When you are drinking too much - tips for cutting back
Alternative Names
Alcohol - drinking too much; Alcohol use disorder - drinking too much; Alcohol abuse - drinking too much; Risky drinking - cutting back
What is Unsafe Drinking?
Health care providers consider you to be drinking more than is medically safe when you:
Are a healthy man up to age 65 and drink:
- 5 or more drinks on one occasion monthly, or even weekly
- More than 14 drinks in a week
Are a healthy woman of all ages or a healthy man over age 65 and drink:
- 4 or more drinks on one occasion monthly, or even weekly
- More than 7 drinks in a week
Ways to Cut Back
Watch your drinking patterns more closely and plan ahead. This can help you cut back on your alcohol use. Keep track of how much you drink and set goals.
- Track how many drinks you have during the week on a small card in your wallet, on your calendar, or on your phone.
- Know how much alcohol is in a standard drink -- a 12 ounces (oz), or 355 milliliters (mL) can or bottle of beer, a 5 oz (148 mL) of wine, a wine cooler, 1 cocktail, or 1 shot of hard liquor.
When you are drinking:
- Pace yourself. Have no more than 1 alcoholic drink per hour. Sip on water, soda, or juice in between alcoholic drinks.
- Eat something before drinking and in between drinks.
To control how much you drink:
- Stay away from people or places that influence you to drink when you do not want to drink, or tempt you to drink more than you should.
- Plan other activities that do not involve drinking for days when you have the urge to drink.
- Keep alcohol out of your home.
- Make a plan to handle your urges to drink. Remind yourself of why you do not want to drink, or talk to someone you trust.
- Create a polite but firm way of refusing a drink when you are offered one.
Getting Help From Others
Make an appointment with your provider to talk about your drinking. You and your provider can make a plan for you to either stop or cut back on your drinking. Your provider will:
- Explain how much alcohol is safe for you to drink.
- Ask if you have often been feeling sad or nervous.
- Help you figure out what else about your life may be causing you to drink too much.
- Tell you where you can get more support for cutting back or quitting alcohol.
Ask for support from people who may be willing to listen and help, such as a spouse or significant other, or non-drinking friends.
Your place of work may have an employee assistance program (EAP) where you can seek help without needing to tell anyone at work about your drinking.
More information and support for people with alcohol problems and their families can be found at:
- Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) -- www.aa.org/
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Fact sheets: alcohol use and your health. www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/alcohol-use.htm. Updated April 14, 2022. Accessed May 9, 2022.
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism website. Alcohol's effects on the body. www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/alcohols-effects-body. Accessed May 6, 2022.
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism website. Understanding alcohol use disorder. www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/understanding-alcohol-use-disorder. Updated April 2021. Accessed May 6, 2022.
O'Connor PG. Alcohol use disorders. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 26th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 30.
Sherin K, Seikel S, Hale S. Alcohol use disorders. In: Rakel RE, Rakel DP, eds. Textbook of Family Medicine. 9th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2016:chap 48.
US Preventive Services Task Force. Screening and behavioral counseling interventions to reduce unhealthy alcohol use in adolescents and adults: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. JAMA. 2018;320(18):1899-1909. PMID: 30422199 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30422199/.
Review Date:1/29/2022
Reviewed By:Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Family Medicine, UW Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
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