Replace drinking with positive activities like exercise, hobbies, or meditation to manage stress and cravings. Decide whether you want to quit completely or cut back. Write down your reasons for quitting to stay motivated. If you are struggling with alcohol use, Dove Recovery can help. Our tips to quit drinking programs are designed to treat alcohol use disorder effectively and with dignity.
Listing Reasons to Quit Alcohol
- To stop drinking alcohol, you first need to understand your relationship with drinking.
- Also, consider giving back along your recovery journey.
- In a large-scale study of alcohol treatment methods, researchers found that a combination of medication, cognitive-behavioral interventions, and social support was most effective.
This means that if you suddenly stop drinking, you may experience symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. You’ve been drawn to this page for a reason – perhaps you’re an adult dependent on alcohol or just want to change your drinking habits and cut back. This guide is aimed at adults who want to change their relationship with alcohol. We’ve rounded up our top tips to quit alcohol and start on your journey. Alcohol withdrawal can be dangerous, causing symptoms like anxiety, sweating, nausea, and in severe cases, seizures or delirium tremens (DTs). It is important not to stop drinking suddenly, as abrupt cessation can lead to severe withdrawal symptoms.
Know what triggers you to drink
It’s common to experience difficulty when making big changes, but good self-care practices can help you manage overwhelming feelings and take care of your mind and body. If you turn to alcohol to manage emotional distress, the added overwhelm can prompt the urge to drink, making success seem even more out of reach. Knowing why you drink is essential, says Cyndi Turner, LCSW, LSATP, MAC, a Virginia therapist specializing in addiction treatment and alcohol moderation. Maybe you don’t think you depend on alcohol exactly, but you still wonder whether you might be drinking too much. Quitting alcohol doesn’t mean quitting enjoyment for the rest of your life; it means gaining a balanced and fulfilling life free from alcohol.
Understand and Manage Your Triggers
This could mean you may have to avoid places where you know you’ll be tempted to drink, at least for the early stages of your sobriety. It may also mean you decide on what you will do when triggers arise. Willpower is the hard way to quit drinking and not the Easyway to quit drinking. If you feel comfortable doing so, discuss your challenges with your primary healthcare professional. Finding a therapist can also be a great starting point if you’re uncomfortable opening up to your healthcare professional. You might run into obstacles along the way that tempt you to drink.
- Anyone with moderate or severe withdrawal symptoms benefits from inpatient medical detox and around-the-clock supervision in a hospital setting.
- By involving your loved ones in your sobriety, you’re helping reduce temptation and cultivating a sense of understanding and empathy among the people you lean on the most.
- When a craving hits, practice deep breathing or talk to a supportive friend or mentor.
Establishing an Action Plan and Support System
I’ve spent the last seven years researching and understanding alcoholism, addiction, and how people get sober. Additionally, marijuana addiction I examine the way mental and physical health as well as our relationships with others impact the reasons people drink and their role in maintaining sobriety long-term. The severity of your withdrawal symptoms and how quickly they progress determine whether you have mild, moderate, or severe withdrawal syndrome.