Self-help strategies for quitting drinking
 

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If you want to quit drinking, the strategies below can be helpful, and you can add your own at the end. Check off two or three to try in the next week or two. Then click List my choices, and you can print or email them to yourself.
If you think you may be dependent on alcohol and decide to stop drinking completely, don't go it alone. Sudden withdrawal from heavy drinking can be life threatening. Seek medical help to plan a safe recovery.

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Handling urges to drink
 
Plan ahead to stay in control
 
As you change your drinking, it's normal and common to have urges or a craving for alcohol. 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.
Fortunately, urges to drink are short-lived, predictable, and controllable. This short module offers a recognize-avoid-cope approach commonly used in cognitive behavioral therapy, which helps people to change unhelpful thinking patterns and reactions. It also provides worksheets to help you uncover the nature of your urges to drink and to make a plan for handling them.
With time, and by practicing new responses, you'll find that your urges to drink will lose strength, and you'll gain confidence in your ability to deal with urges that may still arise at times. If you are having a very difficult time with urges, or do not make progress with the strategies in this module after a few weeks, then consult a doctor or therapist for support. In addition, some new, non-habit forming medications can reduce the desire to drink or lessen the rewarding effect of drinking so it is easier to stop.
 
Recognize two types of "triggers"
 
An urge to drink can be set off by external triggers in the environment and internal ones within yourself.

• External triggers are people, places, things, or times of day that offer drinking opportunities or remind you of drinking. These "high-risk situations" are more obvious, predictable, and avoidable than internal triggers.
   
• Internal triggers can be puzzling because the urge to drink just seems to "pop up." But if you pause to think about it when it happens, you'll find that the urge may have been set off by a fleeting thought, a positive emotion such as excitement, a negative emotion such as frustration, or a physical sensation such as a headache, tension, or nervousness.

Consider tracking and analyzing your urges to drink for a couple of weeks. This will help you become more aware of when and how you experience urges, what triggers them, and ways to avoid or control them. A sample tracking form is provided below.
 
Avoid high-risk situations
 
In many cases, your best strategy will be to avoid taking the chance that you'll have an urge, then slip and drink. At home, keep little or no alcohol. Socially, avoid activities involving drinking. If you feel guilty about turning down an invitation, remind yourself that you are not necessarily talking about "forever." When the urges subside or become more manageable, you may decide to ease gradually into some situations you now choose to avoid. In the meantime, you can stay connected with friends by suggesting alternate activities that don't involve drinking. (Also, see the module on building drink refusal skills.)
 
Cope with triggers you can't avoid
 
It's not possible to avoid all high-risk situations or to block internal triggers, so you'll need a range of strategies to handle urges to drink. Here are some options:

• Remind yourself of your reasons for making a change. Carry your top reasons on a wallet card or in an electronic message that you can access easily, such as a mobile phone notepad entry or a saved email. (Visit the pros and cons page to list and sort your reasons.)
   
• Talk it through with someone you trust. Have a trusted friend on standby for a phone call, or bring one along to high-risk situations.
   
• Distract yourself with a healthy, alternative activity. For different situations, come up with engaging short, mid-range, and longer options, like texting or calling someone, watching short online videos, lifting weights to music, showering, meditating, taking a walk, or doing a hobby.
   
• Challenge the thought that drives the urge. Stop it, analyze the error in it, and replace it. Example: "It couldn't hurt to have one little drink. WAIT a minute—what am I thinking? One could hurt, as I've seen 'just one' lead to lots more. I am sticking with my choice not to drink."
   
• Ride it out without giving in. Instead of fighting an urge, accept it as normal and temporary. As you ride it out, keep in mind that it will soon crest like an ocean wave and pass.
   
• Leave high-risk situations quickly and gracefully. It helps to plan your escape in advance.

Plan to handle urges to drink
 
The links below will take you to forms for tracking your urges to drink and planning ways to handle them in the future.

• http://rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov/ToolsResources/CopingWithUrgesToDrink_urgetracker.asp

 
 
 
 
Tips to try
 

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Small changes can make a big difference in reducing your chances of having alcohol-related problems. Whatever strategies you choose, give them a fair trial. If one approach doesn't work, try something else. But if you haven't made progress in cutting down after 2 to 3 months, consider quitting drinking altogether, seeking professional help, or both.
Here are some strategies to try, and you can add your own at the end. Check off perhaps two or three to try in the next week or two. Then click List my choices, and you can print or email them to yourself.

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Building your drink refusal skills
 
Plan ahead to stay in control
 
Even if you are committed to changing your drinking, "social pressure" to drink from friends or others can make it hard to cut back or quit. This short module offers a recognize-avoid-cope approach commonly used in cognitive-behavioral therapy, which helps people to change unhelpful thinking patterns and reactions. It also provides links to worksheets to help you get started with your own plan to resist pressure to drink.
 
