The Best Way to Quit Drinking Alcohol for Good

Planning for social situations where you know there will be alcohol can help you navigate how to respond. “Anyone who uses alcohol frequently and in heavy amounts should consider cutting down to moderate drinking or stopping altogether,” explains Joshua D. Lee, MD, MSc, Chief Clinical Advisor at Oar Health. Giving up alcohol can have a significant impact on your mental health, especially if you’ve been using alcohol as a coping mechanism. Watch for changes in your mood, emotions, or mental well-being along the way. If you notice any troubling symptoms, don’t hesitate to seek professional help for your mental health. In a society where social gatherings often center around cocktails and stress amplifies alcohol’s allure, choosing to quit drinking can feel like trying to move a mountain with a shovel.

Drink water.

Yet these symptoms are “irritability, poor concentration, feeling shaky, feeling tired, difficulty sleeping or bad dreams”. So please read our world-famous tips but you must remember that drinking is like being trapped in a maze. In a large-scale study of alcohol treatment methods, researchers found that a combination of medication, cognitive-behavioral interventions, and social support was most effective. The study also showed that no single treatment approach fits the needs of every individual.

Aftercare programs provide continued support to help you maintain sobriety. This might include regular therapy sessions, support group meetings, or check-ins with your treatment center. Identify the situations, people, or emotions that make you want to drink.

Once alcohol leaves the system, blood sugar begins to normalise. Put a sticky note in places where you know you’ll need that extra reminder. Set a daily message alert on your phone for moments when you know you’ll crave a drink the most.

Choosing the Right Private Alcohol Rehab in Georgia

Place pictures that remind you of your why around your home, in your car or on your phone and computer backgrounds. Before joining the team she was Features Editor at MSN UK, where she oversaw Family Health and Days Out. Previously, she was Digital Lifestyle Editor for the broadcaster UKTV, and Lifestyle Editor for ITV.com. Anna studied Multi-Media Journalism at Bournemouth University and went on to gain her NCTJ and NCE journalism qualifications. Anna is responsible for driving the direction and editorial strategy of Goodto. A mum and experienced baby product tester, she is passionate about providing safe, trustworthy, and relatable advice for families of all kinds.

Free Healthbeat Signup

Stopping alcohol won’t just put a bit of extra change in your pocket; it has the potential to have a sizable impact on your income and the lifestyle you can live. As a non drinker, it gets very boring when dining out, that you are presented with the alcohol menu as if it is an expectation. When ordering a soft drink or water, you are often looking at the children’s menu or no menu at all.

You May Feel Happier

At that point, I wasn’t planning to stop drinking but I was curious about the author’s story and how quitting alcohol had impacted her life. Those who become physically dependent on alcohol can suffer longer-lasting withdrawal symptoms, he warned. These can range from mild problems (such as sweating, increased blood pressure, heart rate and anxiety) to full-blown psychosis, delirium, seizures and death. Like any big change, there might be times where it doesn’t feel easy, so it’s important to reward yourself with something as you make progress. It’s equally important not to be too hard on yourself if you slip up every once in a while. These physical withdrawal symptoms can include trembling hands, sweating, headache, nausea, vomiting, palpitations, and lack of appetite.

• ​This guide has lots of practical tips on how you can stop drinking and the benefits you can expect.
• According to Drinkaware, giving up alcohol will make you healthier – something I wanted to capitalise on with my new found free time.
• However, there are cases where drinking too much water can become unhealthy and even dangerous.
• Try to take new things in moderation and make sure that no new habits or activities are becoming a new addiction as you stop drinking.
• Taking days off within the week is a common strategy to encourage drinking less overall.

In general, though, it seems the brain can physically recover from chronic alcohol consumption to a more functional state. Language and speech improvements, for instance, can return to relative normal in as little as three weeks. I​f you think you may be dependent on alcohol, you should consult your doctor or another health professional. You could speak to your GP or a member of their team, or there are a number of national alcohol support services that you can confidentially self-refer to for advice and support. Quitting alcohol for good isn’t just about saying no to a drink—it’s about saying yes to a better life.

• Therapy helps you build the skills needed to cope with life without alcohol.
• One study found that attitude-related barriers were the most common obstacle that people face before entering treatment for an alcohol use disorder.
• So, it’s important to replace those electrolytes during prolonged exercise when even a salty Western diet won’t cut it.

Avoiding triggering situations and developing healthier coping mechanisms will help you stay on track toward your goal of giving up alcohol. Alcohol contributes to or causes a large number of chronic diseases, including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and seven different types of cancer, as well as mental health issues. All of these risks can be reduced by quitting or cutting back on alcohol. Maintaining sobriety is an ongoing effort that requires commitment and careful planning. Building a daily routine that supports your sobriety is essential—this could include regular exercise, healthy eating, and engaging in activities you enjoy to help avoid the temptation to drink.

In severe cases, symptoms can include convulsions, fever and even hallucinations.5  If you experience withdrawal symptoms you should seek medical assistance urgently. Thousands of people quit drinking every year—and stay sober for life. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the most effective, science-backed methods to quit drinking—permanently. Whether you’re just beginning to question your relationship with alcohol or have tried to quit before and relapsed, you’ll find tools, stories, and hope here. Belinda Gordon-Battle is a licensed clinical therapist and life consultant based in Miami while providing therapeutic services across the globe.

Unfortunately, immediately setting your mind to achieving this one and only hard-and-fast goal is why many people struggle to quit drinking or how to stop drinking for good why they relapse early on in their recovery journey. For others, it’s their careers that have taken a hit due to the effects of their drinking. And for others it’s a combination of factors that motivates their move to sobriety.

For those who are physiologically dependent, quitting alcohol cold-turkey can cause delirium tremens, which is life-threatening. Withdrawal symptoms include tremors, mood swings, nausea, and intense sweating. They typically begin within a day of someone’s last drink, peak three days after their last drink, and diminish after about a week. Psychotherapy can help people with alcohol use disorder (AUD) reduce or eliminate their alcohol use. It may be especially helpful for people who need guidance on healthy ways to deal with past trauma related to their drinking. For those who have been drinking large quantities of alcohol for a significant amount of time, withdrawal symptoms can be far worse and may even be life-threatening.