How To Quit Drinking Without AA

Other Ways To Stop Drinking Without AA

Aside from support groups, there are many other ways to get help for your alcohol use. Residential rehab centers are perhaps the best known. But if you don’t want to put your life on pause, there are also outpatient centers and telehealth programs that can fit within your schedule. And for those who don’t want to quit completely (as AA requires), harm-reduction and moderation-based approaches might be a good fit.  

Detox and Rehab

For people with severe alcohol use disorder, or who expect intense withdrawal symptoms, some form of medical detox may be necessary. Sudden withdrawal from heavy drinking can be dangerous or even fatal, so it’s best to have a doctor’s supervision. If you have a milder drinking problem, you might be able to go it alone. But you should still check with your doctor beforehand.

Once you are past the initial detox phase, rehabilitation programs (or rehab) are one way to go. Residential treatment can last 30-90 days, and gives you a chance for a full reset. Outpatient rehab lets you continue living at home and attend treatment for several hours per day. Online rehab is the least disruptive, letting you talk to doctors and coaches from home via your phone.

Rehab programs are the right choice for some people, but they can be too expensive for others. Also, with the exception of online rehab, these programs can be very disruptive to work and family life. Finally, many residential and outpatient programs are based on 12 step philosophy. If this perspective is a reason you want to stop drinking without AA, these won’t be suitable.

Harm Reduction

If you don’t want to quit alcohol completely, or have had too much trouble staying 100% sober in the past, harm reduction might be the right approach. Alcoholics Anonymous, and many older treatment programs, emphasize total abstinence from drinking as the only solution. However, newer perspectives on treatment now accept moderation, or cutting back, as an acceptable answer to problem drinking.

Harm reduction is exactly what it sounds like: Finding the solution that leads to the smallest amount of possible harm from substance use. In the context of a treatment program, this might mean a physician helping you cut back and monitor your alcohol use. In other cases, this might mean joining moderation-based groups or utilizing anti-craving medication to reach an ideal drinking goal.

Either way, if you find yourself avoiding AA because you don’t want to quit drinking completely, this is a good solution to look into—and there are many ways to access it.

Medication-Assisted Treatment

Related to harm reduction, but also useful for complete sobriety, medications for alcohol use disorder are gaining increased popularity. Options like naltrexone and disulfiram have been around for several decades, and there are now half a dozen effective choices in total. These medications can help reduce alcohol cravings, helping people to either cut back or stay sober after they’ve quit. 

One of the challenges of getting sober with AA is about willpower. 12 step philosophy emphasizes surrendering control to higher power. Nevertheless, many people in the rooms end up “white-knucking” their way through sobriety, especially in the early stages. Strong cravings can make it feel like a battle of wills between you and alcohol.

Medications can reduce these cravings by rebalancing your brain chemistry, and even blocking some of the effects of alcohol. This can help you move forward more quickly, and makes it easier to focus on behavior change or establishing new habits. It’s a science-backed approach to treatment, and an empowering, modern way to quit drinking without AA.

Quitting On Your Own

Finally, if you find all of these options too time consuming, expensive, or fussy, you can always go it alone. This can be a lot more difficult—and even dangerous if you have a severe enough addiction. That said, there have always been people who are able to quit drinking without a group or a program.

Start by talking to a doctor to make sure it is safe for you to go through withdrawal without medical care, and create a list of people to call just in case. If you think you can stick with it, creating a tapering schedule and gradually reducing how much you drink is usually the best approach. If you plan to quit cold turkey (all at once), make sure you are well-stocked with everything you’ll need for the week—withdrawal can make you feel very ill. 

Of course, quitting or cutting back to your ideal amount is only the first step. Many people struggle with alcohol cravings for months or even years after quitting, and there are many pitfalls to overcome, including post-acute withdrawal syndrome. Ultimately, finding some kind of support group or coaching program can make it much easier, and much less stressful, to stay sober long-term.

Top Tips For Quitting Alcohol Without AA

Regardless of the approach you choose, certain tips and strategies can make you much more likely to succeed at quitting alcohol long-term. 

Find a Support System

One of the strengths of AA is that it provides a community of people facing a similar challenge, and gives you access to others further along in the process. If you prefer not to attend AA, look for other ways to access this kind of community—whether that’s through other groups, a supportive social circle, or through a recovery coach or counselor.

Track Your Drinking

If you are tapering off alcohol or pursuing moderation, it helps to give yourself objective data. Use a drink-tracking app, a notebook, or a breathalyzer to record how much you are actually drinking every day. This will keep you honest with yourself and your support system, and help you stick to your goals.

Identify Triggers

Practically every person in recovery has people, places, and experiences that bring up the urge to drink. Part of the art of staying sober (or moderate) long-term is knowing what these triggers are, and how to manage them. Make a list of the things you find challenging, practice how you will respond in advance, and give yourself credit when you succeed.

Take Up New Hobbies

All too often, alcohol takes up a major part of our leisure time, and can replace other healthy ways to unwind or socialize. A big part of long-term recovery is building a sober life you are happy with. Identify some things you enjoy doing that don’t involve drinking, and cultivate those new rituals and activities.

Read more: 15 Tips To Stop Drinking Alcohol