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#EASY WAYS TO QUIT DRINKING HOW TO#

It wasn’t just the booze itself it was the collateral costs of a night out: the taxis, the late-night burgers and, towards the end of my drinking days, the drugs I would invariably buy after my fourth pint. The money I used to spend when I was drinking was obscene.

#EASY WAYS TO QUIT DRINKING HOW TO#

Whether you’re hoping to prolong the benefits of Dry January a little longer or thinking of going sober more permanently, here are some tips on how to keep having fun while you do so.

In the meantime, it helps to have some practical stuff up your sleeve to help those early days of sobriety feel like a pleasure, not an endurance. In the years since, I have gradually become better at processing highs and lows without the accompaniment of booze. But without the option of going straight to the pub to raise a few glasses, I was clueless as to how to express my excitement. When I had been sober for three months, I received a really big job offer – the sort that warranted a celebration. Track your progress, goal and feelingsĮven if you don’t end up cutting out all alcohol, tracking your emotions and urges to discover your triggers can be helpful, Wakeman said.It is not just the tendency to use booze to numb stress, sadness and exhaustion, it’s how to behave in the good times too. “But if it’s an alternative that allows you to feel like you’re not missing out on a social situation and helps you make the changes that you want to your alcohol consumption, I don’t think there’s any downside to that.”ĥ. “I’m skeptical of anything that claims to relax you or have amazing health benefits that comes in a glass regardless of what it is,” Wakeman said. Some even claim to have added ingredients that are “calming” or “healthy.”

“That can absolutely help you avoid temptation.”Īn entire industry is devoted to making nonalcoholic drinks that taste (at least a bit) like the real thing. “Substituting one behavior for another can work because you’re tricking your brain,” Hafeez said. “For some people it can be just sparkling water, and for other people it’s actually having a mocktail or some sort of (nonalcoholic) drink that feels fun and celebratory,” Wakeman said.

You can combat those urges by replacing your drink of choice with something equally festive or flavorful, experts say. That can train your brain to see alcohol as a positive. “If you publicly state you’re going to do something, you’re more likely to stick with it than if you keep it to yourself.”ĭrinking is often associated with social gatherings or fun times. “That’s where I think ‘dry January’ has kind of caught on,” Wakeman said. For some people it may work to announce their plan on social media - and invite others to join in and report back on their progress. Informing a few friends or family members of your goal can help you reach it, experts say. “Nothing starts without an honest conversation with yourself.” “If you set a bar too high, you may fail, so it’s better to set smaller goals to achieve it,” Hafeez said. If you like, you can set another goal later.

Time based: Set a reasonable time frame to finish your efforts.

Relevant: How is not drinking going to help me with my life and health?.

Achievable: Make sure there are not a bunch of social engagements where alcohol is likely to be served during your month of abstention.

Measurable: How many drinks will you cut - and what are the drink sizes? A beer is 12 ounces, a glass of wine is 5 ounces and a serving of spirits is 1.5 ounces.

You can add days until you reach your final goal.

Specific: Set an achievable goal, such as cutting back on drinking three days a week.

“The research we have on goal setting says goals are more likely to be achieved if they’re really relevant to you as an individual and not abstract like ‘I should stop drinking because drinking is bad,’ ” she said.Ĭoncrete goals such as embracing new sleep habits or an exercise routine will help make giving up drinking easier, she said. It helps to be clear about your goal to make it a habit, said Wakeman, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. What is the advice from experts on how to have a successful “dry January”? Read on. Sanam Hafeez, who conducts classes at Columbia University’s Teachers College. “For some people saying, ‘I’m not going to drink this entire month,’ might be really hard, so trying to do so may show you how easy or difficult it is for you,” said neuropsychologist Dr. Sarah Wakeman, medical director of the Substance Use Disorders Initiative at Massachusetts General Hospital. “Or it may be someone who truly is starting to wonder or question their relationship with alcohol, and this is an opportunity to really explore that,” said Dr.

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