Recognize two types of pressure
 
The first step is to become aware of the two different types of social pressure to drink alcohol—direct and indirect.

• Direct social pressure is when someone offers you a drink or an opportunity to drink.
   
• Indirect social pressure is when you feel tempted to drink just by being around others who are drinking—even if no one offers you a drink.

Take a moment to think about situations where you feel direct or indirect pressure to drink or to drink too much. You can use the form below to write them down. Then, for each situation, choose some resistance strategies from below, or come up with your own. When you're done, you can print the form or email it to yourself.
 
Avoid pressure when possible
 
For some situations, your best strategy may be avoiding them altogether. If you feel guilty about avoiding an event or turning down an invitation, remind yourself that you are not necessarily talking about "forever." When you have confidence in your resistance skills, you may decide to ease gradually into situations you now choose to avoid. In the meantime, you can stay connected with friends by suggesting alternate activities that don't involve drinking.
 
Cope with situations you can't avoid
 
Know your "no"
When you know alcohol will be served, it's important to have some resistance strategies lined up in advance. If you expect to be offered a drink, you'll need to be ready to deliver a convincing "no thanks." Your goal is to be clear and firm, yet friendly and respectful. Avoid long explanations and vague excuses, as they tend to prolong the discussion and provide more of an opportunity to give in. Here are some other points to keep in mind:

• Don't hesitate, as that will give you the chance to think of reasons to go along
• Look directly at the person and make eye contact
• Keep your response short, clear, and simple

The person offering you a drink may not know you are trying to cut down or stop, and his or her level of insistence may vary. It's a good idea to plan a series of responses in case the person persists, from a simple refusal to a more assertive reply. Consider a sequence like this:

• No, thank you.
• No, thanks, I don't want to.
• You know, I'm (cutting back/not drinking) now (to get healthier/to take care of myself/because my doctor said to). I'd really appreciate it if you'd help me out.

You can also try the "broken record" strategy. Each time the person makes a statement, you can simply repeat the same short, clear response. You might want to acknowledge some part of the person's points ("I hear you...") and then go back to your broken-record reply ("...but no thanks"). And if words fail, you can walk away.
Script and practice your "no" 
Many people are surprised at how hard it can be to say no the first few times. You can build confidence by scripting and practicing your lines. First imagine the situation and the person who's offering the drink. Then write both what the person will say and how you'll respond, whether it's a broken record strategy (mentioned above) or your own unique approach. Rehearse it aloud to get comfortable with your phrasing and delivery. Also, consider asking a supportive person to role-play with you, someone who would offer realistic pressure to drink and honest feedback about your responses. Whether you practice through made-up or real-world experiences, you'll learn as you go. Keep at it, and your skills will grow over time.
Try other strategies
In addition to being prepared with your "no thanks," consider these strategies:

• Have non-alcoholic drinks always in hand if you're quitting, or as "drink spacers" between drinks if you're cutting back
• Keep track of every drink if you're cutting back so you stay within your limits
• Ask for support from others to cope with temptation
• Plan an escape if the temptation gets too great
• Ask others to refrain from pressuring you or drinking in your presence (this can be hard)

If you have successfully refused drink offers before, then recall what worked and build on it.
 
Remember, it's your choice
 
How you think about any decision to change can affect your success. Many people who decide to cut back or quit drinking think, "I am not allowed to drink," as if an external authority were imposing rules on them. Thoughts like this can breed resentment and make it easier to give in. It's important to challenge this kind of thinking by telling yourself that you are in charge, that you know how you want your life to be, and that you have decided to make a change.
Similarly, you may worry about how others will react or view you if you make a change. Again, challenge these thoughts by remembering that it's your life and your choice, and that your decision should be respected.
 
Plan to resist pressure to drink 
 
The links below will take you to forms to plan how you'll handle high-risk situations and offers to drink:
 
 
 
Recovering from a drinking episode when your goal is to quit
Nine practical tips
 

1. Get right back on track. Stop drinking—the sooner the better.
    
2. Remember, each day is a new day to start over. Although it can be unsettling to slip, you don't have to continue drinking. You are responsible for your choices.
    
3. Understand that setbacks are common when people undertake a major change. It's your progress in the long run that counts.
    
4. Don't run yourself down. It doesn't help. Don't let feelings of discouragement, anger, or guilt stop you from asking for help and getting back on track.
    
5. Get some help. Contact your counselor or a sober and supportive friend right away to talk about what happened, or go to an AA or other mutual-help meeting.
    
6. Think it through. With a little distance, work on your own or with support to better understand why the episode happened at that particular time and place.
    
7. Learn from what happened. Decide what you need to do so that it won't happen again, and write it down. Use the experience to strengthen your commitment.
    
8. Avoid triggers to drink. Get rid of any alcohol at home. If possible, avoid revisiting the situation in which you drank.
    
9. Find alternatives. Keep busy with things that are not associated with drinking.