How to Improve Your Relationship With Alcohol

Addiction is a serious problem that can wreck every aspect of your life. It also doesn’t happen overnight – it is a progressive issue that can be stopped before it takes over your life.

If you are worried about your drinking and looking to make a change, it’s important to know how to improve your relationship with alcohol, what having a drinking problem looks like and the available help.

Understanding Your Relationship With Alcohol

If you want to improve your relationship with alcohol, you first need to understand it better. This step means taking a long and honest look at yourself – reflecting on your drinking habits and how they impact your life.

It’s important to evaluate why you drink – is it to socialise? Relax? Avoid bad emotions? – how much drinking you do and what role alcohol plays in your life. These questions are important because the answers will tell you if your drinking is unhealthy and leading you into potential addiction.

To better understand your relationship with alcohol, there are other questions you can ask yourself, including:

• Have others commented on your drinking?
• Do you have cravings for alcohol?
• Are you missing social, family and work obligations?
• Do you regularly drink more than you planned to?

Why It’s Important to Improve Your Relationship With Alcohol

If your problem develops into alcohol addiction, you leave yourself at great risk.

Drinking heavily can have massive health, emotional and social impacts on your life. Here are some numbers to show you:

• In the past 20 years, the number of premature deaths due to alcoholic liver disease has increased by 61.3% in England.
• A quarter of the people in treatment for alcohol addiction are also suffering from mental health issues.
• In the latest release by the ONS, there were 10,048 deaths from alcohol-specific causes. This is the highest number on record.

Reducing alcohol consumption or cutting it out altogether can improve your overall well-being and have many benefits, including:

Social benefits:

• Improved relationships
• Better work performance
• More fulfilling life

Health benefits:

• Lower risk of heart disease
• Less chance of liver damage
• Better digestion and calmer gut

Emotional benefits:

• Better mood
• Less chance of developing mental health problems
• More energetic and focused

Signs That Your Drinking Habits May Be Unhealthy

Whilst people suffering from addiction usually are in denial about their drinking, some signs indicate they have a problem with alcohol.

Spotting these signs early on is vital to having a healthier relationship with alcohol. Addiction is progressive, and without intervention, you or someone you know will soon find that alcohol has taken over your life.

Common signs of a problematic relationship with alcohol include:

• Frequent binge drinking
• Using alcohol to cope with stress
• Feeling guilty about drinking
• Tolerance has increased
• Drinking heavily alone
• Experience withdrawal

Practical Tips for Reducing Your Alcohol Intake

Alcohol rehab is not an inevitable destination if you are struggling with your drinking. Reducing alcohol consumption in your life is achievable by making some simple changes.

Here are some tips to drink less:

• Setting limits – if you make a plan and set limits for yourself, you are likely to follow it. By setting limits and following them, you gain a sense of control over alcohol.
• Keeping track – by keeping track of what you drink, when you drink and why, you can start to recognise patterns. This will lead you to see more clearly what triggers your drinking.
• Alcohol-free days – drinking every day will lead you to addiction. Inserting alcohol-free days into your life is a simple way to reduce alcohol consumption. Start with one day and then slowly increase as you feel better.
• Healthier habits – replacing drinking with healthier habits such as exercise and new hobbies is better for you. They keep you busy and improve your physical and mental well-being.

The Benefits of Moderation Compared to Abstinence

Moderation is the act of cutting down on your drinking whilst still enjoying a healthy relationship with alcohol. Abstinence means to cut alcohol out of your life altogether and never to go back to it.

Some people may choose to cut down rather than cut out for several reasons. If you are not worried about your drinking and your personal goal is to just be a bit healthier, then moderation is for you.

Moderation has many benefits compared to abstinence. It means less change to your life and reduces physical and mental health risks.

If you are worried about how and why you drink, then abstinence might be called for. Going through an alcohol detox and feeling your reaction to it may tell you what is needed. If you then suffer from withdrawal, this might suggest that moderation is not possible for you.

You should also seek professional help to decide whether you need to cut out alcohol or manage it by moderating your intake.

The Role of Professional Support in Improving Your Relationship With Alcohol

Sometimes, cutting down your drinking is not enough. If your drinking is seriously problematic enough to have developed into an addiction, then you need professional help.

Services, such as the ones provided by Action Rehab, are used by so many because they are effective at treating addiction and helping you get sober. With Action Rehab you can gain access to a personalised treatment plan – undergoing treatment that is tailored to your unique situation.

Detox programmes, addiction counselling, group sessions and aftercare are all services at your disposal with Action Rehab.

Going into a professional rehab and using these services gives you the platform to get clean, come to better understand your addiction and learn healthier coping techniques. All this will help you regain control of your life and create a platform on which you can build an alcohol-free life.

How to Support a Loved One Struggling With Alcohol

If you are concerned about someone else’s drinking, it may seem hard to approach the subject. You can’t force them to change their behaviour, but there are things you can do to support them.

• Educate yourself – study up on alcohol addiction, the effects of it and signs to look out for.
• Avoid blame – come from a place of compassion and concern; don’t come with accusations that may make them defensive and close up.
• Be prepared – they may surprise you, so be ready. Have some concrete next steps on hand so they can quickly get the help they need.
• Get support – friends and family members can help you through this process. Also, organisations such as Action Rehab offer support to families, providing advice and much-needed information.

Making Long-Term Changes to Maintain a Healthier Relationship With Alcohol

You can start to make the changes in your life, but to feel the benefits, you must stick with it. This is easier for some and harder for others, but there are things you can do to maintain healthier drinking habits over the long term.

Setting Clear Goals

By setting clear goals, you always have something to aim for. Once you reach a goal, make a new one and dig into that competitive part of your brain. Keep reaching and keeping the commitment up, moving the goalposts when you need to, and rewarding yourself when you achieve.

Seeking support

Going it alone can be hard. By getting support from friends and professionals and attending group support meetings, you can be held accountable if you need to and have people to lean on in tough moments.

Creating a Positive Environment

Changing your relationship with alcohol doesn’t have to feel like a punishment. As you do it you will begin to look and feel better. Celebrate the positive nature of the changes you are making and create around you an environment geared towards change.

It’s important to remember that your relationship with alcohol is continuous and to ensure it is a healthy one; you need to be committed.

Start to Improve Your Relationship With Alcohol Today

Knowing how to improve your relationship with alcohol and deciding you need to is half the battle. Taking the steps is the other half.

Alcohol can have a massive effect on your life, and making those changes will improve your life in countless ways.

If you are worried about your drinking and want more tips to drink less, get in touch with Action Rehab now. To learn more about us and the services we offer, call us at 01512686992.

Posted on Friday, October 11th, 2024 at 3:58 pm in Latest News.