How to stop drinking

Many people outside of the world of addiction may not have that understanding of alcoholism. People may make comments that make it seem as though the process of how to stop drinking is a sudden flick of a switch. Quitting alcohol is more than just the decision to abstain. Getting sober is a journey of personal change, commitment and effort. This is why we use the term ‘active recovery’ – to highlight that to stop drinking alcohol, we must take tangible steps to maintain sobriety. Recovery does not happen overnight, and therefore, alcohol quitting is not as simple as it may sound to those around us. To stop drinking, we need to take a series of steps to set us up for the process of recovery. But when do we know that these steps are needed? What contingencies can we put in place to reduce the risk of relapse? What professional addiction support is available in times of need?

What is drinking ‘too much’?

It can often be difficult to identify when we start to drink too much. Whilst there is a recommended alcohol intake (up to 14 units a week), 22% regularly drink over this amount each week. [1.2] But if almost a quarter of us are over-drinking so frequently, how are we supposed to identify the baseline between ‘normal’ drinking and addiction-driven drinking?

The first way to gain clarity on this is by understanding units.

The second is to answer an alcohol screening tool.

Understanding units

The recommended weekly intake is 14 units. But what does that look like?

14 units are around:

• 6 medium glasses or wine
• 6 pints of medium-strength beer

It is recommended that this consumption is spread over three or more days. It is also recommended to have several days in the week where no alcohol is consumed.

Screening for alcohol addiction

One tool to do this is with a simple, 4-question test known as the CAGE questionnaire. This questionnaire screens for problem drinking and assesses potential addiction risk. If you are worried that your drinking is linked to dependency, answering these questions honestly can be a useful place to start.

1. Have you ever felt you should cut down on your drinking?
2. Have people annoyed you by criticising your drinking?
3. Have you ever felt bad or guilty about your drinking?
4. Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or get rid of a hangover?

Give yourself a score of 1 for every time you answer yes. If you answer no, the score is 0. A ‘total score of 2 or greater is considered clinically significant,’ and therefore indicates a likelihood of addiction experience either in the present moment or at another stage of your life. If this is the case for you, you would benefit from taking concrete steps to move towards sobriety.

Steps to stop drinking

Addiction is a chronic disorder – this means that we can understand it as a type of health condition. And like other disorders, addiction can seem to rear its head from time to time throughout our lives. When this occurs, this is known as a relapse – when we begin to drink after a period of cessation. Addiction does not have a cure. Unfortunately, it doesn’t simply disappear when we stop drinking. Instead, we can think of addiction as something that needs to be managed by paying attention to our emotional wellbeing, social circumstances and lifestyle.

But what does this actually look like?

Steps to manage emotional wellbeing

• Practising mindfulness techniques
• Being mindful of your stress triggers
• Communicating with others about your feelings
• Keep a journal
• Spend time outside
• Take the time to actively consider how you are feeling

Positive social steps

• Pushing against the urge to socially withdraw
• Avoiding encountering people places or activities heavily associated with drinking
• Staying in contact with trusted friends and family
• Engage with community or charity events

Beneficial lifestyle changes

• Focusing on nutrition
• Implementing regular exercise
• Eating regularly
• Sleeping regularly
• Taking breaks where needed (i.e. not overworking consistently, using annual leave)
• Implement routines
• Discover a new hobby or engage with something you previously enjoyed

All of these changes can have a palpable impact on your wellbeing – helping you to feel lighter, calmer, and more in control. But they are not just short-term changes. Incorporating these steps into your daily life can help you in the early stages of recovery, but they can double as safeguards against relapsing in the long-term. This is because these steps all work towards building habits associated with improved mood and quality of life.

This can help to reduce the need to turn to alcohol again in the future, as, hopefully, we will have developed safer, healthier ways of managing that negate our need to drink for solace. This shifts our focus from ‘maladaptive’ (or harmful) coping to adaptive coping skills that are relevant to you, your life and most importantly, your emotional needs.

Professional support

Professional addiction treatment comes in when managing alcoholism independently is becoming too difficult. This mode of recovery incorporates a range of targeted interventions into a treatment plan relevant to your current needs and goals.

Addiction support: some statistics

There is no shame in accessing formal support to help you to stop drinking. Accessing addiction support is a form of medical support just like any other – there is no need to feel embarrassed or anxious about reaching out for help. Between April 2022 and March 2023, there were a total of 290,635 adults in contact with addiction services in England alone. Of these people, 30% (a total of 86,257) were seeking help for their relationship with alcohol.

Modes of support

But what type of support is out there? What is the best route for accessing addiction treatment? Common entries into treatment include:

• Through a GP or other primary care clinician
• Through a health and social care professional
• Through a local drug and alcohol service
• Through a charity
• Through a specialist rehab provider

If you are struggling to give up alcohol, the best thing you can do is reach out. The more social and professional support you have, the stronger your support network is likely to be. The idea of treatment for alcohol addiction may seem intense at first, but the support is not too dissimilar to support for other psychological health conditions.

Alcohol addiction treatment can include a mixture of the following interventions:

• Alcohol detox
• Alcohol counselling
• 12 step therapy
• Art therapy
• Cognitive behavioural therapy
• Dialectical behavioural therapy
• Group therapy
• Meditation
• Mindfulness therapy
• Trauma therapy
• Lifestyle support
• Monitored medication

Get help

At Primrose Lodge, we know that addiction is a very heavy weight to bear alone. This is why we strive to offer the best specialist, confidential support in the sector.  We provide individuals struggling with dependency the opportunity to engage with innovative treatment. Our rehab programmes are fully flexible and unique to you. From addiction counselling to monitored detox, all our interventions are facilitated by clinical professionals. Take the first steps towards lightening the load of addiction by contacting our team for an initial consultation.