How to Stop Drinking Alcohol: Safe Steps and Support

Is it safe to stop drinking straight away?

Answer this before you try any tip further down the page. If you are physically dependent on alcohol, the NHS warns that stopping suddenly can be very dangerous, and says anyone who gets withdrawal symptoms should get medical help before trying to stop ^[1]. Alcohol Change UK puts it more starkly: a person with clinical alcohol dependence can die from stopping suddenly and completely ^[5].

NHS Better Health gives a simple check. Get medical advice before stopping if you have physical withdrawal symptoms, such as shaking, sweating or feeling anxious until you have the first drink of the day ^[4]. The giveaway is that a drink makes them go away. The NHS describes withdrawal symptoms as a sign your body is dependent on alcohol ^[1]. The NHS alcohol support page lists milder signs that may mean you need medicine to stop, including feeling anxious soon after you wake, mild tremors with sweating, and being sick or retching in the morning ^[2]. Alcohol Change UK adds difficulty sleeping, anxiety and depression after a period of drinking, while sobering up ^[5].

If any of that sounds like you, please do not pour everything away tonight, and do not make up your own plan for cutting down either. Phone your GP surgery, or the drug and alcohol service in your area, and give them a truthful picture of how much you drink. If it is the evening or the weekend and the surgery is closed, call NHS 111 for advice tonight, before you stop or cut down. The NHS says most people get help to stop in the community, and any medicine needed can often be taken at home or at a local service each day ^[2]. My article on alcohol withdrawal symptoms and the danger signs goes into more detail.

Ring 999, or get to A&E, when a person who has stopped drinking is shaking visibly, is unusually restless, irritable or upset, seems confused (unsure of the day, say), is hallucinating or has a seizure ^[1]. Any one of those is enough to call. If you have none of the warning signs above, you can usually begin with the steps that follow. If you are unsure, ask your GP before you start.

Should you stop drinking completely or cut down?

Either can be the right goal, depending on how much you drink and what it is doing to your health. The NHS says treatment usually aims to help people stop completely, especially if they are dependent, but that someone who is not ready to stop, or who just wants to cut down, will be supported to reduce their drinking to a safer level ^[1].

NICE, which publishes the clinical guidance used in NHS treatment, is more specific. It says abstinence is the appropriate goal for most people with alcohol dependence, and for people whose drinking comes with significant physical or mental health problems such as depression or alcohol-related liver disease ^[8]. For harmful drinking or mild dependence, without serious health problems and with adequate support around the person, it says a moderate level of drinking can be the goal, unless the person prefers abstinence ^[8].

If you choose to cut down, the UK low risk guideline is to keep to 14 units a week at most, spread over 3 days or more, and the NHS adds that there is no completely safe level of drinking ^[4]. That 14 units is about 6 pints of average-strength beer or 6 medium glasses of wine ^[3]. If you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, the NHS recommends not drinking at all ^[1].

If you have no signs of dependence, Alcohol Change UK says you do not need to settle the long-term goal straight away, and can experiment until you find what works for you ^[5]. From my own recovery I would add one observation. If you have set out to cut down several times and the drinking keeps creeping back up, that pattern is worth taking seriously, and it may point towards stopping altogether. Talk it through with your GP or an alcohol service before you decide.

How to stop drinking alcohol: practical steps

Once you know it is safe for you to stop, some preparation makes the early weeks easier. These steps come from the NHS, Drinkaware and Alcohol Change UK ^[1]^[5]^[6], roughly in the order I would take them.

Write down why you are stopping, such as better sleep, less anxiety, saving money or improving your relationships, and keep the note somewhere you will see it ^[5].
Tell the people close to you and explain why, so they understand when you turn down a drink and can help keep you on track ^[1]^[6].
Check whether there is alcohol at home, and write a shopping list before you go to the supermarket so you are less tempted to buy some ^[6].
In the early stages, keep away from situations where you know you are likely to be tempted ^[6].
Work out the times you would usually drink and fill that gap with something specific, such as a new hobby or meeting a friend somewhere other than the pub ^[1]^[6].
Set short goals, such as an alcohol-free week and then an alcohol-free month, and reward yourself as you reach each one ^[6].
Keep a daily diary of what you drink, or use a tracking app such as NHS Drink Free Days or Alcohol Change UK's Try Dry ^[1]^[5].
Consider joining a support group, which the NHS lists among the things that help ^[1].

