Tips & Advice For Stopping Drinking
When you go out drinking you feel more popular, more confident and more able to enjoy yourself. But as time goes on, you’re slowly losing control of your drinking.
Maybe you crave going out so much, you do it even when all of your friends are staying in?
Maybe your hangovers are getting worse and worse, or you are losing large blocks of memory to alcohol?
If you are suffering with alcohol addiction, contact us to see how we can help you. Rehab or detoxing are usually the most recommended action, with the option to detox from home.
This guide aims to help you to gain control of a drinking habit and teach you how to stop drinking by yourself if necessary.
Whether you are in the early stages and just would like to cut down, or if you’re a serious alcoholic who is trying to regain control of their life, we are here to help. We will cover a range of topics here so don’t be afraid to scroll down to the heading that most applies to you:
When To Stop Drinking Alcohol
Many people are mildly dependent on alcohol. For example, some people can barely conceive of the idea of a Friday night without a few drinks.
This alone isn’t so bad, as long as you still have control of your life and prioritise things like your health, your job and your relationships.
People with mild dependency like this tend to get bored with drinking so often and naturally grow out of it eventually.
However, if drinking becomes more important than these things, and you are willing to rearrange your life to allow time for drinking, this is a sign you are losing control of your drinking.
Another major sign is if you feel you need more and more alcohol to achieve the same level of buzz, or if you start getting evasive about your drinking habit and trying to avoid talking about it.
This means alcohol is starting to have an effect on your brain, which can make it more and more difficult for you to control your drinking.
The next stage is much more serious and debilitating alcoholism that will begin to have a serious impact on your body, so you need to stop drinking and get a hold of your dependency before it turns into a full blown alcohol addiction.
How to Stop Drinking Alcohol on Your Own
Before we start, if you get physical withdrawal symptoms such as tremors, sweat or nausea when you go for a day or two without drinking, it is highly recommended that you contact us now and don’t try to quit drinking alone. As this means your alcohol dependency has progressed to the point of being a physical addiction.
Quitting without medical help can be extremely dangerous!
If you haven’t gotten to this stage yet, you are in luck as it’s still possible to overcome your drinking problem yourself. That doesn’t mean it’s easy, however!
Here are a few tips that can make it a little more manageable:
Tell People
They say the first step to overcoming an addiction is admitting you have a problem, and while admitting it to yourself may be the most difficult and important stage, admitting it to others takes a tremendous amount of strength too and can make all the difference.
On the one hand, telling people you have a drinking problem and are trying to overcome it makes your habit become a real problem in the real world, as opposed to something you worry about in the back of your head sometimes, but mostly ignore.
This has obvious benefits to your own mindset and the way you approach the issue.
On the other hand, there are a range of other benefits, for example, people may be more likely to understand why you keep turning down their invites to the pub.
It might sound simple, but having them understand, ease off the pressure and even wish you luck with quitting drinking can make the world of difference compared to the continued requests, more sophisticated attempts at persuasion and potential offence they might put forward if they are unaware of your reasoning.
Because of this, before you take any other steps, it’s a good idea to sit back, consider your situation, and say “I want to stop drinking alcohol” – not just to yourself, but to anyone who cares to hear it.
Avoid Tempting Situations or People
For many people, this is the most difficult part of quitting drinking alcohol, but it is very important.
For example, if you go out for a meal once a week with friends and usually have a drink at the same time, it’s best to avoid attending until you have more control over your habit.
In the same vein, if you drink regularly with the same group of friends, try asking them if they’d like to take up a sport together or go to the cinema instead.
A good friend would always be understanding of this and willing to put their usual plans on hold for a while to help you regain control.
If they say no, they are either uninterested in helping your situation or are dependent on alcohol themselves, in which case you need to cut them out.
After all, if you’re surrounded by your usual drinking buddies and they are all craving a drink, there is probably no more difficult environment in which to quit drinking in the world.
At home, with your thoughts, no temptations, and alcohol dependency hotlines available at all times? Now that’s more manageable.
Taper Off Gradually
Ok, so you’ve told people you want to quit drinking and removed yourself from your usual drinking social circle.
