How to Stop Binge Drinking: 12 Tips for How to Quit

Additionally, we offer exceptional continuing care so even after completing your programme; you’re never alone in this fight against alcohol addiction. Our team at CATCH strongly believes in holistic healing methods as part of this process. We recognise that addiction affects not just the body but also the mind and spirit. Therefore, our programme includes evidence-based therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) or dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT).

• Talk with a healthcare professional if you’re concerned you may experience detox symptoms when quitting drinking or cutting back.
• These are the types of feelings people will experience as they reduce their alcohol or drug use.
• Becoming more aware of your alcohol triggers and reasons for drinking can help you plan ways to help manage the urge to drink.

How to Control Your Alcohol Intake

Having the backing of loved ones can foster motivation, resilience, and a commitment to recovery. It can reshape an individual’s environment into a supportive and proactive system, reducing the opportunities for relapse. These groups can also disseminate valuable coping mechanisms to handle triggers and mitigate cravings.

In the body, alcohol weakens the immune system, damages the liver, and raises the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure. Reducing or quitting alcohol helps improve brain function, energy levels, and overall health. NIAAA’s website is full of practical research and science-based methods to help you stop drinking. The NIAAA tells you the mathematical difference between drinking in moderation, binge drinking, and heavy alcohol use. You’re afraid that if you stop drinking, you’ll miss out on a great social life. Instead of worrying that people will leave you behind for your bad behavior, you’re afraid that people will do it because now you seem too good.

Fear keeps you from regressing, goals drive you forward, and new habits to make it all stick. We all build and develop our character as we learn to control our behavior. Achieving this self-control can be tricky, however—especially when it comes to alcohol. If you are worried you or your loved one might have an alcohol use disorder, there is hope — reach out to Dove Recovery alcohol rehab in Columbus, Ohio.

• For many, working with a therapist on a specialized alcohol therapy program can be a really effective way to make a long-lasting change.
• Surrounding yourself with a supportive network of friends, family, and peers who understand your goals and challenges can be invaluable when you’re working to cut back on drinking.
• If they’re going through a breakup or job loss, for example, be there to listen and assure them that things will get better.
• Additionally, if you or a loved one are facing mental health challenges and experiencing suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 911.

How Long Does Alcohol Stay in Your System?

Psychological symptoms can include irritability, anxiety and restlessness. Sunnyside uses a psychology-based approach to help you drink more mindfully, no matter what your goal is. You’ll get a 100% custom plan, then daily texts to track your progress and help you stay on target. You’ll get a 100% custom plan, then use daily texts to track your progress and help you what is alcoholism stay on target. It’s always wise to check with your doctor — she should be able to help you decide whether it is best for you to cut back or to abstain. People who are dependent on alcohol, or have other medical or mental health problems, should stop drinking completely.

How To Cut Back on Drinking Alcohol: 7 Steps Toward Mindful Drinking

If withdrawal symptoms become severe, seek emergency medical care immediately. When you quit drinking alcohol, there isn’t any way around feeling like you’re missing something. It’s hard to quit drinking when you only see yourself as a person who normally drinks but is taking a break. Whether your goal is long-term or short-term sobriety, this is the wrong mindset. A smart recovery strategy is to completely embrace a new identity as a person that does not drink. At the very least, you want to get your drinking habits and health under control.

How many times have you tried to cut down in the past and failed? It ends up as torture and misery, and ‘old habits’ die hard but as we explain this is not a habit. If you’ve become dependent on alcohol, cutting it out of your life may produce withdrawal symptoms, such as a rapid heartbeat, high blood pressure, sweating and shaking.

• You’re part of a community now – one united by shared experiences and common goals.
• In the brain, it slows down communication, affecting memory, decision-making, and coordination.

Consider a Moderation-Based Program

Best of all, you don’t need to identify as an alcoholic to get started. This program is meant for anyone who wants to change their relationship with alcohol, whether that means cutting back or quitting altogether. Avoiding triggers is a critical component of reducing alcohol consumption and maintaining long-term sobriety.

Admit that you’re afraid

• This can be particularly true of teens who want to drink to seem older or more mature.
• Recognise patterns of thought that lead to excessive drinking like stress, boredom or loneliness; addressing these underlying issues is often a key part of cutting down or cutting out alcohol.
• Your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours all play a role in how you manage your alcohol consumption.
• The urge to drink will inevitably come—so make a plan for it.
• Memory loss or fragmented memories of the previous night might leave you feeling uneasy or worried about your health.

No matter how you choose to support your loved one’s efforts to stop binge drinking, remember you’re not their therapist. You also can’t be expected to constantly monitor their decisions. Your role is simply to remind them of commitments they made and offer small nudges in the right direction. So what should you do if your loved one initially denies having a binge drinking problem? You might want to give them a few days to reflect on what you said.

Alcohol can damage body tissues and interfere with your body’s ability to absorb nutrients and break down harmful chemicals. These effects can increase your risk of various types of cancer, including mouth, throat, esophagus, breast, liver, and colon cancer. If you’re at a party, event, or celebration, ground yourself in the present moment. Enjoy the music, laughter, food, company, and conversations, and learn how to have fun without alcohol in the mix. Studies have found that alcohol may increase sleepiness momentarily. Once these effects wear off, alcohol causes the person to wake up more often throughout the night and reduces the overall duration and quality of sleep 4.