It’s no secret that alcohol – especially excessive amounts – can be harmful to your body. Whether you’re looking to cut it out for a short period or permanently, these tips will help ease you into the transition.
Take Baby Steps
Quitting cold turkey isn’t always the best option. For this reason, rather than cutting alcohol out entirely, take baby steps to remove it. Allowing yourself to drink at special occasions, one-off drinks, or even a glass of wine with dinner every once in a while are ways to ease your way into an alcohol-free diet.
Find a Healthy Replacement
If you genuinely enjoy the taste of alcoholic beverages, finding healthy replacements for those beverages might just be the answer. Whether you opt for a club soda, a carbonated beverage, or fruit-infused water, simply replacing your drink of choice with one that is alcohol-free could help you replace alcohol entirely. Sometimes, just having a drink in your hand deters people from asking if you’d like one, further removing that temptation.
Get Used to Sober Socializing
Attending parties or other social gatherings in which drinks are involved increases the likelihood that you’ll grab a drink, too. So it’s important to start attempting to socialize without one. Even cutting back on the amount you drink can minimize the feeling of “needing” alcohol at a social event.
Fill Your Time
Drinking (especially during the pandemic) is often a result of boredom (or stress). When there’s nothing else to do, the idea of a nice cold drink is pretty compelling. Instead, fill your time with something better for your physical and mental health, such as working out. Working out or getting outside for a walk also helps to decrease stress levels.
Cutting alcohol out of your diet is challenging, but it’s not impossible, as long as you take steps to ease out of the habit. These tips are a great way to begin that transition. Of course, if you feel that your drinking is out of control or affecting your everyday life, we recommend speaking with a professional who can help!