Chances are it’s still very difficult to fight those cravings! If going ‘cold turkey’ just drives you crazy and you go back to drinking every time, you should try tapering your drinking off slowly.
It can be as simple as designating two days a week to be non-drinking days if you usually drink on a daily basis.
Once this becomes more manageable, you can add a third day, and so on.
Another way to do it is to limit yourself to a certain amount of drinks per day, and gradually decrease that number over time.
This has the benefit of slowly reducing the amount of alcohol you are used to having in your system.
This means that by the time you get to the point of quitting entirely, the withdrawal symptoms should be much less significant than they would be if you stopped immediately.
Reward Milestones
Making major changes to your lifestyle is extremely difficult. If you acknowledge this and want yourself to succeed, it’s a great idea to reward yourself for achieving certain milestones and meeting targets – just don’t reward yourself with alcohol!
For example, you can try to achieve an alcohol-free day first, then an alcohol-free week, then an alcohol-free month etc.
The amount of money you would spend on alcohol in such a period is often surprisingly high, so when you achieve these goals you can use the money you’ve saved to reward yourself with some sort of treat or outing that you won’t normally be able to afford.
Not only does this make you feel good about what you’ve achieved, but it also enforces the idea that your life would be better if you stopped drinking entirely since you could afford these things all the time!
Take Time to Appreciate the Benefits
When people first quit drinking, they tend to be surprised by all the benefits. You will likely begin to sleep better, look healthier, lose weight and even be more energetic and pleasant to be around.
It’s a great idea to make use of these benefits along with the fact you’re decreasing your chance of future health problems every single day to push you onward through the more difficult times.
Try a Detox from Home Programme
Tried all the above tips, and still unable to get a grip on your drinking? Despite this, are you still hesitant about the time and money investment involved with attending a rehab centre?
Then a detox from home programme might be the ideal solution for you. We developed this program based on decades of research, experience and successful rehabilitation treatments.
The programme involves you detoxing yourself naturally at home in your most comfortable surroundings, and having experts on the end of the phone the whole time to give advice and encouragement on how to stop drinking alcohol on your own safely.
Despite going through most of your detox alone in your home environment, you will receive:
- 24/7 phone support and advice on diverse topics such as medication, nutrition and avoiding drinking with expert doctors, nurses and therapists
- Regular invitations to therapy classes, CBT sessions and support groups if further help is needed
- Alcohol breath and blood tests if requested, to help prevent any relapses
- The best quality aftercare and ongoing advice after the detox program is complete to combat relapses and get you living life again
- Regular consultations and checkups to make sure you are on track
- Prescription medication to combat withdrawal symptoms
If you are struggling with a drinking problem and want to get back control of your life, our Home Detox programme is one of the most successful methods available to give you the help you need. So why not call us on 0203 151 1280 right now and discuss your options?
If you are financially struggling due to your drinking problem, don’t let this put you off, as we accept most medical insurance and have a simple and low-interest credit system to make sure your recovery is always the priority.
How to Stop Vomiting After Drinking Alcohol
No matter how much or how often you drink, almost everyone has spent some one-to-one time with their toilet seat after a night out.
Some people even do it on purpose to try and preemptively aid tomorrow’s hangover, but also pretty often, it doesn’t give you a choice in the matter.
There are a variety of reasons for this. For one, the usual, non-alcohol-induced variety of vomiting is often caused by motion sickness, dizziness or dehydration, all things alcohol can contribute to.
For another, alcohol is an irritant and the more you drink, the more likely it is the alcohol will irritate your stomach.
Regular heavy drinking can even lead to gastritis which means your stomach lining is irritated to the point of being inflamed or even eroding away – which can be a serious issue that requires medical attention.
Of course, taking it even further brings us to alcohol poisoning – an even more dangerous situation you don’t really want to find yourself in.
Most people only tend to vomit after drinking too much alcohol in too short a period.
When this is the case, there is no real solution other than to tone back your drinking. You can take the throwing up as a sign that your body is telling you “enough!”.
Making sure you are fully hydrated and eating a hearty meal full of carbohydrates before you start drinking can go some way towards preventing this.
