5 Steps to Breaking Your After Work Drink Habit

By consistently setting goals, measuring your progress, and tracking your drinking, you’ll be able to form healthier drinking habits that’ll sustain the test of time. You may find yourself pouring a drink after work because work is very stressful for many people regardless of the occupation. Yes, alcohol may seem like an easy way to relax but it is certainly not the best way. The path to changing your relationship with alcohol is not just about abstaining; it’s about understanding and rewriting your habits. With these steps and the practice of journaling, you’re not just working towards a drier January; you’re paving the way for a healthier, more mindful relationship with alcohol. I remember so vividly when I was in the grips of my alcohol addiction that I could Sober living house never imagine not drinking.

Habit Replacements to Curb Alcohol Consumption

By limiting the amount you drink, especially after work, you can reduce the risk of these short- and long-term effects on your body. Being at a later stage can make recovery more challenging, but recovery is possible at any stage of alcoholism. There are no quick fixes to addiction, and alcoholism is no different. The safest course of action is to seek treatment in a professional environment that is catered to the individual needs, preferably with holistic treatment. Visible signs of alcoholism may become apparent during middle-stage alcoholism. The overwhelming need for the body to operate with alcohol in the system begins to put the disease in the driver’s seat.

Applying the ‘Golden Rule of Habit Changing’ to Drinking

Through the app, you’ll be prompted to pre-commit to weekly action plans that determine your drinking limits and dry days. You’ll also be able to track your alcohol consumption and receive reminders to key in how much alcohol you’ve had. Additionally, the app provides access to real-life coaches who can give you personalized advice and support throughout your journey. If you’ve tried breaking a bad habit before, you’d understand how difficult it can be. Detrimental drinking habits can be even more challenging to kick because alcohol has the ability to alter your emotional state.

Tips and Tools to Crush Dry(ish) January and Build Better Habits in 2025

• By consistently setting goals, measuring your progress, and tracking your drinking, you’ll be able to form healthier drinking habits that’ll sustain the test of time.
• Become aware of your emotions and why you are feeling them, and consider how you can manage them in a healthy way.
• Online communities like Daybreak are a great way to have support at your fingertips.
• Regular heavy drinking can increase blood pressure and contribute to the development of heart disease.
• It can also lead to an irregular heartbeat, known as atrial fibrillation, which can further increase the risk of stroke and other cardiovascular complications.
• Seeking private addiction counselling from Lisa Inside Addiction can provide the necessary guidance and tools to navigate this delicate balance.

Alcohol disrupts the chemical balance in your brain and affects the way you think, feel and behave. For someone who is experiencing a stressful day, wine after work, or beer whatever you prefer, may help you feel at ease but the feeling does not last long. With a daily evening itinerary and schedule, you are less likely to feel the urge to drink. The term ‘too much’ is subjective, and it varies from person to person. ‘Too much’ alcohol for one person may not affect another person in the same way.

From intention to action: Transforming drinking routine with daily journaling

This graph shows the data since you have been logging your mood and sleep. It also calculates how much money you have saved during the time you have been alcohol-free. For resources related to AUD, including how to get support, please visit the NIH website. We’ve also partnered with Moderation Management, a non-profit dedicated to reducing the harm caused by the misuse of alcohol. Remind yourself that this urge will ease on its own without you having to alleviate it with a drink. Stick to simple activities you can consistently carry out whenever stress beer after work and frustration kick in.

Natural Alcohol Detox Supplements and Vitamins

As stated before alcohol consumption can have effects on your body short- and long-term, especially when consumed regularly and frequently. You probably find that it’s when you’re scrolling social media or watching TV that your mind starts wandering to your work frustrations. This is because most people cannot go from thinking about their job to thinking about nothing.

Keep the wine off the dinner table

This will help you pace your alcohol consumption and prevent binge drinking. Instead of immediately reaching for another glass of alcohol after finishing one, break that habit by slotting activities between your drinks. Instead of drinking, suggest activities that don’t involve alcohol, like hiking, dancing, going to a pottery workshop, or attending a fitness class with your friends. Alternatively, pick a different restaurant or hangout spot that does not serve alcohol. Instead of drinking the next time you’re stressed, find other ways to calm yourself down. This might look like soaking yourself in nature, spending time with your close friends or family, or diving into a new hobby.

What is a drinking habit?

Grace Counseling provides a supportive and non-judgmental space to explore your relationship with alcohol. But the physical health implications of frequent after-work drinking go beyond just sleep disturbances. Excessive alcohol consumption has been linked to a range of long-term health problems. The liver is responsible for metabolizing alcohol, and excessive drinking puts a strain on this vital organ. Over time, this can lead to liver diseases such as fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, and even cirrhosis.

Phase III: Build a Support System to Help you Break your Bad Habit

In honor of Labor Day, we’ll be exploring the dangers of drinking after work. Eventually, after you see rewards from the new habit — more energy and less of a sugar crash — the urge to keep doing this behavior might outweigh the desire to pursue the old habit. You might have an easier time breaking a habit if you replace the unwanted behavior with a new behavior, instead of simply trying to stop the unwanted behavior. After a few days of tracking your behavior, you realize you tend to stay up later if you start watching TV or chatting with friends after dinner. One thing that many listeners who’ve tried a dry January — or any break from alcohol — told us is that their friends didn’t really “get it.” “Why, why, why,” people told us they were asked.