How to cut down on drinking: honest help with wine o’clock and drinking every day

Maybe it’s a glass of wine while you cook that has turned into most of a bottle. Maybe it’s a beer every night after work, or you’ve noticed there aren’t many evenings left without a drink. You’re not in crisis, but you’d like to drink less, and you’d like it to feel like a choice again.

That’s a very common place to be, and a good time to act, because cutting down is usually easier before the habit gets any deeper. This page is for people who want to drink less. If you think you may be dependent, please read the box above and see my alcohol page.

Signs it’s time to cut down on drinking

• Regularly drinking more than you meant to
• Finding it hard to have an evening without a drink, even when you want to
• Going over 14 units in most weeks
• Feeling guilty or annoyed with yourself about it the next morning
• People close to you mentioning how much you drink
• Needing more than you used to for the same effect

The NHS lists several of these among the signs of alcohol-use disorder. It also lists needing a drink when you wake up and getting withdrawal symptoms when you stop or cut down. If those apply to you, please speak to your GP before you change anything.

Where to get help in the UK

• Your GP. A good first step. They can check your health, help you cut down safely and refer you to local services.
• Drinkline. The free, confidential national alcohol helpline on 0300 123 1110, open weekdays 9am to 8pm and weekends 11am to 4pm.
• Local NHS alcohol services. Free support near you in England. Find a service
• Free tools. Alcohol Change UK’s check your drinking quiz shows if your drinking is likely to be affecting your health.
• Support groups. Alcoholics Anonymous and SMART Recovery run free meetings in person and online.
• For family and friends. Al-Anon UK and Adfam support the people around someone who drinks.

Where hypnotherapy fits

Hypnotherapy is not a treatment for alcohol dependence, and I don’t offer it as one. If you’re dependent, your GP or a specialist alcohol service needs to be part of your recovery.

Where I can help is alongside that care, or if you’re not dependent and simply want to drink less. A lot of everyday drinking is habit: the glass poured while you cook, the bottle opened when the children are in bed, the drink that marks the end of the working day. We can work on the stress behind it, how well you sleep, how confident you feel at social events and the routines that set off wine o’clock, so the changes you make are easier to keep up.

Before we work together I’ll ask whether you get any withdrawal symptoms and whether you’re getting support from your GP or a service. If I think you need medical support first, I’ll tell you honestly.

Things that can help day to day

• Know your units. The NHS advises not regularly drinking more than 14 units a week. A large 250ml glass of 12% wine is about 3 units, and a 750ml bottle of 13.5% wine is about 10.
• Plan drink-free days. The NHS suggests several alcohol-free days each week, and spreading any drinking over three or more days.
• Set a limit before you start. Decide how much you’ll have, and choose smaller glasses or lower-strength drinks.
• Eat first and alternate. Have food before you drink, and swap every other drink for water or an alcohol-free one.
• Change the cue. If wine o’clock starts when you open the fridge to cook, keep the wine somewhere else and have an alcohol-free drink ready instead.
• Tell people. Friends and family can support you more easily if they know you’re cutting down.

If you’d like some help with the habit side, get two hypnosis downloads free. They’re not a treatment for dependence, but they can help you notice when a drink is habit rather than a choice. If you sometimes drink a lot in one go, my page on binge drinking may help too.

Common questions

How many units is too many?

The NHS advises men and women not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis, spread over three or more days, with several drink-free days. The NHS says that’s equivalent to 6 pints of average-strength beer or 10 small glasses of lower-strength wine.

Is it safe to cut down on my own?

If you’re not dependent, cutting down gradually is usually safe to do yourself. If you get shaky, sweaty, sick or anxious when you go without, or you need a drink in the morning, the NHS warns it can be very dangerous to stop suddenly. Get medical help before you try.

I just want to cut down. Can we work together?

Yes, if you’re not dependent. We’ll talk it through on a consultation call first. If anything you tell me suggests dependence, I’ll ask you to speak to your GP before we go any further.

Is it confidential?

Yes. What you tell me stays between us. As with any therapist, the only exception is if I believed you or someone else were at serious risk of harm.

I’m worried about someone else’s drinking. What can I do?

Drinkline takes calls from family and friends too, and Al-Anon UK and Adfam are there to support you. Cutting down has to be their choice, but there is support for you while they decide.

Talk it through

If you want to cut down and are not dependent, or you’re already getting support and want help alongside it, book a £49 consultation call. We’ll talk about whether sessions would help with what you’re already doing.

Written by Adam Cox, clinical hypnotherapist. Sources: NHS, Alcohol units; NHS, Tips on cutting down; NHS, Alcohol-use disorder, reviewed April 2026; NHS, Alcohol support. Checked October 2026, including helpline hours.