East Care Blog

How to Stop Alcohol Cravings NIAAA

By: East Care February 12, 2025

If your alcohol consumption has been heavy or chronic, you may be dependent on alcohol. This means that if you suddenly stop drinking, you may experience symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. A solid support system can make a significant difference when reducing or quitting alcohol consumption. Sharing your goals with friends and family can encourage accountability and provide emotional backing during challenging moments. Supportive loved ones serve as a safety net, helping you stay motivated and ward off temptations when cravings arise. Moreover, discussing your decision openly can foster healthier relationships and increase understanding among those around you.

The severity of an alcohol addiction can make it hard to quit. One of the biggest things to keep in mind if you are looking to stop drinking is how your addiction has impacted your physical and mental health. Besides the negative impact on mental and physical health, a drinking problem can also impact your ability to work, socialize, and otherwise lead a happy and satisfying life.

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For example, people navigating co-occuring mental health conditions like anxiety or depression may seek alcohol to self-soothe and seek relief. While Halfway house alcohol can provide temporary relief, it ultimately makes those negative feelings worse, and can create a cycle of binge drinking. If you’ve used alcohol to cope, there is no shame in that. One way to cut back on alcohol is to try an alcohol reduction method, which aim to help people reduce their consumption over time. To do this, some may consider adopting “alcohol-free days,” where you refrain from drinking alcohol on certain days of the week.

Create a Support System

But the key to living without alcohol is realizing that alcohol is not your friend. It has caused you a lot of trouble in your life and created pain and a sense of failure. Some people have lost jobs, spouses, and respect due to their addiction.

Overcoming an addiction to alcohol can be a long and bumpy road. If you’re ready to stop drinking and willing to get the support you need, you can recover from alcoholism and alcohol abuse—no matter how heavy your drinking or how powerless you feel. And you don’t have to wait until you hit rock bottom; you can make a change at any time. Whether you want to quit drinking altogether or cut down to healthier levels, these guidelines can help you get started on the road to recovery today.

Benefits of stopping drinking

Though it may be intimidating, it’s important to tell your family and friends about your choice to go sober. This allows them to support you in many situations, whether that means meeting up at alcohol-free locations or not offering you a drink when you come over. Similarly, this allows you to not worry about keeping alcohol around for guests, as they know your home is an alcohol-free space. Making the decision to stop drinking is the necessary first step towards sobriety, but creating a plan on how to do so is the second. Having a plan could mean slowly cutting back the number of drinks you have per week until you reach zero.

Millions of readers rely on HelpGuide.org for free, evidence-based resources to understand and navigate mental health challenges. Please donate today to help us save, support, and change lives. Build a sober social network – If your previous social life revolved around alcohol, you may need to make some new connections.

Since everyone in the social environment drinks, you’ll automatically feel pressure to drink. You’re afraid that if you stop drinking, you’ll miss out on a great social life. Instead of worrying that people will leave you behind for your bad behavior, you’re afraid that people will do it because now you seem too good.

Read our guide to learn the most effective ways to quitting alcohol. By managing your addiction to alcohol, you can lead a healthier, happier life. Family and friends can provide encouragement and support when you stop drinking. By opening up about your relationship with alcohol, you might also encourage others to explore their own drinking habits.

The words “urge” and “craving” refer to a broad range of thoughts, physical sensations, or emotions that tempt you to drink, even though you have at least some desire not to. You may feel an uncomfortable pull in two directions or sense a loss of control. You can drink alcohol and still be healthy if you drink moderately. To reduce the risk of harm from alcohol, you should not take more than two drinks per day (for men) and more than one drink per day (for women). Overcoming alcoholism is a significant achievement, and the journey is rarely easy.

If you come home every day at the same time, open your door, and head straight to the refrigerator for a beer,  that behavior loop is wired into your brain. Another critical aspect of quitting drinking is establishing your support network from the very beginning. Drinking even small amounts of alcohol regularly can have negative health effects like systemic inflammation, worsening mental health issues, and vitamin deficiencies, to name a few. When I quit drinking, I became a sponge for all things sobriety. I read sobriety memoirs, listened to podcasts, and watched YouTube videos about addiction. Now that you’ve thought through your reasons for quitting, how much you drink, and what it costs you, it’s a powerful exercise to think about what will happen if nothing changes.

• Learn more ways to explore your relationship with alcohol.
• Left untreated, AUD can lead to serious health issues, including liver disease, cardiovascular problems, and cognitive decline.
• That said, considering these symptoms or asking family and friends if they have noticed them can help you become more aware of your current relationship with alcohol.
• It’s important to be aware of your triggers and plan how you will handle them.
• Consider staging a family meeting or an intervention, but don’t put yourself in a dangerous situation.

Before you start, connect with your doctor to assess your risk level of severe alcohol withdrawal and determine the best way to safely start your sobriety journey. If you’re questioning just how at-risk your drinking is for alcohol dependence, I’ll include a quiz at the end of the article to help you assess your current drinking habits. You’re here because you’ve decided (or at least are flirting with the idea) to quit drinking alcohol. In addition, alcohol use can adversely affect your personal, professional, academic, and social abilities.

• The food you consume can play a pivotal role in your recovery from drinking.
• If you grew up in a society where this is the norm, then it’s already an expectation that you’ll drink in response to nearly every situation imaginable.
• At the very least, you want to get your drinking habits and health under control.
• For 3 to 4 weeks, write down every time you have a drink and how much you drink.
• The urge to drink will inevitably come—so make a plan for it.

Benefits of cutting down

The study also showed that no single treatment approach fits the needs of every individual. It’s common for people experiencing substance use disorders to avoid seeking help in person, though. If you do find yourself relapsing, don’t lose your confidence or your courage. As long as you do your best to get back on track, recovery is always possible.