Getting Started With Drinking Less Drink Less Campaign

Remember that every person’s journey is unique; there are no one-size-fits-all solutions for managing alcohol intake. The psychological impact of controlled drinking can be quite profound as well. Understanding the psychological factors involved in controlled drinking is crucial too.

Accepting, embracing, and then distracting yourself from these feelings in a healthy way will help you fight the urge to drink. 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. Heavy drinking can also lead to memory loss and poor decision-making.

• Acknowledging the problem is the first step to quitting alcohol.
• The site also delivers a list of sobering statistics about the reality of alcoholism.
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and journaling can also help build strong coping mechanisms for long-term success.
• Read on to take control of your life and put binge drinking in the past.
• Moderation techniques such as pacing yourself, choosing lower-alcohol options, or having alcohol-free days can be practical tools in this journey.

Strategies for Reducing Alcohol Consumption

Have no more than one standard drink per hour to make sure that you stay within moderate limits and do not become overly intoxicated due to drinking too much alcohol over a short period of time. Guidelines for moderate drinking developed by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the World Health Organization (WHO) help to define moderate drinking. In the United States, drinking guidelines are established as no more than 2 drinks per day for men and no more than 1 drink per day for women. One drink is defined as 5 oz of wine, 1.5 oz of spirits, or 12 oz of beer. The WHO guidelines recommend no more than 2 drinks per day or 5 drinking days per week with at least 2 non-drinking days.

Some call it “The Inner Brat,” “The Alcohol Salesman,” “The Lobbyist,” “The Terrorist,” “The Whiner,” or just “The Enemy.” Pick a name that fits your experience with it. It was developed by Joseph Gerstein, M.D., a co-founder of SMART Recovery (and a good friend of mine). This signal is telling you to have a drink, but it’s not controlling you. With practice, the urge can become a signal to use an urge coping strategy. Participating in team sports or outdoor adventures is another effective way to replace drinking with a fulfilling and social activity. Joining a local sports league, such as basketball, soccer, or volleyball, provides an opportunity to connect with others while engaging in friendly competition.

Break down long-term goals into smaller milestones

As individuals set and achieve goals, whether it’s winning a game or conquering a challenging trail, they build confidence in their abilities and develop a stronger sense of self-worth. To practice deep breathing, find a quiet, comfortable place to sit or lie down. Breathe in slowly through your nose, feeling your belly rise as your lungs fill with air. Hold the breath for a few seconds, then exhale slowly through your mouth, feeling your belly fall. Repeat this process for several minutes, focusing on the sensation of the breath moving in and out of your body.

Use resources by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

At Monument, we’ve brought all of these tools Alcoholics Anonymous online so you can make progress on your own terms, and own time. 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. “Moderate consumption” is limited to one to two alcoholic drinks per day for healthy men and one alcoholic drink per day for healthy women. One drink is equivalent to 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits. If you are reading this, you are well on your way to understanding yourself better and getting what you want and need in life.

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• By focusing your attention on positive, engaging activities, you can ride out the craving without turning to alcohol.
• Once this was no longer an option, I started to write instead.
• Consult with a licensed mental health professional to further explore AUD.
• Be specific about how they can help, such as avoiding offering you drinks, choosing alcohol-free venues for social gatherings, or simply being there to listen when you need to talk.

Within just a month of not drinking, your body can begin to reap the benefits. Your liver can start to heal, your risks of heart disease and cancer go down, and you may begin to sleep better. Maybe you’ve never been interested in logging your innermost thoughts, but journaling can be a great tool to track your feelings as you work on quitting alcohol. It’s common to experience difficulty when making big changes, but good self-care practices can help you manage overwhelming feelings and take care of your mind and body.

All the same, “a quick drink” often turns into three or four drinks. When you’re having a good time, you find it hard to stop, especially in the company of friends having the same amount. It’s important to know that if your body has developed a strong dependence on alcohol, trying to quit “cold turkey” can be hazardous to your health.

• You can take steps to lower your risk of alcohol-related harms.
• Even moderate drinking can contribute to anxiety, depression, and long-term health risks like liver disease and heart complications.
• Telling new people about your goals may feel like a risk, but it’s a risk that’s likely to pay off.
• Bring a trusted friend with you, ideally someone who also wants to drink responsibly.

However, with the right strategies, support, and mindset, quitting is entirely possible. Quitting alcohol is a major step toward improving your health, relationships, and overall well-being. By following these 10 steps, you can develop an action plan that helps you stop drinking alcohol and regain control. Most people find that involving drinking less or having alcohol-free days leads to benefits like better sleep, improved mental health, and even the ability to lose weight.

How To Control Drinking: A Guide to Responsible Alcohol Consumption

Of course, this only works if your friends and family aren’t enablers of your drinking. If all of your friends have the same problem with binge drinking, you’ll need another plan. It’s why I don’t think moderation works as a long-term strategy, especially not for people who have struggled with their drinking habits for extended periods of time.

Remind yourself of why you want to cut back, talk to a friend about it and distract yourself with a hobby or exercise, the NIAAA suggests. “Once you have a sense of how much you’re drinking, it’s helpful to track how many drinks you’re having per day,” says Witkiewitz. “You could use a calendar, journal or any number of tracking apps.” Drink Control Alcohol Tracker or Less are two examples of free tracking apps available on iOS devices. You’ll get a 100% custom plan, then use daily texts to track your progress and help you stay on target. Crystal Raypole has previously worked as a writer and editor for GoodTherapy.