Alcohol

How can I cut down on or quit drinking?

Reviewed September 13, 2026 · 12 sources · Jump to sources

Short answer

Start by tracking every drink in standard drinks (in the US, 14 grams of pure alcohol, such as 12 ounces of 5% beer or 5 ounces of 12% wine), setting limits with some alcohol-free days, and planning ahead for triggers and urges. If you drink heavily, talk to a doctor before quitting, since withdrawal can be dangerous. If you haven't cut down after two to three months, NIAAA suggests quitting, professional help, or both.

Key takeaways

A US standard drink contains 14 grams of pure alcohol, such as 12 ounces of 5% beer or 5 ounces of 12% wine.
No amount of drinking is risk-free; drinking less is better for your health than drinking more.
Track your drinks, set limits with drink-free days, avoid triggers and plan for urges.
If you can't cut down after two to three months, consider quitting, professional help, or both.
If you've been drinking heavily for a long time, talk to a doctor before you stop.

What counts as one standard drink?

In the United States, a standard drink contains 0.6 ounces (14 grams) of pure alcohol. According to CDC, each of these is one standard drink:

12 ounces of beer with 5% alcohol
8 ounces of malt liquor with 7% alcohol
5 ounces of wine with 12% alcohol
1.5 ounces (a shot) of 80-proof liquor, which is 40% alcohol

How much drinking is considered low-risk?

No amount is completely safe. WHO says there is no safe amount of alcohol that does not affect health, and that the less you drink, the safer it is. NIAAA notes that harms may be associated with any amount of drinking and increase as consumption increases, and CDC says drinking less is better for your health than drinking more.

Where agencies set limits, they define them differently. CDC describes moderate alcohol use as two drinks or less in a day for men and one drink or less in a day for women. In the UK, men and women are advised not to regularly drink more than 14 units a week (about 6 pints of average-strength beer or 6 medium glasses of wine), spread over 3 or more days; one unit is 10 ml or 8 g of pure alcohol. NIAAA defines heavy drinking as 5 or more drinks on any day or 15 or more a week for men, and 4 or more on any day or 8 or more a week for women.

NIAAA also says some people should avoid alcohol completely, including people who take medications that interact with alcohol, are recovering from alcohol use disorder or can't control how much they drink, or are pregnant or may become pregnant.

What strategies help you drink less?

NIAAA's Rethinking Drinking suggests choosing two or three strategies to try over the next week or two, then adding others as needed:

Keep track: note each drink before you have it, which may help you slow down.
Count and measure: learn standard drink sizes and measure drinks at home, since standard amounts may not match what you're served.
Set goals: decide how many days a week you'll drink and how many drinks you'll have on those days, and include some days without drinking.
Avoid triggers: steer clear of people or places that make you drink when you don't want to, and keep little or no alcohol at home if home drinking is a problem.
Plan for urges: remind yourself of your reasons for changing, talk to someone you trust, do something distracting, or ride the urge out. NIAAA says urges are short-lived and will crest like a wave and pass.
Know your "no": the faster you turn down a drink, the less likely you are to give in.
Swap and pace: the NHS suggests smaller or lower-strength drinks, alternating alcoholic drinks with water, and several drink-free days each week.

Should you cut down or quit?

NIAAA strongly advises quitting rather than cutting down if you:

Have tried cutting down but can't stay within the limits you set
Have had alcohol use disorder or now have any symptoms of it
Have a physical or mental health condition caused or worsened by drinking
Take a medication that interacts with alcohol

Where can you get help to cut down or quit?

If you haven't made progress after two to three months, NIAAA suggests considering quitting altogether, seeking professional help, or both. Getting help appears to matter more than the specific approach, as long as it is empathetic and gives you concrete ways to change. The FDA has approved three medications for alcohol use disorder (naltrexone, acamprosate and disulfiram), and none of them is addictive. Behavioral treatments such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, motivational enhancement and family counseling can be very effective.

In the US, the NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator helps you learn about treatment and search national directories of programs and specialists. In the UK, you can get treatment from your GP or a specialist alcohol addiction service. If you're having thoughts of suicide in the US, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

How Vow can help

Vow builds a personalized plan from your triggers, toughest times and reason for quitting, and your why resurfaces during cravings and in reminders. When an urge hits, Craving Shield (Premium) walks you through a roughly 3-minute urge-surfing timer, and a slip is logged without shame while your best streak is kept.

Quit drinking with Vow

Sources

Each source below was read when this answer was reviewed. Open a source to see the passages the answer relies on.

