How to Stop Drinking Alcohol Safely Indiana Center for Recovery

People with a parent, grandparent, or other close relative with alcoholism have a higher risk for becoming dependent on alcohol. For many, it may be difficult to maintain low-risk drinking habits. You may have tried to stop drinking many times in the past and feel you have no control over it. Or you may be thinking about stopping, but you’re not sure if you’re ready to start. Take our short alcohol quiz to learn where you fall on the drinking spectrum and if you might benefit from quitting or cutting back on alcohol. If you’re tapering off, try only keeping a minimum amount of a drink you don’t especially like, and choose a cutoff date.

• Cravings for alcohol can be intense, particularly in the first six months after you quit drinking.
• When you’re doing things you find fulfilling, you’ll feel better about yourself and drinking will hold less appeal.
• Drinking on an empty stomach is never a good idea, so make sure you eat food when you drink.
• Keep this list so that you can renew your commitment from time to time.
• It helps to do some research about the harmful effects of heavy drinking.

If being alone on a FriHow to Stop Drinking night makes you drink, invite a friend over for a weekly hangout. If talking to your brother stresses you out, and stress makes you drink, stop answering his phone calls. Set hard boundaries and make big changes if that’s what you need to succeed—it will be worth it.Social events with booze involved are a trigger for almost every recovering drinker. If you feel guilty turning down invitations or disappointed to lose out on part of your social life, remind yourself that this isn’t forever. Avoiding these triggers is most important early on, until the urges get weaker and you get better at handling them. If certain people, places, or activities trigger a craving for alcohol, try to avoid them.

Think about why you drink and identify alcohol triggers

He encourages patients to be honest about their drinking history, which doctors can review to create a treatment plan. Involve a doctor if you have been a severe daily drinker. If your first day sober makes you feel like crap (sweaty, shaky, nauseous, and/or anxious), you’re going through withdrawal.

• I have overdosed on alcohol and passed out.______13.
• Your chances of staying sober improve if you are participating in a support group like Alcoholics Anonymous, have a sponsor, or are involved in therapy or an outpatient treatment program.
• Prevent or reduce health problems that are made worse by alcohol use, such as liver damage.
• There are people willing and waiting to support you, guide you and love you through the ups and downs of ending unhealthy drinking patterns.
• The body experiences severe withdrawal symptoms if a habit-forming drug, such as alcohol is reduced.

American Addiction Centers can improve treatment outcomes for those in recovery for alcohol use disorder. You experienced withdrawal, including physical symptoms, when you did not drink. You spend a lot of time drinking, and/or feeling sick the next day because of drinking. One of the unexpected benefits of giving up alcohol is that you may find yourself more productive than before. This is because alcohol can cause fatigue and decreased motivation, so when you stop drinking, you may find it easier to get things done.

Talk with a doctor.

If https://ecosoberhouse.com/ unsure how to talk about your own drinking, he suggests discussing more general alcohol issues first. There are safe, non-addictive drugs that help with treatment. Alcoholism is a disease, and we’re getting better at treating it.

• Experienced professionals can help you work through your drinking triggers and develop new coping strategies.
• We offer free online meetings and support groups for everyone.
• PLUS, the latest news on medical advances and breakthroughs from Harvard Medical School experts.
• Belinda Gordon-Battle is a licensed clinical therapist and life consultant based in Miami who provides therapeutic services globally.
• Other days are much harder and I crave a beer or that once-familiar big pour of wine when the world feels like too much.

Compassion for myself, previously a massive hurdle, is slowly unfurling and it extends to all other areas of my life. His thoughts, ideas and program are just simply amazing. It takes practically no convincing on his part to make you just realize how evil alcohol is and how your life is so much better without it. Just the things he says hit me so profoundly that it made it easy to simply stop. Health-wise it is priceless – I feel and look 10 years younger.

Cope with triggers you can’t avoid

By opening up about your relationship with alcohol, you might also encourage others to explore their own drinking habits. Family and friends can provide encouragement and support when you stop drinking. What’s most important is taking a look at your drinking habits and finding a way to cut back that works for you. Knowing why you drink is essential, says Cyndi Turner, LCSW, LSATP, MAC, a Virginia therapist who specializes in addiction treatment and alcohol moderation.

Learn which signs to look out for, and how to care for your well-being. If you turn to alcohol to ease anxiety, try exercise as a healthy alternative. “Try doing a ‘dry’ month like Dry January, Go Dry for July or Sober October,” says Moore. Instead of aiming for complete abstinence, for instance, aim to drink fewer than seven days a week.