Top 10 Tips for Taking a Break from Alcohol

The early days of sobriety can be tough to navigate, but can also be a period of real growth and transformation! As an accredited sobriety coach, I’m often asked for tips for taking a break from drinking. I’m happy to share my Top 10 Tips!

1. MAKE A COMMITMENT: Start with an achievable goal, whether it’s 10 days, 25 days, or a month to start off with. Write down your goal and put it somewhere visible. Put it on a sticky note on your desk. Want to ‘up your game’? Tell someone! Ask them to help keep you accountable.

2. GET CLEAR ON YOUR “WHY:” Why are you taking a break in the first place? What do you hope to gain or get out of the experience? How do you hope to feel when you reach your goal of taking a break? Get really clear. Knowing your WHY will help you maintain your motivation.

3. GRAB A JOURNAL: Keep track of your learnings, your progress, and how you feel during the no-drinking period (any struggles, difficult emotions, successes, and celebrations!). Make sure to track your celebrations — positive emotion is what makes new behaviors stick!

4. MAINTAIN A DAILY ROUTINE THAT INCLUDES THESE 5 THINGS: (1) Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. (2) Eat protein with every meal; this will help prevent hunger. Proper nutrition is key! (3) Make a plan to drink something else (anything else!) in the time you usually spend drinking. Substitute pomegranate juice instead of red wine. NA beers are a great option! Stock up on AF drinks so you have them ready to go. (4) Celebrate your successes every day! Jot them down in your journal. (5) Spend 10 minutes reading or learning something related to alcohol (See Tip #9 for “quit lit” recommendations. Click here for a previous blog post with tons of additional resources).

5. GO EASY ON YOURSELF: If you’ve never done an alcohol-free period before, you might find it really hard! Gift yourself some self-care and self-compassion this month. Lower the bar on your work / life expectations. Lower it some more, and then go even lower. Cancel a happy hour with friends if it will be too triggering or you don’t want to answer questions about your ‘not drinking’ experiment. Schedule a massage as your half-way point treat and celebration!

6. AIM FOR PROGRESS, NOT PERFECTION: No one is perfect when it comes to learning new things! If you falter, take good notes. Let your curiosity take over, without judgment or beating yourself up. Investigate the reasons, triggers, how you felt, etc. Remember #5: Self-compassion and self-care as you learn.

7. TACKLE ONE HABIT AT A TIME: Don’t try to give up sugar, caffeine, cigarettes or start training for a marathon while you’re doing this. Start with your alcohol consumption – there’s plenty of time to move on to other habits later!

8. WATCH OUT FOR COMMON TRIGGERS: “HALT+BS.” Many people turn to alcohol when they are feeling Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired, Bored or Stressed. Practice asking yourself: What am I actually feeling, and what does my body really need right now? Your brain might be playing tricks on you to reach for alcohol when it really needs something else.

9. GET A GOOD ‘QUIT-LIT’ BOOK: Annie Grace’s This Naked Mind (for the psychology); William Porter’s Alcohol Explained 1 and 2 (for the science) and Laura McKowen’s We Are the Luckiest (for the personal inspiration) are my favorites.

10. FOCUS ON WHAT YOU’RE GAINING, NOT WHAT YOU’RE GIVING UP: Even abstaining from alcohol in the short-term can have positive health impacts, such as improved sleep, more energy, lower cholesterol, and reduced anxiety. When you fulfill your commitment, you’re also building self-confidence and empowerment.