How Do I Stop Drinking Alcohol?

How To Stop Drinking Alcohol On Your Own

The numerous physical and mental benefits of sobriety, like improved immunity and sleep quality, are well-documented, as are the dangers of alcohol, such as a heightened risk for cancer and heart disease. These aspects are often a large part of why someone decides to explore the idea of sobriety.

However, one of the most important things to consider and evaluate before starting a sobriety journey is personal drinking habits. This can help determine how challenging it may be to quit drinking and the severity of withdrawal symptoms that one can expect. If a person is a low-risk or moderate drinker, they can implement some of the following strategies to cut back on their own.

If you’ve decided to stop drinking alcohol on your own, here are a few tips that may help make the process easier.

1. Create A Strategy

Making the decision to stop drinking is the necessary first step towards sobriety, but creating a plan on how to do so is the second. Having a plan could mean slowly cutting back the number of drinks you have per week until you reach zero. It could also mean writing down your known triggers and having a plan of action for when they arise. It could be helpful to evaluate what has worked for you in the past when overcoming a difficult task and implementing the same strategy.

2. Replace Drinking Alcohol With Other Activities

If you’re worried about the void that going alcohol-free may create in your life, it’s important to integrate some new hobbies and non-drinking-centered activities to fill the time that used to be spent on drinking. This could mean joining a club for a sport or hobby you’re interested in, going for a walk when you feel the urge to drink, or simply meeting up with friends at a coffee shop instead of a bar.

3. Get Rid Of All Of The Alcohol In Your House

If you use alcohol as a coping mechanism, the idea of not having it available may be scary. However, the temptation that keeping alcohol in the house creates is often a catalyst for relapse. To help ease this temptation, consider keeping some non-alcoholic drinks around to replace alcohol. Switch to having tea at night if you used to wind down with a glass of wine or try the many types of alcohol-free beer and wine that are becoming widely available.

4. Share Your Plan With Family And Friends, And Know What You’ll Say If Someone Offers You A Drink

Though it may be intimidating, it’s important to tell your family and friends about your choice to go sober. This allows them to support you in many situations, whether that means meeting up at alcohol-free locations or not offering you a drink when you come over. Similarly, this allows you to not worry about keeping alcohol around for guests, as they know your home is an alcohol-free space.

However, even with precautions taken, it is likely someone will offer you alcohol during your sobriety journey. Preparing a response ahead of time can help relieve any pressure you may feel and let others know your boundaries.

5. Prepare For Triggers And Cravings

It’s important to be aware of your triggers and plan how you will handle them. 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.

For some, this could mean repeating a mantra of the reason they decided to stop drinking; for others, this could be having a replacement activity (like taking a walk or watching a specific show) that they choose to do when cravings arise. Whatever you choose, make sure it is an enjoyable activity that can help distract you as you move past the trigger and towards continued sobriety.

6. Reflect On Why You Feel Like You Need To Stop

Reflecting and evaluating why you want to stop drinking can be a powerful catalyst for change. You may ask yourself questions like:

• Is my mental health suffering?
• Am I using alcohol to cope?
• Is drinking keeping me from enjoying all my life has to offer?
• Do I like how drinking alcohol makes me feel, and why?

Write down and think about your reasons. Consider therapy if it brings up some difficult emotions.

7. Don’t Give Up

Most importantly, don’t berate yourself if you slip up and have a drink. Relapse is a common part of the journey to sobriety. Remember that if mistakes are made, we can learn from the experience and start fresh the next day.

How To Quit Drinking If You’re Dependent On Alcohol

If you are a heavy drinker, have a physical dependence on alcohol, or have attempted to quit and have been unsuccessful, it may be time to consider a professional treatment program.

To determine your level of drinking, take our alcohol assessment or use the following guide created by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) to find out your category of drinking and take the appropriate next step.

Low-Risk Drinker

For women, low-risk drinkers have no more than three drinks a day or seven drinks a week. Male low-risk drinkers consume no more than four drinks a day and 14 in a week.

Moderate Drinker

With moderate drinkers, women consume at least one drink a day, while men consume two drinks daily.

Binge Drinker

Binge drinking refers to the number of drinks someone consumes in a two-hour timeframe, including women who drink four and men who drink five alcoholic beverages at least one day in a month’s timeline.

Extreme Binge Drinker

Extreme binge drinking or high-intensity drinking occurs when women and men far exceed the binge drinking parameters, causing their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to reach dangerous levels of intoxication.

