect my blood pressure?
There are so many options, it’s likely there’s one out there for you – and switching means you can enjoy the health benefits of drinking less without losing your social life. For my patients asking themselves “is drinking every night really that bad? ” I urge them to take a closer look at their habits, values, and the intersection of the two.
Thinking about a change?
A therapist can help you uncover key insights regarding your alcohol use and offer tools that will set you up for successful and satisfying long-term recovery. Simply being here, reading tips on how to quit drinking, considering the possibilities of your future is a positive first step. Let’s get you even closer to finding new hope and life in sobriety. It’s recommended to drink no more than 14 units of alcohol a week, spread across 3 days or more. That’s around 6 medium (175ml) glasses of wine, or 6 pints of 4% beer. In your mind, sobriety means giving up a large part of this social life and all of the people you drink with.
As your mind and body try to tell you that you need another drink, understanding what’s at the root of that thought or feeling is key in reaching a healthier state of sobriety. One of the most effective steps to stop drinking every night is to clear your environment of any potential triggers. That includes alcohol paraphernalia, speciality glasses, and of course any beverages or products that contain alcohol. It can also be helpful to avoid alcohol-centric places, such as bars.
As you begin to notice those health benefits, you’ll likely feel more energized and inspired to keep up your progress. Learn more about the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal here. What’s most important is looking at your drinking habits and finding a way to cut back that works for you. “Look, if you would have told me in my 20s I’d be stone cold sober in my 30s, I would have told you hold my beer,” the social media star said. The most difficult part of limiting drinking for many people, Koob says, is how much alcohol is tied to socializing.
Before you quit drinking, it is essential to discuss your plans with a healthcare practitioner. If your alcohol consumption has been heavy or https://rehabliving.net/drug-overdose-definition-risks-signs-and-more/ chronic, you may be dependent on alcohol. This means that if you suddenly stop drinking, you may experience symptoms of alcohol withdrawal.
Being around them could make it harder to stick to your plan. If that’s not possible, admit your desire to drink and don’t judge yourself for it. Call or text a friend and have your goals handy to remind yourself why you’ve dropped drinking. If you’re living with alcohol use disorder, treatment at a medical rehabilitation facility is your best option.
You can write down the limits that you set for yourself daily or weekly, as well as the number of drinks that you actually consume. Binge drinking entails having four or more drinks in two hours for women and five or more drinks for men. About 25.8% of people 18 or older binge drank in 2019, and 14.5 million adults have an alcohol use disorder. Whether you have a diagnosed mental health disorder or not, therapy is a positive tool for long-term recovery.
If you’re living with alcohol use disorder, quitting drinking is important for your health. But quitting on your own can pose risks to your health and is unlikely to be successful. Rehabilitation facilities can help you on your path to sobriety by addressing alcohol withdrawal symptoms and becoming involved in sober living support groups, like AA.
Acknowledging your fears gives you the best chance of making a change. Fear keeps you from regressing, goals drive you forward, and new habits to make it all stick. This fear gives stimulant overdose drug overdose cdc injury center you a healthy respect for the process and ensures that you take it seriously. It doesn’t matter what you’re specifically afraid of, but you must acknowledge that you ARE afraid.
A smart recovery strategy is to completely embrace a new identity as a person that does not drink. To prevent symptoms of alcohol withdrawal from worsening, people need to stay in a controlled and calm environment. They can help people manage withdrawal symptoms and keep them on track to stop drinking. The same study found that a break from drinking had lingering positive effects on people’s habits around alcohol. “Some people stop for two weeks, feel better, and go on to the other two weeks—and at the end of that, they say, ‘I didn’t need alcohol in my life—it’s causing more trouble than it’s worth,” Dr. Koob says. 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.
