How to cut down or stop drinking alcohol

Cutting down or giving up alcohol can lead to a healthier, happier life.

It can be challenging. But putting plans in place can help.

To limit your drinking or to stop altogether:

decide if you are ready to face this change
make a plan to deal with things that might cause you to drink (triggers)
commit to your plans

Decide if you are ready to face this change

The first step in cutting down or stopping drinking alcohol is the desire to make this change.

Think about:

why you want to cut down or stop
what’s good and bad about continuing as you are
the challenges you may face around making this change

Reasons to cut down or stop drinking

Everyone has different reasons to cut down or stop drinking.

For example, it may be:

for health reasons - physical and mental
for clearer thinking and concentration
to improve relationships - personal and at work
to sleep better
to lose weight
to stop hangovers
to look and feel better
to achieve personal or work goals
to avoid alcohol dependence (alcoholism)
because someone is worried about your drinking

If you are worried about your drinking, take our alcohol test. This will help you find out the type of drinker you are.

Write down your reasons for making this change and put them somewhere you can find easily. For example, in your wallet or in a note on your phone.

This can help to keep you motivated.

Benefits of cutting down or giving up alcohol

Make a plan to deal with alcohol triggers

An alcohol trigger is something that makes you want to drink. It can be a situation, feeling, routine activity or craving. Triggers are not the same for everyone.

Get to know your alcohol triggers and plan ways to deal with them.

You may need to avoid some people and places that you associate with drinking for a time.

But it is not always possible to avoid your triggers. It is important to learn ways to deal with them.

Common alcohol triggers and how to handle them

Triggers can make it hard to stay on track. Some triggers are external, others are internal.

Common external triggers include:

after-work routines, such as going to the pub
special events
nights out with friends
getting the children to bed

Internal triggers happen through your thoughts or emotions.

For example, you:

feel stressed or down
have an argument
find it hard to sleep
need a break from everything

Plan for these difficult moments before they happen.

It can help to be prepared for:

cravings - use the 4Ds of distraction, delay, deep breathing and drink water
withdrawal symptoms - talk to your GP, as you may be at risk of serious symptoms and need help to manage them
routines that lead you to drinking - change your routines or try new activities
peer pressure - tell drinking buddies about your plans to cut down or stop drinking
stress - try controlled breathing, mindfulness or other ways to cope with stress

Commit to your plans

The next step is to commit to cutting down or stopping.

Set a date to stop

Your goal may be to stop completely, but right now might not feel like the right time. If that is the case, pick a date soon that suits you best and prepare for it.

If now is the right time, then stop now.

Non-urgent advice: Talk to your GP before stopping if:

you think you may be dependent on alcohol
you are worried about withdrawal symptoms

Alcohol dependence treatment and recovery

Setting limits if you want to cut down

If you want to cut down on your drinking, start by setting your limits. Controlled drinking means having strict rules about when, what and how much you drink.

For example, your limits may include:

only drinking once a week
never drinking alone
never drinking more than 3 drinks at a time
only drinking after 8pm

Use a diary or monitoring app to track your drinking. Tracking greatly improves your chance of success.

There are many benefits to cutting down on alcohol. It can be a great way to quickly improve how you feel and look.

Cutting down can be a step towards stopping completely. But this does not work for everyone. Be kind to yourself while you figure what what works for you.

Tips for drinking less

Tips to help you stay off alcohol

There are things that can help you give up alcohol and stay off it.

Do

avoid having alcohol in your home
avoid people and places that might lead you to drink
learn to say no - it’s a useful skill to have at this time
use your plans to cope with alcohol triggers
get support from family or friends, or your GP, if needed
celebrate your successes - every day without a drink is a win
keep a diary to help process your feelings and to identify triggers
learn from the past - if you tried to give up before, you know the pitfalls you need to avoid

Look after yourself

When you make a change like this in your life, it can take time to adjust.

It can be helpful to:

get plenty of fresh air and daylight for your overall health and wellbeing
do physical activity - this can boost your energy and improve your mood
eat regularly and eat well
find ways to handle difficult emotions or stress - try relaxation techniques
get plenty of sleep

It’s normal to have some mood changes or feel a bit down following a change like this.

Talk to your GP if you are finding it hard to cope.

Looking after your mental health

Alcohol withdrawal symptoms

Not everyone gets withdrawal symptoms when they stop drinking. It depends on your drinking habits and if you have become dependent on alcohol.

How to cope with withdrawal symptoms

Signs of alcohol dependence

Non-urgent advice: Contact your GP if:

you have any withdrawal symptoms when you stop drinking alcohol

Non-urgent advice: Get help with problem alcohol use

For confidential advice, freephone 1800 459 459.

Find alcohol services and supports

Preventing or coping with an alcohol relapse

It can take a few tries to stop drinking for good.

A relapse or slip-up is when you go back to your old ways of drinking after you have stopped.

It can be helpful to prepare for a relapse. If you are prepared, you are less likely to have one.

Having a relapse does not mean you cannot change or will not succeed in the end.

Start again if you have a slip-up. Each step forward is progress and brings you closer to your goal.

Why a relapse might happen

Some things that can lead to a relapse include:

being in a high-risk situation before you are ready
trying to cut down rather than give up alcohol
coping with a difficult emotional situation
lacking the support you may have needed
difficulty coping with withdrawals or cravings
pressure from other people

Try again

Remind yourself why you were giving up. Look over what you had written before you started. Or write down the pros and cons of giving up, if you had not done this before.

Set a new date and make a new plan.