Heavy Drinker

Heavy drinkers participate in binge drinking five or more times a month.

Anyone exceeding moderate levels of consumption may have a dependence or alcohol use disorder (AUD). If so, quitting alcohol on your own is not recommended, as you may experience physical withdrawal symptoms that may lead to adverse or fatal consequences.

What Happens To Your Body When You Stop Drinking Alcohol?

Alcohol sedates the central nervous system. Therefore, when you quit drinking alcohol abruptly, the central nervous system may become overactive, producing many negative withdrawal symptoms.

Symptoms may include the following:

If you have tried quitting alcohol but experienced these uncomfortable symptoms, you may have had more alcohol to ease the discomfort. That can be a common reaction for someone drinking too much.

Continuing to drink to ease withdrawal symptoms can turn into a vicious relapse cycle that further damages the body. If you are in this cycle, it is good that you are starting to think about how to stop drinking alcohol.

Dangers Of Quitting Alcohol Cold Turkey

Before making the decision to quit drinking on your own, you must understand the dangers of alcohol withdrawal. Quitting cold turkey means to stop consuming alcohol at once without any help from medical providers. If you are thinking you need to quit drinking alcohol and are considering stopping abruptly, consider the dangers you may face, including the following:

• Severe dehydration
• Electrolyte imbalance
• Light sensitivity
• Delerium tremens
• Paranoia and confusion
• Seizures
• Coma
• Cardiac arrest

The severity of your withdrawal symptoms and how quickly they progress determine whether you have mild, moderate, or severe withdrawal syndrome. Without proper treatment, your symptoms may advance to the point that the effects are irreversible.

Timeline For Quitting Alcohol

It’s beneficial to understand what happens to your body in the first few weeks after you stop drinking.

First 12 Hours

Withdrawal symptoms start within 4-12 hours after having your last drink. They can include: irritability, restlessness, anxiety, nausea, digestive problems, clammy skin, and shakes.

Between 12 – 24 Hours

Symptoms get worse as more alcohol leaves your system. Along with the symptoms above, you may also experience nightmares, emotional mood swings, sleep disturbances, excessive sweating, and trouble thinking clearly.

Between 24 – 72 Hours

During this time frame, you will experience worsening symptoms. You may also experience new symptoms, including tremors, seizures, hallucinations, and delirium tremens. This period can be the most dangerous for someone and may even be fatal without medical treatment.

After 72 Hours

Most people’s symptoms will start to subside after 72 hours. Some minor symptoms may continue but are not as severe as before. You will likely experience anxiety, depression, and sleeping issues. You may notice cravings or urges to drink alcohol.

The Negative Impacts Of Alcohol

Alcohol causes damage to your physical and psychological health. It changes the neural communication pathways in the brain, altering how you think, feel, and behave. Physical and mental health impacts of alcohol can include the following:

• Heart damage
• Mental health disorders
• Liver inflammation and failure
• Pancreas inflammation and failure
• Immune system weakness
• Various cancers

In addition, alcohol use can adversely affect your personal, professional, academic, and social abilities. It is time to seek help for an AUD if you are avoiding activities due to misusing alcohol, have lost or broken relationships, or cannot perform duties due to your drinking.

Medical Detox For Alcohol Addiction

Medical detox from alcohol can be done on an inpatient or outpatient basis, depending on factors such as the length of time you have been drinking, the amount you consume, and withdrawal symptoms. Anyone with moderate or severe withdrawal symptoms benefits from inpatient medical detox and around-the-clock supervision in a hospital setting.

If you have mild withdrawal symptoms, you may benefit more from outpatient medical detox. Inpatient and outpatient detox are medication-assisted treatment programs with doctor and nurse supervision. Medications that may be prescribed during detox include the following:

• Benzodiazepines for sedation and to ease withdrawal symptoms
• Thiamine or folate supplements to replenish nutrients lost while misusing alcohol
• Naltrexone blocks the effects of alcohol
• Acamprosate reduces your desire to drink alcohol
• Disulfiram, which creates unpleasant reactions to alcohol

If you feel like you need medical detox to help you stop drinking alcohol, then you understand you are more than a casual drinker and likely have an AUD. It is very wise to seek medical assistance to detox to prevent harmful complications.

Get Help Now

Recognizing you have a problem with drinking is the first step in your journey to a healthier, sober lifestyle.

Call a treatment provider today for free to explore your treatment options.