CDC — About Standard Drink Sizescdc.gov
In the United States, a standard drink has 0.6 ounces (14 grams) of pure alcohol.
12 ounces of beer with 5% alcohol; 8 ounces of malt liquor with 7% alcohol; 5 ounces of wine with 12% alcohol; A shot or 1.5 ounces of liquor or distilled spirts (80-proof liquor)
80 proof means the liquor has 40% alcohol
Open the source
NIAAA Rethinking Drinking — Strategies for Cutting Down Drinkingrethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov
Know the standard drink sizes so you can count your drinks accurately. Measure drinks at home.
Check off perhaps two or three to try in the next week or two, then add others as needed.
Making a note of each drink before you drink it may help you slow down when needed.
Decide how many days a week you want to drink and how many drinks you'll have on those days. It's a good idea to have some days when you don't drink.
If certain people or places make you drink even when you don't want to, try to avoid them. ... If drinking at home is a problem, keep little or no alcohol there.
Remind yourself of your reasons for changing ... Or talk things through with someone you trust. Or get involved in a healthy, distracting activity
The faster you can say no to these offers, the less likely you are to give in.
If you haven't made progress in cutting down after two to three months, consider quitting drinking altogether, seeking professional help, or both.
Open the source
NIAAA Rethinking Drinking — What's a Standard Drink?rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov
Although the standard drink amounts are helpful for following health guidelines, they may not reflect customary serving sizes.
Open the source
WHO Regional Office for Europe — No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (4 January 2023)who.int
when it comes to alcohol consumption, there is no safe amount that does not affect health. ... the less you drink, the safer it is
Open the source
NIAAA — Understanding Alcohol Drinking Patternsniaaa.nih.gov
It is important to note that harms may be associated with any amount of drinking, and as the amount of alcohol consumed increases the level of harm increases.
For men, consuming five or more drinks on any day or 15 or more per week; For women, consuming four or more on any day or eight or more drinks per week
Take over-the-counter or prescription medications that interact with alcohol; Are recovering from AUD or are unable to control the amount that they drink; Are pregnant or may become pregnant
Open the source
CDC — Alcohol Use and Your Healthcdc.gov
Drinking less is better for your health than drinking more.
Moderate alcohol use; For men—two drinks or less in a day.; For women—one drink or less in a day.
Open the source
NHS — Alcohol unitsnhs.uk
men and women are advised not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis
spread your drinking over 3 or more days if you regularly drink as much as 14 units a week
One unit equals 10ml or 8g of pure alcohol
Open the source
NHS — Tips on cutting down on alcoholnhs.uk
14 units is equivalent to 6 pints of average-strength beer or 6 medium glasses of wine.
Try bottled beer instead of pints, or a small glass of wine instead of a large one.
Cut down the alcohol by swapping strong beers or wines for ones with a lower strength (ABV in %).
Alternate alcoholic drinks with water or other non-alcoholic drinks. ... Have several drink-free days each week.
Open the source
NIAAA Rethinking Drinking — How to Stop Alcohol Cravingsrethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov
Fortunately, urges to drink are short-lived, predictable, and controllable. ... keep in mind that it will soon crest like an ocean wave and pass.
Open the source
NIAAA Rethinking Drinking — Should You Cut Down or Quit?rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov
Quitting is strongly advised if you: Have tried cutting down but cannot stay within the limits you set; Have had alcohol use disorder (AUD) or now have any symptoms
Have a physical or mental health condition that is caused or being worsened by drinking; Are taking a medication1 that interacts with alcohol
when someone who has been drinking heavily for a prolonged period of time suddenly stops drinking, the body can go into a painful or even potentially life-threatening process of withdrawal.
Seek medical help to plan a safe recovery. Doctors can prescribe medications to address these symptoms and make the process safer and less distressing.
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NIAAA Rethinking Drinking — Professional supportrethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov
Getting help in itself appears to be more important than the particular approach used, as long as it offers empathy, avoids heavy-handed confrontation, strengthens motivation, and provides concrete ways to change drinking behavior.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved three medications for treating AUD: naltrexone, acamprosate, and disulfiram. ... None of these medications is addictive.
Research has shown that behavioral treatments, including cognitive-behavioral therapy, motivational enhancement, marital and family counseling, or a combination of approaches, can be very effective in treating AUD.
The NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator™ is a one-stop resource for learning about treatment, how to recognize high-quality treatment providers, and how to search several national directories of treatment programs and specialists.
You can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or chat at 988lifeline.org.
Open the source
NHS — Alcohol-use disordernhs.uk
You can get treatment for alcohol-use disorder from your GP or a specialist alcohol addiction service.
It can be very dangerous to stop drinking suddenly if you're dependent on alcohol.
Open the source

This page is general information, not medical advice, and it does not replace care from a qualified professional. If you are in immediate danger, call your local emergency number. Vow is not a medical service.