Drinking alcohol every night is typically a sign of alcohol dependence or addiction. If you drink to escape feelings, constantly regret consuming alcohol, or experience withdrawal symptoms when not drinking, this is a sign of a problem.
This article focuses on helping individuals who are concerned with their drinking habits or those who have a loved one who they believe is drinking too much.
We will cover the following topics:
- How to determine if you have a drinking problem
- How to identify the signs of alcoholism
- Some tips for reducing your alcohol intake or quitting altogether
- Where to find help to recover from substance abuse
While drinking alcohol regularly might be socially acceptable, it is not without risk. It’s easy for an unhealthy habit to quickly become dependence or addiction. Read on to find out if you’re a “normal drinker” or if you’re suffering from addiction, and how you can break the cycle.
Key Takeaways
Is Drinking Every Night a Problem (and When to Get Help?)
Drinking every night is a problem if you are drinking more than health guidelines recommend, gradually increasing your intake, or using alcohol to cope with negative emotions.
Drinking daily isn’t necessarily a problem, though. It depends on how much you are drinking and why. If you’re having a drink with dinner, it’s not an issue. But if you are drinking heavily, trying to escape emotions, and experiencing negative consequences in other areas of your life, it’s cause for concern.
It’s quite common for people to drink regularly. The CDC reports that 6% of Americans drink heavily, meaning 8 or more drinks a week for women and 15 or more drinks a week for men, according to their page Data on Excessive Alcohol Use from August 6th, 2024, on CDC.gov.
But when alcohol becomes a nightly habit, it’s important to take a closer look at what it could mean for your health, your habits, and your future.
Here are some signs that drinking every night might be a problem:
If you’re recognising some of these patterns in your own life, that’s a great first step. Cutting back, even just for a little while, can make a huge difference in how you feel.
The following tips will help you take control, whether you want to drink less or stop completely.
5 Tips to Help You Stop Drinking Every Night
Here are the best strategies for reducing your drinking or quitting alcohol altogether from our clinical team:
Change How You View Alcohol
If you want to cut back or quit, you need to start seeing alcohol for what it really is. It’s a poison that provides no physical or mental benefits. It harms every system in your body and causes mental health problems like depression, anxiety, and stress.
You might feel more relaxed after a drink, but that’s just temporary. Over time, alcohol actually increases anxiety and lowers your ability to handle stress. It changes your brain’s chemistry by depleting serotonin and other feel-good chemicals, which can leave you feeling down, unmotivated, and even hopeless. Many people don’t realise that alcohol does not help their low mood, irritability, or lack of confidence, it causes them.
And, if you already have a history of mental health issues, alcohol makes them worse. Once you start seeing alcohol for what it truly is, walking away from it becomes much easier.
Keep a Journal
Keeping a journal might seem simple, but many people find it life-changing. The reason why it’s so effective is that writing things down forces you to be honest. It’s easy to lose track of how much you drink, but when it’s right there on paper, it’s hard to ignore it.
Once you start tracking the what, when, and why of your intake, you’ll see things more clearly. And once you see those patterns, you can start breaking them.
After a few weeks, you will notice real change. You will feel more in control, and you’ll naturally drink less without even trying. Instead of wondering where the evening went, you will wake up clear-headed, proud, and in charge of your decisions again.
Remember Why You Wanted to Quit or Cut Back
There was a moment when you knew drinking had become a problem. Maybe it was waking up sick after a night of drinking or realising alcohol was starting to control you.
Whatever your reason is for cutting back or quitting, remember it. By committing to this reason, whether by writing it down or simply keeping it in mind, you’ll have more motivation for sticking to your plan.
Picture waking up with a clear head, feeling in control, and not dreading the day ahead. That’s what life without alcohol—or even less of it—can be like. When cravings hit, remind yourself of what you’re working toward.
Substitute Your Drinks and Habits For Something Healthier
Replacing alcohol with healthier choices helps break the habit and retrain your brain. Drinking is often tied to routine, so swapping it for something else will help you drink less and control your cravings.
The key is to stay engaged. When your hands and mind are busy, you won’t think about alcohol as much. While this may feel difficult at first, these small changes will add up and eventually, this will feel natural.
Here are some of the best tips for substitution from our counsellors:
- Swap your usual drink for something alcohol-free: Alcohol-free beers, mocktails, flavoured water, or herbal tea can give you the same ritual without the alcohol. Many people realise they just miss the act of drinking something. NOT the alcohol itself.
- Change what you do during nighttime hours: If you usually drink while cooking, watching TV, or winding down, replace it with something else. Try going for a walk, listening to music, or a hobby that keeps your hands busy.
- Use deep breathing to de-stress: Instead of relying on alcohol to relax, try deep breathing instead. A slow inhale through the nose, a pause, and a longer exhale through the mouth can help reduce tension.
- Plan ahead for social situations: If you are used to drinking at parties or dinners, develop strategies to help you get through a social event without needing a drink. We recommend bringing a non-alcoholic drink or having a simple response ready if someone offers you a drink (Most people will not care or even notice).
Join a Support Group
Support groups give you something that quitting alone never will: connection. There’s a saying in the addiction treatment world, “the opposite of addiction is connection”.
Support groups give you structure, accountability, and a sense of belonging. You’ll get advice from others who have been in your shoes and learn practical ways to handle cravings, stress, and setbacks. Most importantly, you’ll see that recovery is possible because you’ll meet people who are living proof.
If you’re struggling with the idea of quitting drinking or have tried to cut back in the past and failed, joining a support group can help you stay committed to your plan.
The Cabin has outpatient treatment options that can be done 100% remotely. We will customise your treatment plan to your level of dependence, availability, and budget. Patients don’t have to leave home to attend meetings if they don’t want to.
Bonus Tips to Reduce Your Drinking
- Never drink on an empty stomach
- Find a new hobby like a sport that gets you out of the house
- Get regular sleep. Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day
- Identify your triggers and write them down
- Stay away from certain people that may tempt you to drink
- Be aware of how much you’re drinking. Go slow and take breaks.
How to Quit Drinking Even if You’re Addicted or Dependent
If you or a loved one is drinking every night and struggling to stop, reach out for help. Nobody understands the struggle of addiction more than we do.
It may seem hopeless, even impossible, to quit or reduce your intake. But we’ve helped countless thousands of people around the world stop drinking and stay sober for life.
As Asia’s longest-running and most respected treatment centre, we offer both outpatient therapy and inpatient care at our luxury rehab in Thailand. It may actually be dangerous to stop drinking on your own. If you’ve been drinking regularly for long periods of time, you may need medical detox. The only way we can know is if you contact us and we perform a medical evaluation.
We know reaching out for help can feel overwhelming. That is why we offer a free evaluation call to understand your situation. Even if our clinic is not the right fit, we will help you find support anywhere in the world. What matters most is that you get the help you need.
You do not have to do this alone. With the right help, recovery becomes easier. Life without alcohol is possible, and when you get there, you might wonder why you ever waited so long.
