Strategies For Cutting Down Drinking & Alcohol Consumption NIAAA

While the pandemic seems to have triggered substantial increases in alcohol consumption, and in alcohol abuse, this is true on a macro level. For some people, the pandemic created more opportunities for reducing drinking. More time at home may have contributed to less peer pressure to drink, less time in a “wet” culture, and lifestyle changes that might support a shift towards moderation. Talk to your family doctor or an addiction counselor about whether a moderation or abstinence-based approach is right for you. If you decide together that moderation is the right goal, there may be a program or support group that will support you in your new lifestyle. There are also medications that can be helpful for people who want to reduce their drinking.

• The Alcohol Change UK website also offers advice, support and interactive tools for those wishing to cut down or give up.
• This can help you feel confident that you won’t act on an urge you might experience.
• That little voice in your head that badgers and coaxes you.
• You have places, people, and events that are tied to drinking.
• “But that dichotomy — yes or no, you have it or you don’t — is inadequate,” says Dr. John Mariani, who researches substance abuse at Columbia University.

Rethinking Alcohol: Can Heavy Drinkers Learn To Cut Back?

John C. Umhau, MD, MPH, CPE is board-certified in addiction medicine and preventative medicine. For over 20 years Dr. Umhau was a senior clinical investigator at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available. Finding or reaching out to other sober people can also help. From month-long sobriety challenges to the Sober Curious movement, more and more people are taking a closer look at the role alcohol plays in their lives.

Establish Your Drinking Goal

Doing a reality check with a simple online self-assessment might be the first step. Take the Alcohol Use Disorders Test (AUDIT) developed by the how to control drinking World Health Organization (WHO) online. Another possible option is using medications such as naltrexone or disulfiram along with psychotherapy.

The Cost of Treatment vs. The Cost of Drinking

However, over time, if extrinsic motivation remains as the primary drive, the person would find themselves stuck in a torn feeling between what they want to do and what they should do. And the tricky part of the moderation path is that there’s no way to know which heavy drinkers can learn to control their drinking rather than having to give it up completely. Since Donna first tried moderation, the concept of helping people try to moderate their drinking has gained traction. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) lists Moderation Management as an evidence-based program. Instead of drinking beer on a Friday night, “I’d drink seltzer water … and dance in the playroom with my son,” she says. Naltrexone is a prescription medication that can reduce your urges and cravings to drink or to drink heavily.

Can Drinking Water Lower Blood Pressure?

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• We do not offer individual medical advice, diagnosis or treatment plans.
• This way, when your coins run out, you can be sure not to exceed the previously determined limit that you imposed on yourself.
• Chlorine was first used in the United States as a major disinfectant in 1908 in Jersey City, New Jersey.
• It can be a particularly helpful way to help you get a clearer understanding of your drinking habits and your relationship with alcohol.
• Chronic dehydration, on the other hand, can lead to high blood pressure because your body reacts by constricting vessels.

Tips on cutting down

• Achieving this self-control can be tricky, however—especially when it comes to alcohol.
• For example, every evening (or the following morning, if you forget), write down how many drinks you drank, where you were, and with whom.
• This can be a helpful strategy early in your efforts to change your drinking and manage your urges.
• Arrange for a ride home with a sober driver, or pre-book a cab or rideshare service.
• Learn more about the health effects of drinking alcohol here.
• Depending on how much you have been drinking recently, it may not even be safe or realistic to quit cold turkey, and your doctor can prescribe medications or refer you to a treatment program.

Avoid Hard Alcohol

• The American Heart Association (AHA) advises that 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per week is enough to lower cholesterol levels.
• As a specific example, a small study published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence involved 140 adults and indicated that a short session of aerobic exercise reduced cravings for alcohol (10).
• You’ll get a 100% custom plan, then daily texts to track your progress and help you stay on target.
• If you let your friends and family know you’re cutting down and it’s important to you, you could get support from them.