How to cut down on alcohol if you are not dependent

If you have checked the warning signs and you are not dependent, cutting down is mostly a matter of changing habits. The NHS suggests these ^[3]:

decide on a limit before you start drinking, and take only a fixed amount of money out with you ^[3]
go for smaller sizes, such as bottled beer instead of pints, or a small glass of wine instead of a large one ^[3]
swap strong beers or wines for lower-strength ones; NHS Better Health suggests lighter beers under 4% ABV ^[4]
eat something and have a glass of water before you drink, then alternate alcoholic drinks with water or soft drinks ^[3]
take several drink-free days each week ^[3]

Other ways to drink less each week

NHS Better Health adds two more ideas. Stay out of rounds, since they make it easy to end up drinking more than you meant, and wait until you have started your evening meal before you have a drink at all ^[4]. Alcohol Change UK suggests going through your week and cutting out the drinks you only have out of boredom or habit, and says swapping a drink for something else works much better than simply cutting it out ^[5]. That might be a favourite soft drink, a pot of tea or a short walk at the hour you would normally open a bottle.

Seeing friends does not have to mean the pub. The NHS suggests breakfast, a film, a coffee and a walk, or a class together ^[4]. If one week goes badly, its advice is to keep trying, because next week is a fresh start ^[4].

Keep one caution in mind. If cutting down brings on shaking, sweating or anxiety, do not cut down any further on your own. Those can be withdrawal symptoms, and the NHS says to get medical help before you reduce or stop drinking if you get them ^[1]. Phone your GP, or NHS 111 if the surgery is closed.

How do you spot your drinking triggers?

Alcohol Change UK notes that drinking habits are often reinforced over time through repetition, which is why it suggests starting with your triggers ^[5]. Drinkaware describes triggers as the feelings or circumstances that set off unwanted behaviour and stop you sticking to your intentions, and notes that they are different for everyone ^[7]. Some are internal, such as feeling stressed, lonely, bored, angry, tired or even celebratory ^[7]. Others sit outside you: a particular time like a Friday or the end of the working day, an argument, preparing food, watching television, or someone offering you a drink ^[7].

Making a list of your own triggers is a good place to begin, and Drinkaware says avoiding them can be a particularly effective first step when you are just getting started ^[7]. It also suggests finding other rewards or distractions for the moments that would normally set you off, a technique psychiatrists call response substitution ^[7].

In counselling, we often start with an ordinary week. Where were you, who were you with, what time was it, and what were you feeling just before the urge arrived? Once it is written down, the pattern can turn out to be surprisingly predictable, and a predictable pattern can be planned for. In my own recovery I found that an urge would build and then ease if I gave it time and something else to do. I have written more about this in tempering a craving and three strategies for cravings and urges.

It also helps to be honest about what the drink has been doing for you. Drinkaware points out that even when alcohol briefly lifts a mood or dulls a bad one, it does not help in the long run, because alcohol is a depressant ^[7]. If drinking has been your way of coping with anxiety, grief or loneliness, those feelings will still be there once the drinking stops, and they deserve proper attention of their own.

What happens when you stop drinking?

Feeling shaky after you stop can mean quite different things, so it helps to tell them apart. Even people who were not heavy drinkers can feel a bit irritable, shaky or tired when they stop, and may have poor concentration, difficulty sleeping or bad dreams ^[6]. Drinkaware says this can happen at relatively low levels if you were drinking regularly, and that for most people it passes quite quickly ^[6]. That kind of mild jitteriness is common. If it drags on or is hard to cope with, your GP can advise ^[6].

