If you’re wondering how to stop drinking alcohol, whether you’re getting sober or doing Dry January, experts have advice about getting started.
Perhaps it’s the delicious mocktails on tap at your local bar or the terrible bout of hangxiety you get whenever you drink. Maybe it’s the influx of research linking alcohol to a wide range of health issues, including liver disease, cancer, and mental health disorders.
There are endless reasons people—roughly half Americans, per recent estimates—are giving up booze. But the pressure to drink remains strong. That’s because, historically, social activities have largely centered around alcohol, Annalyse Lucero, LMFT, a licensed marriage and family therapist and licensed substance abuse counselor, tells SELF. Think about it: Weddings and office parties often feature open bars, book clubs are routinely paired with wine, and what would trivia night be without a dirt-cheap pitcher of beer? Quitting booze can feel like an intimidating choice, especially when your friends are still inviting you to happy hour, which is why experts recommend having a game plan in place. After all, when you take alcohol out of the picture, you eventually need to replace it with another thing—whether that be a zero-proof beverage or a sober activity you actually enjoy. “Alcohol served some purpose in your social life,” says Lucero. “If you’re not centering something else—like connection, joy, pleasure, excitement—you might feel like you’re missing out.' Here’s how to quit drinking, avoid the FOMO, and actually stick with it. Know if and when you may have a problem—and talk to a doctor. Before we dig into the ways to successfully cut back on drinking, Smita Das, MD, PhD, MPH, a board-certified addiction psychiatrist and the chair of the American Psychiatric Association’s Council on Addiction Psychiatry, points out an important caveat: If you’re a chronic, heavy drinker—that roughly means five-plus drinks a day for men, or four or more for women—trying to stop cold turkey puts you at risk of alcohol withdrawal syndrome. “Withdrawal can require medical attention and be life-threatening,” Dr. Das says. If regularly drinking that amount of alcohol is where you are now, see a physician about whether you need to safely detox with medical help and pursue options for addiction treatment—under no circumstances should you go through this alone. Dr. Das emphasizes that you should also tell any mental health care professionals you see about your plans to quit drinking so they can adjust their treatment plans if necessary. “ people with a substance use disorder like alcohol use disorder have another mental health condition, so it’s really important to treat both,” she says. “If we don’t treat depression or anxiety that might be associated with , then we’re only working with half of what’s going on.” Determine your why. Lucero recommends asking yourself why you want a new relationship with alcohol. “Maybe you’re sick of feeling ashamed after boozy night outs. Or, perhaps, your hangovers have become unbearable or you have a chronic health condition, like inflammatory bowel disease , that flares up when you drink. Being clear about your reasons for cutting back will make you more confident about your decision to quit drinking, according to Lucero. “Knowing your why will help root and ground you in all of your decisions,” she says. Doing so will also help reestablish your core beliefs about alcohol. A lot of us grew up equating alcohol with fun and social connection—but that might not necessarily be true for you, and it's important to set that record straight as you embark on this journey. Pay attention to how you feel right before you drink. If you’re still experimenting with sobriety, take stock of yourself next time you sip on a cocktail. Notice what’s happening within you physically and emotionally. For example, did you order a drink because you didn’t want to feel left out or did you take a shot because you were feeling socially anxious or stressed out? “Being mindful helps you stay present in the moment so you can assess what’s happening,” says Lucero. Having that self awareness when you’re at happy hour can help you reconnect to your new core beliefs about drinking and figure out what you need to do to align with them, says Lucero. What does that look like? Well, say you took a shot because everyone else was and you wanted to fit in. That suggests you care deeply about connecting with other people—not throwing back 1.5 fluid ounces of tequila. In this case, you need to figure out how to bond with your friends or insert yourself into a conversation without relying on Don Julio. “It’s about building the safety and trust within yourself to be vulnerable around other people without alcohol,” says Lucero. Think through the situations in which you wind up drinking. In her practice, Dr. Das asks, “What are the people, places, and things that might cause somebody to drink, and how can we integrate that into their recovery plan?” So, think about it for yourself: Is there a bar, club, or concert venue where you get particularly trashed over and over again—even when you swear you’re going to take it easy? What about a partner or friend who drinks so much that you try to keep up? A workplace culture that revolves around happy hours or partying to blow off steam? When you review your notes, look for patterns. The trends that emerge will probably reveal a lot about where, what, and maybe even whom you’ll want to avoid or handle differently in the beginning stages of a booze-free lifestyle. If you have an engagement you can’t wiggle out of, like mandatory work “fun” or family time, George Koob, PhD, director of the NIAAA, suggests grabbing an ambiguously cocktail-y non-alcoholic drink—and you’re absolutely free to dodge questions that curious people might have about what’s in your cup, or answer them honestly. Whatever you want. “Just get a sparkling water, put a lime in it, and have fun,” he says. Start with a sobriety trial run. “One of the first recommendations I make is to stop drinking for a