So the first 3 or 4 days without drinking might be pretty uncomfortable. Alcohol withdrawal symptoms vary, but symptoms will typically appear about six to twelve hours after your last drink. And they will tend to be worst after day 2 or 3. Milder withdrawal symptoms include sweating, shakes, headaches, and nausea, and you might have problems eating or sleeping. You may also feel anxious, irritable or agitated. Time away from drinking can be the starting point for changing your drinking for good, whether you are thinking about cutting down or stopping completely. Even if you plan to moderate your alcohol consumption in the longer term, taking regular breaks from drinking is good for you. And the longer the break, the better you will feel. Although some situations can feel awkward the first time you do them alcohol-free, keeping up your normal routine will help pinpoint problem areas in your drinking habits. Don’t change anything else, except what you drink. There is an incredible range of alcohol-free drinks ( anything 0.5% ABV or below) available in pubs, supermarkets and online, including alcohol-free beers, wines and spirits. So you can find something better than a children’s soft drink.

Getting into the habit of drinking fewer standard alcoholic drinks and replacing them with alcohol-free or low alcohol alternatives can form part of a sustainable approach to cutting down on alcohol in the longer-term. 1 More and more people are cutting down by using alcohol-free and low alcohol drinks. In fact, figures from 2021 show one in five UK adults used alcohol-free drinks as a way of moderating their alcohol consumption. 3 However, if you think you might be dependent on alcohol, you should not stop drinking suddenly. If you are worried about alcohol withdrawal symptoms, it’s safest to cut down gradually over time and talk to your doctor about stopping drinking safely. Many people find that their sleep improves after 7 days without alcohol. Alcohol can send you to sleep, but it wakes you up early. So after a week without booze, you may find yourself sleeping more deeply and dreaming more.

You’ll feel and look better

If you take this approach, you can use your alcohol-free week to notice when it’s easy not to drink and when it feels hard. How does not drinking affect your relationships, your moods and your routine? If you’ve been a regular drinker for some time, you may experience some withdrawal symptoms when you stop. That’s because you’ve got used to having a certain level of alcohol in your system, and your body takes some time to catch up when you stop. But the big thing is that you are likely to feel really proud of yourself. Going through 7 days without alcohol can be a major achievement. Maybe you tried some new alcohol-free drinks in situations you’d normally drink alcohol. Or perhaps you tried a new activity alcohol-free. Or possibly you have just surprised yourself that a week without drinking was easier than you thought. So let’s be honest. You might not have an easy start to your 7 days without alcohol. But it is definitely worth pressing on. Many people who drink low alcohol and alcohol-free, choose them as a practical choice – for example when they need to drive in the morning, or simply because they have a lot on the next day. 6

Day 4 is the crunch point for many people. You might feel suddenly better, decide you were over-reacting and have a drink. Or your withdrawal symptoms might be peaking, so you reach for a drink to control them. If you need to reach out for support, for example, to the Club Soda community, do what you need to get through it.While these symptoms are bothersome and even unpleasant, you’ll be able to manage most of them by yourself. Basic self-care will go a long way to support your wellbeing in the early days. Stay hydrated, eat well, take painkillers, and get some sleep. But if you are worried, your symptoms don’t improve, or you experience seizures, fits, hallucinations, confusion or poor coordination, you must talk to your doctor. More severe withdrawal symptoms are relatively rare, but they can be serious.