Tips for Quitting Alcohol: Evidence-Based Strategies for Cutting Back or Stopping

These tips for quitting alcohol combine behavioral strategies with practical tools to help you reduce or stop drinking successfully.

What You'll Discover:

• How to set realistic goals for changing your drinking.

• Strategies for identifying and managing triggers.

• Practical ways to handle cravings when they arise.

• How to build a support system that helps you succeed.

• What to do when you slip up.

• How medication can make quitting easier.

If you're looking for tips for quitting alcohol, you've already taken an important step. Recognizing that you want to change your drinking is where meaningful progress begins. The strategies that work best combine practical behavior changes with the right support, whether that's from friends, professionals, or medication.

According to Harvard Health, most people who successfully change their drinking habits use multiple strategies together. There's no single approach that works for everyone, but the tips below have helped many people reduce or quit drinking.

Set Clear, Specific Goals

Vague intentions like "drink less" rarely lead to lasting change. Specific goals give you something concrete to work toward and measure against.

Start by deciding what you actually want. Do you want to quit drinking entirely, or reduce to a specific amount? Both are valid goals, and the right choice depends on your situation. People with severe alcohol dependence often do better with complete abstinence, while those with less severe problems may succeed with moderation.

Once you've chosen a direction, make your goal specific:

• "I will not drink on weekdays" is more actionable than "I'll drink less."

• "I will have no more than two drinks when I go out" is clearer than "I'll cut back."

• "I will not keep alcohol in my house" sets a concrete boundary.

Write your goal down and put it somewhere you'll see it. Research from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism shows that people who write down their reasons for changing are more likely to follow through.

Track Your Drinking

Before you can change a habit, you need to understand it. Keeping a drinking diary for two to four weeks reveals patterns you might not notice otherwise.

Record every drink you have, including:

• What you drank and how much

• When and where you were drinking

• Who you were with

• How you were feeling before you drank

After a few weeks, review your records. You'll likely notice patterns. Maybe you drink more on certain days, in certain places, or when feeling certain emotions. These patterns point to your triggers, which is essential information for the next step.

Tracking also creates accountability. When you have to write down every drink, you become more conscious of each decision to drink. This awareness alone can reduce consumption.

Identify and Manage Your Triggers

Triggers are the situations, emotions, or cues that prompt you to drink. Common triggers include:

Situational triggers - Certain places like bars or restaurants, social events, or times of day when you usually drink.

Emotional triggers - Stress, anxiety, boredom, loneliness, anger, or even celebration. Many people drink to manage uncomfortable feelings or enhance positive ones.

Social triggers - Being around people who drink, pressure from friends, or situations where alcohol is expected.

Physical triggers - Fatigue, hunger, or physical discomfort can lower your resistance to cravings.

The acronym HALT is useful for remembering physical and emotional triggers: Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired. When you notice a craving, check whether any of these apply. Often, addressing the underlying need reduces the urge to drink.

Once you know your triggers, you can plan around them. This might mean avoiding certain situations, leaving events early, having a response ready when offered a drink, or finding alternative ways to address the underlying need.

Remove Alcohol From Your Environment

One of the most effective tips for quitting alcohol is simply not having it available. When alcohol is in your home, you have to resist the urge every time you see it. When it's not there, the decision is already made.

Clear alcohol from your house, including any bottles you're "saving for guests." If you live with someone who drinks, ask if they can keep their alcohol out of sight or stored somewhere you won't encounter it.

Beyond your home, consider other environments where alcohol is easily accessible. If you routinely stop at the same bar on your way home from work, find a different route. If you always drink at a particular friend's house, suggest meeting somewhere else.

Reducing access won't eliminate cravings, but it creates friction between the urge and the behavior. That friction gives you time to make a conscious choice.

Have a Plan for Cravings

Cravings are normal and don't last forever. Most cravings peak within 15 to 30 minutes and then subside. Having a plan for getting through that window makes a significant difference.

Delay - When a craving hits, tell yourself you'll wait 30 minutes before deciding whether to drink. Use that time to do something else. Often the craving will pass on its own.

Distract - Engage in an activity that requires your attention. Go for a walk, call someone, do a household task, or start a project. Physical activity is particularly effective because it releases some of the same brain chemicals that alcohol does.

Substitute - Have non-alcoholic alternatives readily available. Sparkling water, flavored seltzers, tea, or mocktails can satisfy the desire for a beverage without the alcohol. The ritual of having something to drink can be as important as what's in the glass.

Surf the urge - Instead of fighting the craving, observe it. Notice how it feels in your body, how it rises and falls. Cravings are like waves; they build, peak, and eventually recede. Watching this process without acting on it can reduce a craving's power over time.

Call someone - Having a person you can contact when cravings are strong provides both distraction and support. Let someone know ahead of time that you might call when you're struggling.