set period of time,” Dr. Koob says. After just a couple of weeks, you may start to notice some positive physical and mental effects of not drinking, like better sleep, improved energy levels, less anxiety, and an easier time in the bathroom, and decide to keep going. This can be real motivation to stay on the wagon. “Some people stop for two weeks, feel better, and two weeks—and at the end of that, they say, ‘I didn’t need alcohol in my life—it’s causing more trouble than it’s worth,'” Dr. Koob says. Framing sobriety as a temporary challenge versus a permanent lifestyle change can make it easier to stay sober in the long run. That’s the logic behind the Alcoholics Anonymous adage “one day at a time”—if you think about just abstaining for just 24 hours rather than worrying about how you’ll manage to never have another drink for the rest of your life, it feels less daunting and more manageable. Hang out with other sober people. Meetings like Alcoholics Anonymous , where people open up about their relationships with alcohol in a private, respectful discussion group, are a popular resource for people looking to quit drinking. The NIAAA has a search tool that can help you find support groups, including AA meetings, in your area. If you’re not sure AA or another meeting is a fit for you, or you’re looking for something more casual: There are plenty of places to informally soak up sober support, including by just having a nice time that doesn’t involve downing vodka sodas. The bottom line is that not drinking doesn’t mean embarking on a life of hermitude. “You may have to find friends and social groups that are non-drinkers—and there are plenty of them out there,” Dr. Koob says. Taking up activities where drinking isn’t an integral part of hanging out—think: rec sports leagues and volunteer committees—and building supportive relationships can be a balm when you’re scaling back on booze. Team up with a therapist to identify behaviors that are standing in your way. No matter your situation, Dr. Das emphasizes the power of enlisting help as you embark on a life sans booze. Your support system might look like some combination of loved ones and medical providers—particularly those you might already see, like a primary care physician, psychiatrist, or therapist. Even if you don’t have AUD or an underlying issue, a therapist can offer creative tips you wouldn't have thought of otherwise. They can give you more insight into the underlying reasons that lead you to drink and coach you on strategies for dealing with those feelings. Dr. Das says that cognitive behavioral therapy is one of the best talk-therapy interventions for AUD. “CBT helps people understand what the function of alcohol is in their life and what automatic thoughts or behaviors and associations they have with alcohol,” she explains, and offers guidance about “undoing and replacing those with healthy coping mechanisms.” To get started, try searching a directory like Psychology Today or Inclusive Therapists, both of which have filters you can use to look for specific support around alcohol and substance use. Check in with yourself regularly, and celebrate your progress. Quitting drinking won't solve all of your problems in health and in life—no single lifestyle change can do that. If that’s where you’re setting your expectations, you might feel like you gave up something you enjoyed for no good reason, even when that’s objectively not true. One way to combat that feeling, Dr. Koob says, is to check in with yourself after a few months of sobriety to take stock of the benefits. If you noticed small changes upfront, chances are you will notice even bigger ones a few months in. For instance, your doctor might find that your heart and liver are in better shape, or your skin may have a new glow. The benefits only compound with time. “If you feel better when you’re not drinking, your body’s trying to tell you something,” Dr. Koob says. “You need to listen to your body.” And that’s especially true when it’s telling you you’re doing something incredibly kind for yourself—and that you can and should stick with it. We’re cheersing you with sparkling water as you keep this good thing going. Related: How to Tell If You’re Using Substances to Numb Your Feelings 9 Ways to Turn Down a Drink When Someone Won’t Mind Their Damn Business This Is Why It Seems Like Your Hangovers Are Getting Worse With Age Get more of SELF’s great service journalism delivered right to your inbox.
Drinking Sobriety Binge Drinking
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Heavy-drinking college students damage friends’ mental, emotional health, study findsToday's Video Headlines: 12/29/25
Read more »
Harry and Meghan’s Stanford grad publicist quit to ‘save face’ after Kardashian fiasco: reportsThe departure of Harry and Meghan’s 11th publicist in five years has renewed focus on the challenge of working for a couple who are famous for their self-inflicted P.R. disasters.
Read more »
Night of karaoke and drinking ends with hammer and knife assaultsPat Reavy interned with KSL in 1989 and has been a full-time journalist for either KSL or Deseret News since 1991. For the past 25 years, he has worked primarily the cops and courts beat.
Read more »
A Simple Two-Step Process Can Remove Microplastics from Drinking WaterDiscover Magazine’s award-winning journalism inspires and informs, delivering thought-provoking content that sparks meaningful conversations. With a focus on groundbreaking developments in science, technology, and the world around us, Discover highlights the impact of these innovations on our daily lives.
Read more »
SD Councilmember's message to those who may think about drinking, driving during NYE holidayRyan Hill is stoked to be in San Diego! He’s coming to the area from Sacramento. So, he only had to shuffle his area codes around a little bit, trading the 916 for the 619.
Read more »
Trump vetoes bi-partisan bill aimed at bringing clean, reliable drinking water to southeastern ColoradoSophia Villalba joined the Denver7 news team in October 2025.
Read more »