How to Stop Drinking Alcohol Safely Indiana Center for Recovery

If you choose to try it on your own and at any point feel you need more help, then seek support . If certain people, places, or activities trigger a craving for alcohol, try to avoid tips to quit drinking them. This may mean making major changes to your social life, such as finding new things to do with your old drinking buddies—or even giving up those friends and finding new ones.

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How to stop drinking alcohol: 9 things I did that REALLY helped

Depending on your situation, you can take part in either an outpatient or inpatient recovery program. Reversing a habit you’ve had for years is an exhausting process. Your body and mind will probably require a lot of rest in the early days of getting sober.

These groups often meet weekly and tend to discuss a wide array of topics related to drinking. The information and helpful strategies they provide as well as the camaraderie that exists between members can help you stay on your recovery journey. The best way to stop drinking begins with a change in mindset; you have to want to quit drinking. Wanting in itself doesn’t typically do the trick altogether, but it is the best place to begin a path toward lasting sobriety. The sad truth is that many alcoholics simply don’t want to stop drinking. They don’t want to give up a drinking lifestyle and they may not consider their drinking issues to be as substantial as they are in actuality. Recovering from alcohol addiction or heavy drinking is not a quick and easy process.

I drank non-alcoholic drinks

Many people end up drinking alcohol because they are in social situations or places where it is unavoidable to drink alcohol like parties, nightclubs, bars, or pubs. However, there are ways to still connect with your social circle without alcohol being the focus of the meetup. For a lot of people, stress is the number one reason why they drink. They use alcohol as a coping mechanism and they let it control their lives. If you’re one of these people, quitting drinking is going to be especially difficult for you because cutting out alcohol means not having this easy way out. Once you’ve found some clarity with yourself, the next step is to get honest with someone else.

There are loads of great books out there offering advice on how to stop drinking. They range from very personal accounts of addiction to motivational guides and psychology-based books, aimed at changing your mindset, so you view drinking differently. Consider tracking and analyzing your urges to drink for a couple of weeks. This will help you become more aware of when and how you experience urges, what triggers them, and ways to avoid or control them. As you change your drinking, it’s normal and common to have urges or a craving for alcohol. The words “urge” and “craving” refer to a broad range of thoughts, physical sensations, or emotions that tempt you to drink, even though you have at least some desire not to. You may feel an uncomfortable pull in two directions or sense a loss of control.

Learning Center

Tell trusted family and friends about your plan to quit or cut back on alcohol. When those around you are in the know, it can help them know not to offer you drinks. It may even help if you spend time with other nondrinkers for a while so you can support each other. The most important tip for quitting drinking is to keep going. If one option doesn’t work, start again and try another.

Malt beverages are not required to list their alcohol content on the labels, so you may need to visit the bottler’s Web site. Talk with someone you trust when you have the urge to drink. Many people go back and forth through the stages of change several times before the change really lasts.

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Drinking more alcohol increases your risk of getting into a car accident, which may not just include you but also another person. For individuals with severe AUD, withdrawal can be life-threatening. If you or someone you know is experiencing symptoms of withdrawal, seek medical help immediately. Alcohol withdrawal symptoms can occur after someone discontinues using alcohol following a period of heavy use.