Build Your Support System

Changing drinking habits is significantly easier with support. This doesn't mean you need to join a formal program, though some people find that helpful. It means having people who know what you're working on and can help you stay accountable.

Tell trusted friends or family members about your goal. When people around you know you're not drinking, they're less likely to offer you drinks or pressure you to have "just one." They can also provide encouragement when things get difficult.

Consider who in your social circle supports your goal and who might undermine it. You may need to spend less time with people whose primary activity is drinking, at least initially. This doesn't have to be permanent, but protecting your early progress is important.

If your social life has centered around drinking, you'll need to actively build new connections or find new activities with existing friends. This takes effort, but many people find that their relationships actually improve when alcohol is removed.

For additional support, our article on understanding alcohol use disorder explains when professional help might be beneficial.

Replace Drinking With Other Activities

Alcohol often fills multiple roles: stress relief, social lubricant, evening ritual, boredom cure. When you remove alcohol, you need something else to fill those roles.

Make a list of activities you enjoy or want to try that don't involve drinking. When your usual drinking time arrives, do one of those activities instead. Some options:

• Physical activity like walking, gym, sports, or yoga

• Creative pursuits like music, art, writing, or cooking

• Social activities like movies, games, or outdoor activities with friends

• Relaxation practices like reading, meditation, or baths

• Learning something new through classes, books, or online courses

The specific activity matters less than having something to do. Boredom and empty time are common triggers for drinking. Filling your schedule with engaging activities reduces opportunities for cravings to take hold.

Plan for Social Situations

Social events where alcohol is present require advance planning. Going in without a strategy makes it much harder to stick to your goals.

Before attending an event:

• Decide in advance whether you'll drink and how much

• Have a response ready for when you're offered a drink

• Bring your own non-alcoholic beverages if appropriate

• Identify an ally at the event who knows your goals

• Give yourself permission to leave early if needed

When offered a drink, a simple "No thanks, I'm not drinking tonight" is usually sufficient. Most people won't push further. If they do, you can say you're driving, on medication, or simply not in the mood. You don't owe anyone an explanation.

Having a drink in your hand, even if it's non-alcoholic, often reduces pressure. People are less likely to offer you something if you're already holding a beverage.

Know How to Handle Setbacks

Most people who successfully change their drinking experience setbacks along the way. A slip doesn't mean failure; it means you're human.

If you drink when you intended not to, avoid catastrophizing. One drink doesn't erase your progress or mean you should give up. The most important thing is what you do next.

After a setback:

• Acknowledge what happened without excessive self-criticism

• Identify what triggered the slip

• Consider what you could do differently next time

• Recommit to your goal starting immediately

Learn from setbacks rather than being derailed by them. Each one provides information about your triggers and what strategies need strengthening.

If setbacks are frequent, it may indicate that you need additional support. This could mean adjusting your approach, seeking professional help, or considering medication.

Consider Medication-Assisted Treatment

One of the most effective tips for quitting alcohol is one many people don't know about: medication can significantly increase your chances of success.

Naltrexone is an FDA-approved medication that reduces alcohol cravings and the pleasurable effects of drinking. It works by blocking opioid receptors in the brain. When these receptors are blocked, alcohol doesn't produce the same rewarding feeling, which naturally decreases the desire to drink.

The medication is taken as a daily 50mg tablet. It doesn't make you sick if you drink, and it doesn't require complete abstinence to be effective. Many people use naltrexone while gradually reducing their drinking.

Research consistently shows that naltrexone helps people drink less and have fewer heavy drinking days. It's most effective when combined with behavioral strategies like the ones described in this article.

Our article on how naltrexone helps stop alcohol cravings explains in detail how the medication works.

When to Seek Professional Help

While many people successfully cut back or quit drinking on their own, some situations call for professional support.

Consider seeking help if:

• You experience withdrawal symptoms when you stop drinking (tremors, sweating, anxiety, rapid heartbeat)

• You've tried to quit multiple times without success

• Your drinking is severely affecting your health, relationships, or work

• You have co-occurring mental health conditions

• You're drinking heavily every day

Withdrawal from severe alcohol dependence can be medically dangerous. If you've been drinking heavily for an extended period, consult with a healthcare provider before stopping abruptly. They can help you create a safe plan.

Professional help doesn't have to mean residential treatment. Options include outpatient counseling, telehealth appointments, medication-assisted treatment, and coaching programs. The right level of support depends on your individual situation.

Taking Action

These tips for quitting alcohol work best when you implement several of them together. Start with the strategies that feel most relevant to your situation, and add others as needed.

Change takes time, and progress isn't always linear. What matters is that you keep moving in the direction you want to go.

If you're ready to explore your options, take the online Alcohol Use Assessment to see if naltrexone could support your goals.