Need some tips to help stop drinking?

If you haven’t struggled to control your drinking in the past, and have just decided it’s not something you need in your life right now, below are a few basic tips that could help you cut drinking out entirely for now. But, if your drinking has caused you a lot of problems and you’re having a hard time controlling it, the best advice may be to find a professional to help you stop. This map tool can help you find treatment centers and professionals near you.

• Want to stop drinking? Try a few of these tips:

• Get rid of alcohol in your house, car, and at work. By dumping all of the alcohol you have around you every day, it’ll be harder to reach for it the next time you get the urge.

• Identify triggers of your drinking and try to avoid them. Sitting down to make a list of the people, situations, or things that lead you to drink too much is an important first step toward change. Drink too much when you go to a certain friend’s house? Try to avoid going over there for now, and plan activities that are incompatible with drinking (e.g., exercise) when you want to see them.

• Plan around urges. Think about the times you get the biggest urge to drink. Is it Thursday nights when you go to trivia? Friday night when hitting the club? Try to plan for having an urge at those times, and make sure you’re occupied doing something that doesn’t involve drinking.

• Practice saying “no.” One of the biggest reasons people who are trying to stop drinking end up indulging is because of pressure to drink from family, friends, or co-workers. Have a polite but firm “no” (or an excuse!) ready for them the next time you know they’re likely to ask you to have a drink.

• Find new hobbies. What’s something you’ve always wanted to try? Take a class in it, hire a tutor, or find an organization/group of fellow enthusiasts to get into it. If you’re having trouble thinking of anything check out this website for a huge list of potential hobbies by category. Pick one and dive in!

• Ask your friends or family for support. Sometimes just letting a trusted friend or family member know that you’re planning to cut back or stop drinking can help you feel a sense of accountability to them. Sometimes that can give you the motivation you need to stick with your goals.

• Go to a local Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous group. AA and NA aren’t for everybody, but sometimes if you just need someone to support your sobriety, AA/NA can be a good place to start. Find LGBT-friendly AA/NA meetings near you on this website.

• Find a treatment program. Even if you don’t think you have that bad of a problem, or you haven’t been struggling to control your drinking too much yet, it can still be a good idea to find a professional who can check in with you and help give you some pointers when you need it. This map tool can help you find a treatment program or provider near you.