How to Stop Drinking Alcohol, Soda, and Coffee: Manage Your Addiction with These Tips

1. How to stop drinking alcohol

How to Stop Drinking - Photo by Anete Lusina from Pexels

When you’re trying to cut back or take an indefinite break from drinking alcohol, it’s important to take some time to explore your relationship with alcohol.

The first thing you’d want to do in order to learn how to stop drinking is to ask yourself some questions, like how much you actually drink, AND why you always drink that much in the first place. 

Plenty of people use alcohol to numb emotional pain or face stressful situations more easily. However, we should understand that drinking alcohol alone won’t solve whatever issues you’ve got—you really should manage your emotions and actually face the problems head-on. That’s why, knowing the reasons behind your alcohol use can help you explore alternative ways to address your issues more productively.

From there, you can start to pick the best approach that suits you. Keep your goal achievable; depending on how severe your alcohol dependence is, you can decide whether to give up alcohol entirely or just reduce the alcohol use. Complete sobriety isn’t a bad goal, of course, but it doesn’t have to be the only one.

Once you’ve set your goal, you can let your close ones help motivate you to stick with your decision. Finding alcohol recovery communities is another great choice—they usually offer addiction rehab programs including individual and group counseling sessions, medical and mental health support, adjunctive and complementary methods, and support groups.

Moreover, you can make a few changes in your typical routine like finding a new favorite drink, rediscovering hobbies, keeping a journal, and exploring other means to cope. The important thing is to always treat yourself kindly if your plan doesn’t stick at first. Quitting drinking alcohol is a big challenge and doing so can take time, so don’t be too harsh on yourself.