Dehydration and poor nutrition can amplify the need for alcohol. On the other hand, substitution techniques involve replacing the craving or addictive behavior with a healthier alternative. For instance, sipping on a flavored water when you feel an alcohol craving, or joining a yoga class in your usual happy hour slot. Substitution strategies aim to rewire habitual patterns and ultimately, reduce dependency on alcohol.
How Does Drinking Affect Your Brain and Body?
- Whether you’re researching for yourself or a loved one, Beach House can help.
- Monument treatment plans connect you with licensed physicians and therapists who can help you set goals based on your needs and preferences.
- It disrupts brain function, affects mood stability, and increases the risk of addiction.
- Here are some thoughts on how to cut back your consumption.
- While many enjoy the social and pleasurable aspects of alcohol consumption, it’s essential to maintain control and moderation to avoid negative consequences.
For example, volunteer to be the designated driver for group outings, ensuring that everyone gets home safely while you stick to non-alcoholic beverages. This not only supports your own goals but also shows your commitment to being a responsible and caring friend. Once you have established your goals and reasons, create a detailed plan of action. Break down your overall goal into smaller, achievable milestones. For instance, if your ultimate goal is to limit your drinking to weekends only, start by cutting back by one day each week until you reach your target. Celebrate each milestone along the way to maintain motivation and acknowledge your progress.
How to Handle Alcohol Cravings and Stay on Track
This withdrawal can be physical, mental, or psychological; your level of alcohol dependence will determine the type and severity of your withdrawal symptoms. Fortunately, there aren’t any alcohol withdrawal symptoms that are life-threatening or even need medical supervision. Participants are how to control drinking asked to take a realistic look at their drinking patterns and reasons. People with alcohol use disorder who try to quit drinking often ask whether they have to stop consuming alcohol forever—or if they can learn to drink in moderation. While some drink to cope with stress, anxiety, or depression, alcohol can actually worsen these conditions over time. It disrupts brain function, affects mood stability, and increases the risk of addiction.
- Go for a walk in nature, engage in a hobby like painting or gardening, or call a supportive friend.
- Let them know that their encouragement and positive reinforcement can make a significant difference in your journey.
- Mental clarity is another significant benefit of quitting drinking.
- Repeat this process for several minutes, focusing on the sensation of the breath moving in and out of your body.
- At Monument, we’ve brought all of these tools online so you can make progress on your own terms, and own time.
Table of Contents
A medical professional can help you understand whether detoxing at home is safe or if you need supervised care. Withdrawal symptoms can be serious, and your health deserves careful attention. Laying it all out in black and white can take time and some serious self-examination. Understanding your habits and your motivations to quit drinking can help you understand the change you’re making in your life and reinforce why it’s important.
- Drinking less without quitting can help you reduce your risk of developing serious illnesses, such as liver disease, multiple forms of cancer, and even heart disease.
- The urge to drink will inevitably come—so make a plan for it.
- We’ve rounded up our top tips to give upalcohol and start on your journey.
- Remember that building new habits takes time and practice, so be patient with yourself and celebrate each small victory along the way.
- While I was able to stop after one or two drinks in more sedate day-to-day settings like a casual dinner with friends, DIMEs were different.
Expert Tips For Reducing Your Alcohol Consumption
I don’t know if many other drinkers go through this phase, but there was a clearly defined period of time when I knew that I was a danger to myself and others while under the influence of alcohol. This didn’t motivate me to quit, but I was afraid of how bad things could get if I drank too much. Going from a life of drinking to a life in recovery from alcoholism can be challenging.
You feel like your friends and family won’t understand or support your decision to stop drinking. One of the most reliable ways to avoid succumbing to environmental triggers is to avoid the people, places, or things that intensify the urge to drink beyond your limits. Avoiding environments where Drinking Is the Main Event can be especially important in the first months of a journey to drink less or quit. The medication naltrexone (commonly sold under the brand names Revia, Depade, and Vivitrol) has been found to help people learn how to drink Drug rehabilitation in moderation by blocking the pleasurable effects of alcohol. This reduces cravings for alcohol when used consistently (i.e., each and every time the person drinks). “Moderate consumption” is limited to one to two alcoholic drinks per day for healthy men and one alcoholic drink per day for healthy women.