Shaking, sweating or anxiety that a drink relieves is something else. That is withdrawal, which the NHS treats as a sign of physical dependence on alcohol ^[1], and it usually follows heavier or longer drinking. According to the NHS, symptoms of withdrawal typically appear 6 to 12 hours after someone's final drink and usually ease after 3 to 7 days, though after a long spell of heavy drinking some symptoms may linger for months ^[1]. Drinkaware says anyone who gets withdrawal symptoms should seek medical help urgently ^[6]. Do not stop or cut down any further on your own. Phone your GP the same day, or NHS 111 if the surgery is closed.

The third situation is an emergency. If someone who has stopped drinking is shaking visibly, or is unusually restless or agitated, confused, hallucinating or having a seizure, call 999 or go to A&E ^[1]. Visible shaking on its own is enough to call.

There are early rewards as well. The NHS lists feeling better in the mornings, being less tired during the day, better-looking skin and more energy among the first effects of drinking less ^[3]. Drinkaware says giving up alcohol can lead to improved sleep and energy levels ^[6], and the NHS explains why: alcohol can help you drop off quickly, yet it disrupts your sleep patterns and stops you sleeping deeply ^[3].

Mood can take longer to settle. If you already feel anxious or low, drinking can make that worse, so cutting down may lift your mood overall ^[3]. NICE asks clinicians to assess depression or anxiety that is still present after 3 to 4 weeks without alcohol ^[8]. If your mood has not lifted after a few weeks, or it is getting worse, see your GP. If you ever feel you cannot keep yourself safe, call the Samaritans on 116 123, or 999 in an emergency.

What should you do if you slip up?

One evening of drinking does not wipe out the days or weeks that came before it. Alcohol Change UK suggests treating a slip-up with curiosity rather than self-blame, and asking yourself what you could do differently next time ^[5]. Drinkaware says it is equally important not to be too hard on yourself ^[6].

I know from my own recovery how quickly one bad night can become a reason to give up on the whole plan, with the thought that since it is already ruined you might as well carry on. Shame tends to feed that thought. It helps more to look at what set the slip off and what was missing from your plan, including who you might have rung.

If a slip turns back into heavy daily drinking, the safety question at the top of this page applies again, so speak to your GP before you stop a second time ^[1]. I have written about the wider pattern in the cycle of addiction, and about building new habits through repetition in practice makes permanent.

Where can you get help to stop drinking?

You do not have to manage this alone. The NHS says most people need some help or a long-term plan to stay in control, and that leaning on family and friends alone often isn't enough ^[2]. Start with your GP, and give a truthful account of your drinking and any problems it is causing ^[2]. You can also refer yourself to a specialist alcohol team ^[6]. Local councils run these services, and the NHS service search will find yours ^[1]^[2].

These are the main places to turn ^[2]:

your GP, who can assess your drinking and suggest support options such as local community alcohol services ^[2]
your council-funded drug and alcohol service, where most people get support to stop and recovery support afterwards ^[2]
Drinkline on 0300 123 1110, the free and confidential national alcohol helpline, open weekdays 9am to 8pm and weekends 11am to 4pm ^[2]
Alcoholics Anonymous, a free self-help group whose 12 step programme centres on regular support groups ^[2]
SMART Recovery, whose groups help people build motivation to change and offer practical tools ^[2]
Al-Anon Family Groups, for the families and friends of people who drink ^[2]

Where does counselling fit in?

On the NHS, treatment for an alcohol problem may involve cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) or another talking therapy, and medicines such as acamprosate or naltrexone, which help reduce cravings and are usually offered once you have stopped and need help to stay sober ^[1]. NICE also asks services to help people get along to self-help groups and community support networks ^[8]. Your GP or alcohol service arranges these.

My own role is different. I am a BACP-registered counsellor with lived experience of recovery, and I am not a doctor, so medical questions such as whether you are dependent, or whether you need medicine to stop, belong with your GP and the alcohol service. What I offer is a private place to talk about why you drink and what keeps getting in the way when you try to change it. We might go through your week hour by hour, look at the feelings that surface when the drink is not there, or talk about relationships that have been strained. You can read about counselling for a drinking problem on my main page.

