This Alone Will Change Your Relationship with Alcohol | How to Stop Drinking Alcohol (Home Remedies)

Are you looking to change your relationship with alcohol? Trying to drink less, or not at all? It can be challenging to know how to stop drinking, but these home remedies are a sure way to aid in your transition.

It seems crazy that usually I write about making alcoholic drinks and now writing about how to STOP drinking… Though, as a brewer, I understand alcohol abuse. It is everywhere, and it is a substance we must be careful with.

In this explanation on how to stop drinking, you will understand the relationship you have with alcohol and how to change it with home remedies. These have helped me in my drinking habits, and they will help you too!

This post is all about how to stop drinking alcohol home remedies.

Our Relationship with Alcohol

First and foremost, it is vital to discuss our relationship with alcohol. That is truly what is it: a relationship. It can be an abusive relationship or it can a healthy and prosperous relationship.

Unfortunately, it is quite easy to slip into abusive drinking patterns, thus, crafting a negative relationship with alcohol.

Believe it or not, we actually have an enzyme in our stomach and liver that digests alcohol! We have (literally) evolved alongside alcohol. It is part of who are! So, let’s nurture that relationship and bring our bodies back in balance with alcohol.

Though, it is a but more tricky than 1,2,3! Let’s talk about that…

**How most alcohol is produced is a great indicator of it’s potential effects on our relationship to alcohol.**

Think about McDonalds. If you wanted to get a burger you can go at any time and get a burger and fries within 5 minutes. This alone can have us overconsuming McDonalds: it’s easy, it’s cheap, and it is tasty (for some people). The biggest factor being easy.

Now, if you wanted a burger and you did not have McDonalds, what would you do?

You would have to make it yourself. Further, you might even have to slaughter your own cow and grow your own tomatoes and bake your own bread, etc…

That is a lot of work! Just for one burger… Granted, one loaf of bread and two tomatoes can make more than one burger. But, the point remains the same:

There is a laborious process crafted in order to have your burger. You might overeat that day and maybe the next until your meat is gone. But, in the long term, you are less likely to overeat burgers all the time if you labor over them for hours, if not days.

You will understand after you eat all your meat just how much work is it to make a simple burger. Even granting you a new perspective on your food!

The same goes for alcohol. Think about BudWeiser, Coors Light, Miller Lite, etc. You can get those beers virtually ANYWHERE in America, whenever you want, for a bargain price. Even some have 24 packs and 48 packs!

You can get alcohol anywhere at virtually anytime. Which is dangerous for those of us who LOVE drinks. You can see how this can become a real problem.

Now, if you wanted beer, wine, etc and you had to make it yourself…

Your consumption of it would look very different.

alcoholism natural treatment — Homemade fermented raspberry wine

Those two examples, McDonalds and domestic beer, are extreme examples of a simple principle:

When we are thinking about home remedies for alcohol and how to minimize our alcohol consumption we must think about how it’s produced and how we interact with it.

So, where does your relationship with alcohol lie? Here are the top relationship patterns we most likely have with alcohol:

Non existent. We don’t drink. We don’t like it.
Mutual relationship. We like it, generally, but don’t tend to go out of the way too often to get some. If it is at a party then maybe we’ll have some depending on how we feel.
Strong relationship. We love it, and will go out of the way for it on multiple occasions. If it is at a party we will be the first one to the drink table!
Overtly strong relationship. We ADORE it, and not only go out of the way for it but jump through hoops to get it. If it is at a party, then there is no more because we drank it already.

Those are EXTREMELY general patterns. But, you get the overall scale.

So, where do you fall? And where do you want to be? Think about the McDonalds anaolgy, is there an element in your alcohol consumption that is similar to that analogy?

The Best Home Remedies for How to Stop Drinking Alcohol

I will not tell you there is one way to stop drinking (other than cold turkey), because if there was one way then you would have done it already.

It’s a relationship and if you want to change that relationship it will take time, effort, and awareness (just like any other relationship!).

Some people, including myself, don’t want to let go of drinking completely. It is part of our lifestyle, part of our hobbies, part of our lives, etc! And that is OK!

But, here are some home remedies to build a better relationship with alcohol, stop drinking alcohol, or drink less:

1. Make your own alcohol. Yes, I mean it!

As I mentioned above, when you use your hands to craft something, like a burger, something clicks and you become connected with whatever it is you are crafting.

