Have you been thinking about cutting back on the amount of alcohol that you drink?
Maybe you have experienced somenegative health effectsbecause of your drinking.
The less you drink, the lower your risk of developing problems.
Verywell / Jessica Olah
It’s called harm reduction.
Your goal is to improve your health and your life by reducing the effects of alcohol.
The key to successfully cutting down on alcohol is to find what works for you.
Writing down specific goals helps you set limits with measurable guideposts.
People who drink within the recommended guidelines have a much lower risk of developing problems.
Stick to your goal even when you are away from home, dining out, or in a bar.
Pace Yourself
Some people trying to cut down have been successful by pacing their drinking.
That is, they sip their drinks slowly or see to it they have only one drink per hour.
Don’t Forget to Eat
For some, eating food will reduce their craving for alcohol.
Of course, it is not wise for anyone to drink on an empty stomach.
Avoiding these triggers can prevent you from drinking when you otherwise might not.
Find something that you enjoy that will occupy the time during which you would usually be drinking.
Learn how to politely say “no, thank you,” and really mean it.
Say it quickly and firmly so that you don’t give yourself time to change your mind.
The Sinclair Method involves taking naltrexone before drinking.
The medication blocks the endorphins that are normally released when a person drinks alcohol.
Because drinking alcohol becomes less pleasurable, it can become easier to stop drinking.
Research suggests that naltrexone can be helpful for reducing drinking, particularly when combined with other supportive treatments.
For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.How to cut down on your drinking.
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.What’s low-risk drinking?
- Rethinking Drinking - NIAAA.
2020;62(6):650-658. doi:10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_201_19
