How to Quit Drinking at Home, Safely
To quit drinking at home, first make sure it’s safe for you to stop without a doctor. If you drink heavily every day, or you get shaky, sweaty or sick when you don’t drink, call a doctor before you stop, because alcohol withdrawal can be dangerous. If it’s safe, clear the alcohol out, tell one person, plan your hardest hours, and take it one day at a time.
Safety first. If you drink heavily every day, stopping suddenly can be dangerous. Talk to a doctor before you quit.
Step 1: Check whether it’s safe
This comes first, before anything else on this page. When someone who drinks heavily every day stops all at once, the body can react hard. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism describes alcohol withdrawal as potentially life-threatening.
Call a doctor or go to urgent care before you stop if:
- You drink every day, especially in the morning
- You’ve had shakes, sweats, nausea or anxiety when you go without a drink
- You’ve had a seizure or confusion when stopping before
- You have other health problems or take other medicines
Your doctor can help you stop safely. This page will never give you a plan to taper yourself off. That’s a doctor’s job.
Call 911 for a seizure, confusion, seeing or hearing things that aren’t there, or a very high fever. If you’re having thoughts of harming yourself, call or text 988. More at crisis help.
Step 2: Clear the house
Pour it out. All of it, including the bottle in the back of the cabinet and the one in the garage. If other people in your home drink, ask them to keep theirs out of sight or out of the house for a while. Make it harder to start again.
Step 3: Tell one person
Pick someone you trust: a spouse, a friend, your pastor. Say it plainly: “I’m going to stop drinking. Can I call you when it gets hard?” Recovery done alone in secret rarely lasts. The Bible says two are better than one.
“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!”
Step 4: Plan your hardest hours
Most people have a time of day when the craving is strongest. Plan that hour in advance:
- Eat dinner early. Hunger makes cravings worse.
- Keep something else to drink in the fridge: sparkling water, tea, soda.
- Go for a walk, run an errand, or go to a meeting.
- Call or text someone at that time every day.
- Go to bed earlier than usual for the first week.
The page How to stop alcohol cravings has more practical help for when the urge hits.
Step 5: Pray, even briefly
You don’t need the right words. “God, help me not drink today” is a real prayer. Pray it in the morning, at your hardest hour, and at night. Many people find it helps to read one short passage of Scripture each morning.
““Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Step 6: Take today only
Don’t promise forever. Promise today. Tomorrow, promise again. Count your days if it helps; the sobriety calculator will do it for you.
Step 7: Don’t stay home alone forever
Starting at home is fine. Staying alone isn’t. Within the first couple of weeks, connect with real people: a 12-step meeting, a church recovery group, a counselor, or a pastor. People who stay sober tend to have others around them. You can read more in How to quit drinking without AA.
Talk it through with Jimmy or Sarah — first month free
Jimmy and Sarah can sit with you through the first nights: a check-in, a prayer, a nudge to call someone. They'll also push you toward a doctor, a meeting and a church.
Free to download · first month free, no card · adults 18+
After the first month, talking with Jimmy or Sarah needs Plus ($9.99/month or $59.99/year).
A prayer for your first night
“Lord, I’m stopping today. I’m scared, and I don’t know how to do this. Keep me safe. Give me the strength to get through tonight without a drink, and send me the people I need. Thank You that You’re with me. Amen.”
If you want the shortest version of all this, read start here.
Common questions
Is it safe to quit drinking cold turkey at home?
For some people, yes. For people who drink heavily every day or get shaky, sweaty or sick when they stop, it can be dangerous. Alcohol withdrawal can cause seizures and can be life-threatening. Talk to a doctor before you stop.
Should I taper off alcohol on my own?
Don't make up a taper plan by yourself. If you're dependent on alcohol, a doctor can tell you the safest way to stop, whether that's at home with a plan or with medical support. Call your doctor or urgent care.
What are signs of dangerous withdrawal?
Call 911 right away for a seizure, confusion, seeing or hearing things that aren't there, a very high fever, or a racing heart with chest pain. Shaking, heavy sweating, vomiting, or not being able to sleep at all also mean you should call a doctor today.
What should I do the first night without a drink?
Eat a real meal, drink water, get rid of the alcohol in the house, and tell someone what you're doing. Plan what you'll do at the hour you usually drink. Pray, go to bed early, and focus only on getting through tonight.
Talk it through with Jimmy or Sarah — first month free
Jimmy and Sarah are AI sponsors who know the Twelve Steps and the Bible. They'll listen, walk the steps with you, and keep pointing you to real people: a meeting, a sponsor, a church.
Free to download · first month free, no card · adults 18+
After the first month, talking with Jimmy or Sarah needs Plus ($9.99/month or $59.99/year).
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