My room is in Hove, which makes addiction counselling in Hove an easy trip from Brighton and the towns nearby, and I also work online with people anywhere in the UK. You can check the areas I cover if you would like to meet face to face.

Common questions

How do I stop drinking alcohol safely?

Check for signs of physical dependence first. If you get shaking, sweating, anxiety or sickness when you go without a drink, especially in the morning, speak to your GP or an alcohol service before you stop, because stopping suddenly can be dangerous ^[1]. They can arrange support, and any medicine needed can often be taken at home ^[2]. If you have none of those signs, set a clear goal, tell someone you trust, keep alcohol out of the house and plan what you will do at the times you usually drink.

Is it better to stop drinking completely or cut down?

It depends on your drinking and your health. NICE guidance says abstinence is the right goal for most people who are dependent on alcohol, and for people with serious health problems linked to their drinking ^[8]. For harmful drinking without dependence or serious health problems, a moderate level of drinking can be the aim ^[8]. If you have tried to cut down several times without it holding, that is worth raising with your GP or an alcohol service.

How can I cut down on alcohol without stopping?

Set a limit before you start, take a fixed amount of money out, choose smaller and lower-strength drinks, eat first, alternate alcohol with water and have several drink-free days each week ^[3]. The UK low risk guideline is 14 units a week at most, spread over 3 days or more ^[4]. An app such as NHS Drink Free Days can help you keep track. If cutting down brings on shaking or sweating, do not cut down any further on your own, and get medical help first ^[1].

What happens when you first stop drinking?

Many people feel a bit irritable, tired or unsettled at first, with poor concentration or disturbed sleep, and for most people this passes quite quickly ^[6]. Mornings and energy often improve as you drink less ^[3]. After heavy drinking, the NHS says withdrawal symptoms can start within 6 to 12 hours ^[1], which is why you should speak to a GP before stopping. Visible shaking, unusual restlessness, confusion, hallucinations or a seizure mean calling 999 ^[1].

Can I stop drinking without going to rehab?

Yes. The NHS says most people get support to stop drinking, and recovery support afterwards, in the community ^[2]. Residential rehabilitation is usually reserved for people with medium or high levels of dependence who have already tried other help that has not worked ^[2]. Your GP or the alcohol service in your area can assess what level of support suits you, and the NHS says mutual aid groups like AA can be found in most areas ^[2].

Who can I talk to about my drinking?

Your GP is one route, and you can also contact your local drug and alcohol service directly ^[2]. Drinkline, the free national alcohol helpline, is on 0300 123 1110 and you can call in complete confidence ^[2]. AA and SMART Recovery groups run in most parts of the country ^[2]. Counselling can sit alongside these, giving you a private space to talk through what the drinking has been doing for you.

Sources

Alcohol-use disorder, NHS (accessed 12 Nov 2026)
Alcohol support, NHS (accessed 12 Nov 2026)
Tips on cutting down on alcohol, NHS (accessed 12 Nov 2026)
Drink less alcohol, NHS Better Health (accessed 12 Nov 2026)
Tips for cutting down, Alcohol Change UK (accessed 12 Nov 2026)
How to stop drinking alcohol completely, Drinkaware (accessed 12 Nov 2026)
How to spot your triggers, Drinkaware (accessed 12 Nov 2026)
Alcohol-use disorders: diagnosis, assessment and management of harmful drinking and alcohol dependence (CG115), Recommendations, NICE (accessed 12 Nov 2026)

Written by Bradley Riddell, a BACP-registered counsellor (registered member 109340) with over 25 years' experience and lived experience of recovery. He is not a doctor: this article is general information, not medical advice. Check his registration. Sources checked 12 November 2026.

How to stop drinking alcohol: safe first steps and a plan that lasts

If you need urgent help now