Drinking is such a common part of our culture that you might not realize that you drink too much until you’ve started consuming large amounts of alcohol. Stopping for happy hour after work or enjoying wine with your spouse in the evening are often thought of as normal things to do every day. Although one or two drinks a day is considered acceptable by many people’s standards, it is easy to go way over that limit. If you’ve noticed that you drink more than you want, then you’re already in a good place to start making some changes. Here’s how to stop drinking too much every day so that you can begin to feel the benefits of waking up each morning with a clear head and the energy you need to maximize every moment.
Decide If You Need Professional Help to Stop
The first thing you’ll need to do is determine how serious your drinking problem has become. This can be hard to tell at first if you’ve been slowly increasing how much you drink over time. Asking yourself these questions can help you figure out if you need professional help with quitting.
- Do you always plan to have one drink but end up going overboard?
- Do you drink more than you see other people drinking?
- Have you started planning your day around drinking?
- Do you frequently wake up with a hangover?
- Have you ever blacked out from drinking too much?
- Have you started drinking more after a stressful event?
- Are you starting to drink earlier in the day than you used to?
- Has someone else mentioned that you might drink too much?
Being honest with yourself is important for creating a plan that helps you be successful with limiting your drinking. If you’ve tried to stop drinking so much but found yourself doing so anyway, then it is possible that you have developed a physical or psychological dependency upon alcohol. Going to a treatment program can help you learn how to manage your drinking safely and find ways to make withdrawal symptoms less uncomfortable.
Figure Out Why You Drink So Much In the First Place
If you’ve started drinking more alcohol than you used to, then it is possible that something more is going on. Many people started drinking a lot during the early days of the pandemic when they were reacting to stressful news and spending more time at home. You might have begun relying on alcohol to relieve boredom or to cope with stress. The same can also are true if you’ve started drinking a lot after going through a divorce or losing a loved one. Taking care of your emotional needs can help you to stop needing alcohol to help you get through the day.
There is also the possibility that you’ve been drinking to deal with a mental health condition that goes beyond just a temporary set of rough circumstances. If you have depression or anxiety, then alcohol might be a quick fix to help you avoid uncomfortable symptoms. People with PTSD often find themselves drinking more and more to avoid having to remember a traumatic event. Drug and alcohol rehab centers can help you to identify whether or not you have a mental health condition. Once you have a diagnosis, you can start developing a plan to feel better without needing to use alcohol to numb your feelings.
Start Building a Healthier Lifestyle That Supports Sobriety
Your drinking habit might also come from general life circumstances that make it harder to cut down. Do you work in an environment where alcohol flows freely during meetings, or perhaps you work in an industry where alcoholic beverages are common such as in a restaurant or brewery? While you might not be ready to change your job, you can learn how to avoid feeling the need to drink due to social pressure by working with counselors in a rehab center. You may also want to find new sober friends to help you fill your time after work and discover new hobbies to help keep you busy. In most cases, stopping drinking so much requires making multiple lifestyle changes that all work together to make alcohol less tempting.
Have you noticed that you are starting to drink more than ever before? If so, we know how to help you stop. Give us a call today at 844-903-2111 to schedule an assessment to see if professional treatment can help you stop drinking so much.
