How to quit drinking: what helps and how it goes
How to quit drinking or do a sober month: when stopping alcohol needs a doctor, how the first days and weeks usually go, and what research shows actually helps.
People want to stop drinking for all kinds of reasons: rough mornings, money, sleep, arguments, a blood test the doctor did not like. Some want a sober month to see what life looks like without the evening glass. Others need to stop for good. These are different goals, and the second one sometimes needs a doctor from day one.
The WHO estimates that alcohol caused about 2.6 million deaths worldwide in 2019 and that around 400 million people aged 15 and over live with alcohol use disorders. In countries with data, the share who get treatment ranges from less than 1% to no more than 14%. In 2023 the WHO's European office put it plainly: no level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health.
The US National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) describes alcohol use disorder as an impaired ability to stop or control alcohol use despite harm to health, work or relationships. It can be mild, moderate or severe.
Safety first
If you drink heavily every day, stopping abruptly on your own can be dangerous. The NHS warns that if you have become physically dependent, stopping overnight could be harmful, and that severe withdrawal symptoms such as hallucinations, severe shaking or seizures are an emergency. The NIAAA calls alcohol withdrawal a potentially life-threatening process: people with severe alcohol use disorder may need medical supervision, and doctors can prescribe medication to make withdrawal safer.
Talk to a doctor first if your hands shake in the morning and a drink makes it better, if past attempts to stop brought sweating, anxiety, sleeplessness or tremors, or if you have been drinking a lot every day for years. In that case start with your doctor and let the tracker come second.
How quitting usually goes
For people who drank heavily and regularly, the first days are the hardest. According to MedlinePlus, from the US National Library of Medicine, withdrawal symptoms tend to start within 8 hours of the last drink and peak by 24 to 72 hours, but can go on for weeks: anxiety, irritability, insomnia, sweating, nausea, shakiness. The severe form, delirium tremens, brings confusion, fever, hallucinations and seizures, and needs a hospital.
If you drank moderately and are doing a sober month, your body usually takes it more calmly, and the real test is your routine: Friday night, drinks with friends, the dinner after which your hand reaches for a glass by itself. Researchers at the University of Sussex followed 857 people who signed up for Dry January and found that six months later they drank less and felt more able to refuse a drink, even those who did not make it to the end of the month. It was an observational study, not a trial, but very few people reported drinking more afterwards.
What helps
Treatment. The NIAAA notes that most people with alcohol use disorder can benefit from some form of treatment and that most recover or markedly improve. Three medications are approved in the US: naltrexone, acamprosate and disulfiram. Only a doctor should prescribe them.
Mutual support. A 2020 Cochrane review of 27 studies with 10,565 participants found that structured programmes that help people engage with Alcoholics Anonymous outperformed other established treatments, such as CBT, for staying abstinent. Less structured AA involvement did about as well as those treatments. Meetings are free and held in most cities, and the NIAAA also lists alternatives such as SMART Recovery.
A plan for tricky situations. Peter Gollwitzer and Paschal Sheeran's meta-analysis of 94 tests found that if-then plans had a medium-to-large effect on reaching goals. For example: "if someone offers me a drink at a party, I ask for sparkling water with lime and say I'm driving."
Tracking, with witnesses. In Benjamin Harkin's meta-analysis, 138 experiments showed that monitoring progress helps people reach goals, and more so when others can see it. Tell people close to you, or do the month with someone.
Fewer cues. Keep alcohol out of the house, swap the bar for a film or the gym for the first few weeks, and have an alcohol-free drink ready for the evening hour when you usually pour one.
Where to get help
- Your doctor is the right first stop, especially if you drink every day.
- In the US, the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) offers free, confidential help finding treatment. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.
- In the UK, Drinkline at 0300 123 1110 is free and private, for your own drinking or someone else's. Call 999 for severe withdrawal symptoms.
How Break3 fits in
Break3 is a habit tracker. It helps you keep your decision day after day, but it does not replace a doctor and is not a way to stop alone if you are dependent.
- There is a ready-made template for quitting alcohol. You check in once a day, can add a note and up to four photos, and a timer counts down to midnight.
- One missed day is forgiven on its own. For a party you know about, you can set a three-day freeze in advance. A broken streak can be restored for free within a week, once every 90 days per habit.
- Milestones sit at 3, 7, 14, 21, 30, 60 and 90 days. Check-ins earn steps, and steps add up to levels.
- At the start you answer a couple of questions about who you want to be in a year and upload a selfie. An AI draws that future you, new levels open the next portraits, and every day that future you leaves a line on your home screen. Your selfie is never published.
- A sober month works well as a group: one habit for 2 to 50 people by invite, each with their own streak, check-ins in the feed and weekly top 10.
- The AI coach in the chat remembers your goal, can set up habits and check in for you. You can message it on the evenings when you want a drink.
Break3 is free for now and works at break3.app and in Telegram. Without an account you can start a habit and check in; the portrait, the coach and group habits come with an INITE account.
Read next
The guide How long it takes to form a habit explains why it makes sense to count in months. How streaks work covers forgiven days and freezes. If you want to drop cigarettes along with alcohol, see how to quit smoking. How Break3 differs from I Am Sober is covered in Break3 vs I Am Sober.
Questions and answers
Is it dangerous to stop drinking suddenly?
It can be if you are physically dependent. Withdrawal symptoms usually start within 8 hours and peak by 24 to 72 hours, and severe cases can bring seizures and delirium tremens. If you drink heavily every day, stop under a doctor's supervision.
How many days without alcohol does it take to quit?
There is no magic number. A sober month is a good test: in a study of Dry January participants, people drank less six months later, even if they slipped before the month was out. If you are dependent, work out the plan with a doctor.
Does Alcoholics Anonymous work?
According to a 2020 Cochrane review, structured programmes linked to AA helped people stay abstinent better than other established treatments such as CBT, and less structured AA involvement did about as well. Meetings are free.
Are there pills to help you stop drinking?
In the US, three medications are approved: naltrexone, acamprosate and disulfiram. A doctor prescribes them based on your health and how you drink. Do not take them on your own.
Can I do a sober month with friends?
Yes. In Break3 you can start a group habit for 2 to 50 people. Everyone has their own streak, and check-ins show up in a shared feed.