However, as the food lines your stomach and absorbs some of the alcohol, reducing the impact on your stomach lining.
Despite all of this, it is possible, though rare, to develop a sensitivity to alcohol that could have you vomiting every time you drink, even if you have had one drink or less!
If this is something that you experience regularly, we highly recommend going to see a doctor as there could be some stomach irritation or existing mild gastritis causing the problem.
The other possible explanation is that you’ve developed an allergy or sensitivity to alcohol, and if this is the case, there is almost nothing that can be done, and unfortunately quitting drinking alcohol, or cutting it down to a volume that doesn’t induce vomiting is your only way forward.
How To Stop Diarrhoea After Drinking Alcohol
Diarrhoea after drinking is more common than you may think, it just isn’t talked about as commonly as the other side effects.
Alcohol-induced diarrhoea occurs because alcohol speeds up the contractions of the colon.
These contractions are what pushes digested food towards the exit, and the colon is where most of the water is absorbed from your food, so when the contractions are sped up the colon doesn’t have a chance to absorb as much of the water.
Of course, the abovementioned stomach irritation will only exacerbate the situation if occurring at the same time.
If you have a bowel disease or condition such as Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome or celiac disease you may find you more prone to diarrhoea from alcohol than the average person.
The number one thing to do if you experience diarrhoea, as with most alcohol-related conditions, is to stop drinking.
The vast majority of the time, it will clear up by the time your hangover symptoms do, allowing you to continue living life interrupted. It should also rarely come back, even the next time you drink – if it does, you may have a sensitive colon and it might be a good idea to consider stopping drinking entirely.
If you need help calming your stomach, it’s always a good move to eat plain and easy to digest foods for example:
- Plain chicken
- Boiled rice
- Eggs
- Toast
- Bananas
This can help line your stomach and speed up recovery. Drinking lots of water is also a good idea to combat the dehydration you are almost certainly experiencing after a bout of drinking and diarrhoea.
Also keep in mind that certain foods can make the problem worse, for example, foods that are high in fibre or very spicy.
There are also a variety of over the counter medicines that can help, for example, Imodium which fights diarrhoea symptoms, and/or mineral sachets aimed at hydrating and nourishing your body after diarrhoea or vomiting such as Dioralyte.
Remember, the dehydration and loss of minerals caused by diarrhoea can be lethal in extreme circumstances, so if you have followed all the instructions above, waiting several days and still suffer from the symptoms, you need to see a doctor as soon as possible.
Bloody or black stool is also a sign of gastritis or internal bleeding, so see a doctor immediately regardless of all other symptoms if this occurs.
I Want to Stop Drinking Alcohol
Unfortunately, in the most serious cases of alcoholism, the symptoms of withdrawal can be so powerful that even a Home Detox programme isn’t enough to overcome your addiction.
These withdrawal symptoms can also become so extreme that going through them alone at home is dangerous. In cases like this, around-the-clock supervision by medical professionals is required.
At that stage, there is no option other than attending an inpatient rehabilitation clinic. It can be a scary thing to consider, and being away from home and work for such a length of time can make it hard to accept.
The fact of the matter is, in cases of serious long term alcoholism, there is no other way to get back control of your life. When you look at it like that, a few weeks in a comfortable and relaxed facility with 24/7 help and support doesn’t sound so bad right?
Serenity Centres run some of the most successful and effective alcohol rehabilitation centres in the UK. They are purpose-designed facilities designed around creating the most relaxed, comfortable and stress-free environments possible.
Combine this with our expert therapy sessions, support groups and some of the best rehab staff in the world being on hand at all times (including several who have overcome alcohol addiction themselves), and there is literally no better place on Earth to combat your addiction and get back to being you at your best.
Take a look at the locations page to find your local centre.
You can find a wealth of further information about Serenity Rehab Centres on our alcohol rehab page. Last but not least, don’t forget our phone-lines and email inboxes are open and ready for you at all times, whether you want to inquire about rehab, or just get some reliable advice on your drinking problems.
If you are living with an alcoholic and would like to find out the best ways on how to support an alcoholic, contact us and we will be happy to assist with information, advice and discuss treatment options.
