How to stay motivated while cutting down on alcohol

Now you have decided to cut back on how much you drink, you’ll soon start to notice some positive changes from drinking less both for your short- and long-term health.

Like many important life changes, it’s an ongoing process rather than a one-off event. There are three stages to keep in mind:

• Stage one: make the decision to cut down

• Stage two: plan how you will do it

• Stage three: consider ways to stay on track

But how can you stay motivated throughout your journey, and in the longer-term? This guide has practical tips that can help you stay on track and succeed.

Research into different techniques to reduce your drinking has found that keeping track of how much you drink and your progress can boost how successful you are.¹ For a free and easy way to keep track of how many units (and calories) you have, you can download the MyDrinkaware app (see link at the bottom of the page)

1. Consider what motivates you

Think about why you want to cut your drinking – this is the motivation behind your goal. Write it down and don’t lose sight of it.

You’re more likely to stick to your goals if you have a clear reason for achieving them. Focus on what’s important to you and the reasons you want to achieve it.²

For example, you might:

• Want to cut back on your drinking to have more energy, for better quality sleep, or to lose weight

• Be worried about some of the long-term health risks from alcohol – which include seven types of cancer, liver, and heart disease³

• Want to improve your relationship with your partner, family, or friends

• Want to save money by cutting back

2. Set specific goals

Deciding to ‘cut back on drinking’ is a bit vague, making it harder to know if you’re achieving what you want. To give yourself the best chance of success, you need to choose something that’s specific and realistic for you.⁴

Work out how much you want to cut back by, then review your progress and measure your success.

For example:

• You could set yourself a goal to stick within the low risk drinking guidelines of no more than 14 units of alcohol a week.⁵ Or you might decide you want to stop drinking completely

• You might want to increase the number of drink-free days you have each week, changing an activity where you normally drink alcohol for one where you don’t

• You may want to stop binge drinking. That means avoiding heavy drinking sessions: more than six units of alcohol in a single session for women, and more than eight units for men⁶

3. Share your news

If you have a goal to reduce your drinking say it out loud to friends and family or write it down. It can help solidify your plan in your mind and might help you feel more supported by friends and family as you make changes. Who knows, you might even motivate someone you know to join in!⁷

You aren’t alone in wanting to reduce your drinking. According to the Drinkaware Monitor 2025, around one-third (36%) of UK drinkers attempted to reduce their drinking in the last 12 months. The most popular method people chose to moderate their drinking was taking drink-free days (66%), followed by avoiding alcohol on a school or work night (55%), and drinking within the guidelines (47%).⁸

4. Be aware of your triggers – and know how to control them

People, places, time, and feelings can all be triggers for drinking alcohol. Think about your own personal triggers and how you can change your behaviour while fitting your lifestyle.

To succeed in reducing your drinking you also need to break the associations you have with the occasions you drink, and the things you do when you’re drinking.⁹

For example:

• If you tend to reach for a drink when you come home from work, you could plan a different activity to try and break this link. Go for a walk or read a book instead

• If you tend to drink too much with a certain group of friends, instead of missing out on seeing them you could plan to do something different with them that doesn’t involve drinking

• If you are in a routine of meeting workmates for a drink after work, you could suggest having something to eat first and set yourself a limit of one or two drinks. Or you could give it a miss for a while, until you’re more comfortable with your new habits

5. Stick with it

Like any change, there may be times that you doubt yourself or feel like you are missing out on what you had before. It’s a totally natural way to feel. Recognising this ahead of time – and working out how you can deal with those feelings – will help avoid them coming up as a surprise and keep you focussed on your goal.

It’s also worth remembering that slip ups can happen for anyone – we’re all human! Don’t beat yourself up – if you haven’t hit your goal one week, make a fresh start the next. With a bit of initial effort and focus you will find that, over time, your new healthier habits become more ingrained and subconscious¹⁰ – making them second nature.

6. Notice how you feel

Keeping a note of how you feel as you cut back can be really motivating.

There are lots of benefits to reducing your drinking. You might have more energy, be sleeping better, or feel more productive.¹¹ Use the free MyDrinkaware app to see how many calories you have cut and keep track of the money you have saved by not spending it on alcohol (see link below).

7. Celebrate your successes

It’s important to recognise your achievements along the way.¹² Even if your progress has been small, give yourself some praise.

Think about how you can reward yourself. For example, if you’ve saved money you could treat yourself to something that you will enjoy like going to the cinema or some new clothes.

Get support if you need it. If you experience withdrawal symptoms when you cut back on alcohol, it could be a sign that you are dependent on alcohol, meaning it can be dangerous to cut down suddenly without professional support.¹³ Talk to your doctor or a health professional straightaway if you experience any unpleasant effects from cutting down.

Ready to take the first step?

A great place to start is learning how the ‘triggers’ that make you think about drinking can influence your choices, and how spotting them can help you stay in control.

How to spot your triggers