How Do I Know if I Need to Quit Drinking Alcohol?
How to Stop Alcohol Drinking? The easiest way to know if you need to quit drinking alcohol is to try to stop. If you are successful in limiting alcohol intake, you might not need to stop long-term. You might choose to stop drinking or curb your drinking, but if you’re able to so, it’s unlikely you have a problem with alcohol use.
If you choose to stop drinking, most experts recommend at least a three-day alcohol sabbatical. If you experience withdrawal symptoms or your life is dramatically affected, it’s a sign you have a problem.
Another way to determine if it’s time to cut back on or stop drinking alcohol is to assess your life and ask yourself, "Am I an Alcoholic?".
Self-reflection helps you determine if you are happy with the status of things or if you want to change. If your friends and family express displeasure with your alcohol consumption or your work or school life are suffering, it’s a sign of a problem.
6 How to Stop Alcohol Drinking
Here are six ways to stop drinking alcohol:
- Seek counseling and self-reflect to determine the reason you drink.
- Spend time with people who do not drink and avoid friends with whom you spend time drinking.
- Make it difficult to access alcohol. Get rid of alcohol in your home and avoid liquor stores and bars.
- Seek inpatient treatment, outpatient treatment, or attend Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings.
- Reshape habits that were linked to drinking. For example, if you usually stop by a bar for happy hour, plan an alternative after-work activity.
- Attend Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or other support groups that offer peer support.