How To Stop Drinking Alcohol Every Night 

It kills more than 3 million people each year, causes more than 200 diseases and shortens our lifespan, yet alcohol is legal, accessible and socially acceptable (1). We think nothing of downing a glass of wine after a tough day or going for a quick beer after work. We drink to celebrate, relax, escape and unwind. At weddings, funerals, parties or on holiday, there’s always a reason to pour another drink. But when that occasional pleasure becomes a daily habit, drinking alcohol can easily become a dangerous addiction. 

At Delamere, we want to help people recognise the signs of alcoholism and get the specialist support they need. If you’re drinking alcohol every night you can talk to us confidentially and get individualised advice on how to cut down or quit alcohol completely. 

Because alcohol is so freely available, drinking regularly is often not seen as being a problem until it’s too late. Our team of alcohol addiction experts have pulled together some tips to help you identify if you are drinking too much and how to stop drinking alcohol every night. 

What happens if you drink every night? 

Having the odd glass of wine in front of the TV or a pint with friends isn’t really an issue. While no amount of alcohol is harmless, drinking below the recommended weekly limit is unlikely to cause serious damage. The problem with drinking alcohol every day is that it can cause fibrosis or scarring of the liver tissue as well as alcoholic hepatitis. If you continue drinking alcohol daily for many years your risk of developing chronic diseases is increased. These include liver disease, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, digestive problems and several types of cancer. (2) 

As well as the obvious damage to your health, drinking every night is also habit forming. The more regularly you drink, the more you become used to functioning on alcohol. Your body and mind develop a reliance on alcohol physically and psychologically. After a while you build up a tolerance to it and need higher quantities to achieve the same effect. You may start to notice that when you drink less you feel agitated, jittery or can’t sleep. This is the body’s way of telling you that you have developed a dependence on alcohol. 

If you drink every day and feel like you’re needing increasing amounts of alcohol, or experience withdrawal symptoms when you don’t drink, it may be time to get help. At Delamere, we have a team of alcohol addiction specialists who will help you find the most comfortable way to detox from alcohol and learn ways to curb your cravings so that you can enjoy life without depending on alcohol.  

How much is too much alcohol?  

In the UK, the guideline for men and women is that it’s safest not to drink more than 14 units of alcohol per week on a regular basis and, if you drink more than this, to spread your drinking evenly over three or more days. Having one or two heavy drinking sessions per week increases your risks of death from long term illness, accidents and injuries (3).  

24% of adults in England and Scotland regularly drink over the Chief Medical Officer’s low-risk guidelines, and 27% of drinkers in Great Britain binge drink on their heaviest drinking days (over 8 units for men and over 6 units for women) (4). 

So, what is a unit and how do you know if you’re drinking too much? A unit is basically 10ml of pure alcohol (two teaspoons), which is the amount of alcohol the average person can process in an hour. The number of units depends on the size and strength of your drink. 14 units is equivalent to 6 pints of average-strength beer or 10 small glasses of lower-strength wine. If you’re drinking every night and don’t feel ready to completely quit, a first step could be to choose lower strength alcohol or always stick to smaller glasses.  

What are the symptoms of drinking alcohol daily? 

If you’re consuming alcohol on a daily basis, are often drunk or always the most intoxicated person in the room, you may have developed a dependence on alcohol, which has a variety of mental and physical health effects. It can place a toll on your stomach, heart, kidneys and liver as well as altering your emotions and behaviour. You may have palpitations, mood swings, headaches, dry skin, brittle nails or diarrhoea amongst other symptoms.  

Alcoholics Anonymous defines alcoholism as “a physical compulsion, coupled with a mental obsession to consume alcohol,” in which cravings for alcohol are always catered to, even at times when they should not be (5). If you feel unable to control the amount you drink voluntarily or couldn’t imagine a day without alcohol, it’s time to get help. Delamere offers a variety of therapeutic alcohol rehab programmes that are tailored to your individual needs. You can rest and recuperate in the restorative surroundings of our forest retreat while we help you make sense of your addiction and build the resilience to overcome it.  

Tips to help you stop drinking every night 

The first step is recognising you have a problem with alcohol and often the only way to truly beat it is to get help from trained professionals. However, there are some simple things you can do yourself at home to try to reduce your dependence. 

Set achievable goals 

Your mind and body won’t be ready to just go ‘cold turkey’ overnight. In fact, it’s incredibly dangerous to suddenly stop drinking. Set realistic expectations and time frames. Be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely). You can start small and add to your list the more you progress. A specialist alcohol rehab clinic like Delamere can make this process much easier and work with you to achieve your goals. 

Keep a journal 

Writing your thoughts and feelings down on paper will help you to understand why you’re drinking and when. This will make you familiar with your pain points and how to address them. We are big advocates of journaling at Delamere and encourage our guests to write down their thoughts in a variety of therapeutic exercises. It’s an important part of the healing process and rewarding to read at the end of the programme.  

Understand your triggers 

Drinking alcohol often goes hand in hand with certain people, situations or environments. It’s important to recognise the reason for your drinking and what sets it off. It could be a particular social set of friends, work stress, or financial worries. Or it might just be that you associate alcohol with other behaviours- we always have a drink with dinner. At Delamere, we help our guests to identify these triggers and develop strategies to cope with everyday life when surrounded by alcohol.  

Ask for support  

Friends and family can sometimes be part of the problem, but they can also be part of the solution. It’s important to reach out to people you know and explain to them that you’re struggling with alcohol addiction. Knowing that someone else is looking out for you can make it easier to cope in stressful situations when you’re likely to be tempted by alcohol. If you live with a partner, it’s especially important that they’re on board to help.  

How can Delamere help with alcohol addiction?  

Alcohol abuse is incredibly common. There is no need to feel ashamed or embarrassed that you have a problem. At Delamere, we have helped many guests from all walks of life to overcome alcohol addiction at our purpose-built facility in the heart of Cheshire. We are here to talk and listen as soon as you feel ready.  

Our alcohol rehab programmes are unlike any other as they follow a unique three-step approach developed by specialists with direct experience of addiction. First, we will safely rid your body of harmful toxins with a controlled alcohol detox. You will have your own ensuite room to make this process as comfortable as possible.  

Next, we work with you to understand the cause of your addiction, identify triggers and introduce methods to tackle them. Through a combination of one-to-one counselling, group therapy and somatic healing, we will help you to grow beyond addiction and return to life with the support you need to stay alcohol free. 

References 

1. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/alcohol.  

2. World Health Organization. Global status report on alcohol and health—2018external icon. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2018.  

3. Department of Health and Social Care. UK Chief Medical Officers’ Low Risk Drinking Guidelines. Published 25th August 2016.  

4. https://alcoholchange.org.uk/alcohol-facts/fact-sheets/alcohol-statistics.  

5. https://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/About-AA/Newcomers/About-Alcoholism.  

About the author: Sally Hopkins

Sally is a Recovery Mentor at Delamere. Sally lives and breathes recovery, and brings a huge amount of energy and passion to both her 1-1, and group work at Delamere.