How to Quit Drinking or at Least Cut Back

It’s been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries. Some small clinical studies have shown it can reduce alcohol cravings and alcohol withdrawal symptoms. As little as five minutes of advice from a GP can reduce alcohol consumption by 30%, especially for people who are in the mild to moderate dependence category. So it’s worth chatting to your doctor if you need a little help getting started. Hello Sunday Morning’s Daybreak program is a large online alcohol support community, accessed through a mobile and desktop app.

Most commonly used to treat depression, St. John’s wort may also help curb the urge to drink. Eating simple carbohydrates and processed foods may induce cravings. People who are still drinking are not prescribed acamprosate.

• If the choices you make when you’ve been drinking make you cringe when you are sober, alcohol use is impacting your life negatively.
• There is relatively little research on AA and much of that has been conducted from within the organisation.
• If you want to have fun with this one, treat yourself to something nice that isn’t a bottle of booze with all of the money you’ll save while drinking less.
• With less alcohol in your life, you’re likely to have clearer skin, better sleep, and you may see a boost in your overall mood.
• From month-long sobriety challenges to the Sober Curious movement, more and more people are taking a closer look at the role alcohol plays in their lives.
• While we’re on the subject, a plate of fries after drinking is not a magical hangover cure.

Things That Happen After 30 Days Without Alcohol

For example, if you can’t stick to a tapering off schedule, entering a detox facility is the right choice. You must work with someone who can hold you accountable if you break your tapering off schedule or try to justify a continuance of drinking. Typical nausea, vomiting, tremors, spasms, and other negative https://northiowatoday.com/2025/01/27/sober-house-rules-what-you-should-know-before-moving-in/ withdrawal symptoms can appear within hours of the last drink. These are the symptoms that usually lead to relapse because they are so severe that they interfere with a person’s ability to function. Instead of aiming for complete abstinence, for instance, aim to drink fewer than seven days a week. “Try sober Mondays or sober Mondays through Wednesdays,” he says.

Prepare for potential alcohol detox

If you are not dependent but are trying to reduce your alcohol intake for health or other reasons, these can be a good option. By replacing some or all of your usual alcoholic drinks with zero-alcohol drinks, you can still enjoy the social aspects of drinking without the health risks of alcohol. If you are severely dependent, you should seek medical advice before you make any change to your drinking because stopping suddenly can cause severe health problems, including seizures and even death in some people. Choosing to taper off alcohol is an admirable decision and a step in the right direction.

What Happens When You Cut Back on Drinking Alcohol?

Food can absorb the alcohol in beverages, so eating before or even while you drink can dampen the effect and may make you want to drink less, says Crews. You might reach for alcohol when you’re really just thirsty, says Crews. Drink a cup of soothing tea or a tall glass of water before you imbibe—once your thirst is quenched, you may not feel the need for as much—or any—alcohol. To determine whether—and where—you fall in the alcohol use disorder (AUD) spectrum, answer the following questions. The compensation we receive from advertisers does not influence the recommendations or advice our editorial team provides in our articles or otherwise impact any of the editorial content on Forbes Health. As a specific example, a small study published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence involved 140 adults and indicated that a short session of aerobic exercise reduced cravings for alcohol (10).

How Wildfires Affect Your Health

• If you haven’t been able to reduce your alcohol intake to healthier levels or experience cravings or withdrawal symptoms when you’re not drinking, you may have an alcohol use disorder.
• Sign up for online language learning and brush up on the French you swear you took for four years in high school.
• Of course not, in fact – most people who stop drinking with Allen Carr’s Easyway do so without any unpleasantness at all.
• For example, start by limiting alcohol to no more than one drink per day, and the next week, try no more than five drinks each week.

Restricting or eliminating your alcohol consumption for a brief period of time could help mitigate any complications with your mental health. People who can see the most success are those who can stick to a schedule of tapering off. A plan may be set up so that each day on the calendar allows less and less drinking. Organs like the kidneys and liver are a big part of the process of eliminating alcohol from the body. Some have experienced seizures when trying to quit cold turkey.

It’s important to seek urgent medical care if you experience any of these symptoms. You might be surprised to find that you don’t need alcohol to enjoy certain events and previously would drink out of habit. “Replacing time or events spent drinking with other enjoyable activities is helpful. Exercise, family time, or cooking may provide sober house distraction and promote your wellness,” Dr Lee said. If you are struggling to stop or cut down through alcohol tapering, this may be a sign to seek more help, Lee said.

• Omega-3-rich fish like salmon and mackerel may also help improve focus and overall brain health.
• Research shows that most people believe that drinking can make them feel better.
• Along with medication and other treatment support, a range of alternative therapies may be effective in lessening alcohol cravings and other withdrawal symptoms.
• But we are talking about tapering off, which means you will be drinking.
• If that’s not effective, try something else or seek professional help.

There Are Multiple Evidence-Based Roads to Recovery

“Some will experience withdrawal symptoms when they stop abruptly, which is an indicator for medically managed alcohol withdrawal treatments from a health professional. Science has discovered the best ways to motivate people to change their behaviour. But when it comes to talking about alcohol dependence, most of us do the opposite. Rather than talking them out of change, remind them of times in the past where they met difficult goals. Help them discover their own powerful motivation to drink less, not yours. Acamprosate is prescribed to people after they’ve quit drinking alcohol to help them maintain abstinence.

Planning for social situations where you know there will be alcohol can help you navigate how to respond. Choosing a drink with less alcohol content can help people taper. You might select a light beer instead of a harder liquor, like whiskey. To curb habitual drinking, alternating between alcohol and water is useful.