7 Ways to Stop Binge Drinking Alcohol
The statistics show that around 26% of drinkers could be considered people who binge. That simply means they drink well over their limits in a single drinking session and usually drink that alcohol relatively quickly. The government would define that as more than 8 units of alcohol for men and 6 units for women. Drinking too much impacts your health and well-being so what can you do to stop? Here are 7 ways to Stop Binge Drinking Alcohol that you can implement right now.
Set a Goal & Have a Drinking Plan
Once you recognise that you have a problem with drinking you need to focus on exactly what you want to happen next. For some people cutting back on their drinking to sensible levels will work for them. Others may believe that they can’ trust themselves around alcohol and want to stop completely. You need to decide what is best for you and then start to implement strategies to make that happen.
Having a plan especially when you want to drink less is incredibly important as without it you can automatically fall into the same old patterns. This means that every time you are somewhere you would have usually drunk you need to have an alternative plan of action to either stop yourself or reduce the amount you would normally consume.
Stop Binge Drinking by Knowing Your Limits
Stop binge drinking alcohol by knowing your limits. When you go out with friends it can be so easy to open bottles of wine or beer and lose count of how much you are consuming. This is especially the case when someone else is pouring the drinks for you. Start by defining how much you want to drink that night and start counting.
To make it easier on yourself reduce the size of the glass that your drink out of and have soft drinks between each alcoholic drink. Make a note of how much you have consumed on your mobile phone and stop when you reach the agreed limit. In addition, slow the rate of your drinking down. Be mindful of when you start each drink and resolve to finish it no earlier than a certain time. Slower drinking limits your alcohol consumption.
Make it Harder to Drink More
Putting obstacles in your way is a great way to limit how much you drink. When you are out with friends carry less money than usual so that you can’t afford to drink more than a small number of drinks. You can also choose alternative places to meet people that are less likely to encourage you to drink. For example, if you meet people at the cinema or do an activity such as bowling there is less chance of you being able to drink too much.
Understand Your Triggers
If you want to stop binge drinking alcohol it is important to know what your triggers are. For some these will be obvious but for others more difficult so it is worth creating a diary or journal to work out what might be going on. It is not unusual for certain people to trigger your drinking. As an example, if you have always mixed with a party crowd and you go out with them on a Saturday night with them you know that peer pressure may cause you to drink to excess.
Alternatively, you may find that your trigger is after a “bad” day at work or a row with a partner or family member. Start to examine the patterns and see whether you have similar reasons coming up time and time again. Once you have identified these it is so much easier to put in a plan of action to deal with them in a healthier way.
Read my post on five of the most common drink triggers to see if you can find why you might be binge drinking.
You can track your triggers with our Alcohol Tracker Worksheets which have been designed to help you learn more about your drinking habits and create change. They not only show you what and whom might be making you drink but they also give you information on cravings control and healthier habits. Plus they have positive affirmations to help you on your journey and a change plan for you to fill out.
Limit Your Stress
Stress drinking is one of the biggest causes of alcohol binges. When things get on top of us our minds may feel they need a release and so the alcohol becomes a way of letting off steam and forgetting what is going on. Look at your lifestyle and see what you can do to manage your stress levels.
- Work shorter hours if you can
- Try not to argue
- Be more organised
- Exercise more
- Find time to laugh and have fun
- Get a good night’s sleep every night
- Take a holiday
- Say no to things that put you under pressure.
Self-hypnosis for drinking is a great way of reducing stress and anxiety whilst at the same time giving you subconscious suggestions to change your mindset around drinking. We have a drink less hypnosis download in our online shop which can be used daily to increase your motivation and willpower around alcohol.
Manage Your Emotions
As a drink less coach and therapist I know that negative emotions cause problems with binge drinking. So if you feel sad, anxious, suffer from guilt or have low self-esteem these feelings can impact your mental health. When we have these thoughts and feelings it can be difficult to switch them off so your mind finds ways to help. For some people this might mean eating too much, others gambling or drugs and of course in this scenario binge drinking.
Binge drinking in a strange way gives you a rest from your worries, insecurities and negative feelings. For the time period when you are drinking you forget what is going on around you. Of course, when you wake up the next day the feelings come flooding back and you feel ten times worse causing more negative feelings. Understanding and tackling the underlying emotion is important if you are going to create a more permanent solution to your problem.
Get Support From a Drink Less Coach
Getting help from a drink less expert is a great way to stop binge drinking alcohol. Drink less therapy concentrates on supporting our clients as we help them change their habits. It also is one of the best ways of addressing the underlying causes of a drinking problem. Many of our clients are not consciously aware of the source of their drinking problems but when we work with them using hypnosis we can usually reveal the real issues. Once we know that the actual problem is it becomes so much easier to aim therapy at that particular issue and create positive change.
Do you want to stop binge drinking alcohol? We have a four-session program to help our clients make changes to the way that they drink. Just fill out the form below to arrange your sessions and get a callback.
You may also want to read:
How to Drink Less Alcohol in 5 Steps
8 Natural Sleep Remedies to Help you Beat Insomnia
*This site is owned and operated by rewirethemind.com. Rewirethemind.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
- Love Words That Start With T - February 23, 2023
- Trading Hypnosis – 40 Ways It Can Make You A Better Trader - February 20, 2023
- A Limiting Beliefs List – Find Out What’s Holding Your Back - January 15, 2023