Remember in school when the teacher would say that writing helps improve your memory when you are studying? It is a hand-to-mind connection. The more you write your biology notes, the more knowledge you will retain.

THE SAME GOES FOR ALCOHOL! But, in a different context. How to stop drinking alcohol is to understand it. And the more you use your hands to craft your alcoholic drinks, the greater connection you will have.

This is the ultimate lesson on how to stop drinking alcohol home remedies.

It is a nuanced theory.

When I decided to stop drinking after my crazy party days in college, I went through a transformation (as we do with addiction and lifestyle changes). Then, when crafting drinks at home, like my homemade beer, I saw beer in a completely different light.

I saw drinking in a different light. I was learning how to stop drinking alcohol the way I was conditioned to…

I began to understand the meaning behind drinking. The connection we have with being tipsy. How it has evolved over time, and over my life.

You can achieve the same results: gain a new perspective on drinking, alcohol, and being intoxicated. Understand what it means to YOU.

When you understand what it means to you, you will understand the role you want it to play in your life and where you want it to show up.

Do you want it to show up in late-night clubs?
Do you want it to show up at 5 pm at a fancy cocktail bar?
Do you want it to show up in Napa at a beautiful winery on vacation?

There are ENDLESS experiences alcohol has to offer.

But, also… Do you want it to never show up in your life again?

If that is your answer, then after this practice of making your own alcohol and understanding that relationship you will know for sure you don’t want it in your life. And you can begin the process of shifting into a new lifestyle.

The remedies below can aid in that transformation as well.

By using your hands and going through the process of making a wine, or beer, or even cider, you will gain a new appreciation and respect for alcohol. From there you can determine what it all means to you.

2. Practice herbalism. Even a cup of tea is herbalism!

You might be thinking this is a bit far-fetched. However, herbalism or introducing more plant medicines/supplements can help you tune back into your body.

When we engage in herbalist practices, like taking a tincture of valerian root (a sleep aid), we can easily feel within 30 minutes the effects on our body.

You can find quality herbs here.

Think if you engaged in tinctures, or tea, or other supplements 3 times a day. You will be able to feel the slight changes in your body and the reactions you have to these different medicines.

Being aware of these slight changes is the catalyst to being aware of slight changes when it relates to consuming alcohol.

If you begin to practice herbalism and feel what it feels like, then take that practice to drinking, you will drink less. You might even find you don’t like alcohol after a while.

Why, you ask, will you drink less? Well, if you have a drink and are aware of the changes in your body you can ask yourself: how does this feel? Where do I feel these effects? Do I need to keep drinking?

The best question of all: What are my intentions with drinking or continuing to drink?

Once that awareness sinks into your daily life, you will be able to be more intentional and aware of your body and surroundings when it comes to consuming alcohol.

Alternatively, if you are craving a drink in the evening, say at 6pm, then grab a cup of tea. Grab a cup of tea that you know affects your body in some way. That will give your brain the falsehood that you are consuming alcohol, but also be a healthy alternative.

Options include: sedative valerian root tea, green tea for caffeine boost, chamomile for calming, etc.

3. Replace your habit with a healthier option.

As mentioned above, practicing herbalism with a cup of tea is a healthier option than grabbing a drink.

Ultimately, drinking is a habit. And if you are reading this that is because you feel like you have a bad drinking habit.

The one sure way to stop a bad habit is to exchange it with a healthier and better habit.

When you are craving a drink or want to go out, change that habit with something else: a cup of tea, a hot bath, a carbonated homemade soda, or go for a walk.

Make the habit of choosing something that will easily fit into your lifestyle. This will ensure a higher chance of success.

If you try to change your drinking habit with something new and different, the chances of your success are lower.

4. Have a journal to write to yourself about how you are feeling and coping with separating yourself from alcohol

Ask yourself these questions:

What does my relationship look like right now?
What does a “healthy” relationship look like for me?
What am I hiding from?
Is there something in my life that I am refusing to acknowledge?
Is alcohol more of a social crutch or a personal crutch?

These are similiar to the questions above when I mentioned brewing your own alcohol as a way to build a better relationship.

However, you might not be interested in that and feel confident in your self-reflective abilities! That is great, too.

A journal is always a lovely side-kick to help you through challenging like transformations. Allow these questions to be the start to understanding your relationship with alcohol and what exactly you want out of it.

I hope you found these home remedies helpful on your path with alcohol. It can be a challenging relationship to manage, but with awareness and effort you can get through it.