How to spot your triggers

If you want to reduce or stop your drinking, understanding the ‘triggers’ that make you think about alcohol can help you stay in control.

Have you ever looked back on a situation where you drank alcohol when you didn’t plan to, or drank more than you intended, and wondered why it happened?

It could be down to your ‘triggers’ – feelings or circumstances that can set off unwanted behaviour and cause you not to stick to your intentions.

The UK Chief Medical Officers low risk drinking guidelines recommend, that if you’re going to drink, it’s safest for both men and women to drink no more than 14 units a week, spread over three or more days with several drink-free days, and no bingeing.
UK Low risk drinking guidelines

What are triggers?

Triggers are different for everyone – and being affected by them is human nature. We’re all subject to a range of thoughts and emotions that can influence the choices we make,¹ and any of these can affect your drinking behaviour.²

Getting to know what yours are, and how to work round them can be a great way to stick to your plans and achieve your goals.

Internal triggers

Your emotions and the way you feel can act as internal triggers. These can include things like feeling:³

Angry
Anxious
Bored
Celebratory
Excited
Happy
In pain
Frustrated
Lonely
Low mood
Self-defeating thoughts
Stressed
Tired, low energy

Drinking alcohol affects the balance of chemicals in your brain⁴ – it can change the way you feel, in a positive or negative way. Anticipation of these effects can be a trigger for drinking for some people,⁵ while some others drink to try to cope with negative feelings.⁶

But even if drinking temporarily gives you positive feelings, or curbs negative ones, it won’t help in the long-run because alcohol is a depressant.^7,8

If you feel a strong, often uncontrollable, desire to drink alcohol and you prioritise drinking above important things in your life like family or work, you may be dependent on alcohol.⁹ This type of drinking is very harmful to your health and you will need medical support as soon as possible to safely cut down and stop drinking.
Find out more about alcohol dependence

External triggers

There’s also the complexity of everything around you - like your physical environment, the culture of the place you live and your interactions with the people in your life. These can act as ‘external triggers’ towards a desire to drink. You might notice:

Adverts
A lack of non-alcoholic options when you want something to drink
Being alone, or eating alone
Other people offering you alcohol
Places you associate with alcohol, like passing a bar
Social situations, such as a party or a restaurant, or going on a date
Special offers
The sight or smell of alcoholic drinks
Things you associate with alcohol, like particular foods
Habits and routines that are part of your life can play a part too.^10,11

Examples of external triggers based on habits and routines include:

A particular time - like a Friday, or the end of the working day
After having an argument
Celebrating something
Eating your evening meal
Having a snack
Having an open bottle, or buying a certain amount of alcohol
Meeting with particular family or friends
Preparing food
Watching television

Add in these factors and it’s clear we live in a world where we’re constantly subject to a whole range of triggers that can knock plans off course.

Read on for advice on how to stay in control. And don’t be too hard on yourself if you have a slip – we have advice on how you can get back on track.

Ways to stay in control

Being aware of your triggers is the first step towards being able to control them.¹² You could try making a list of your triggers so you know what to look out for.

Having several drink-free days each week is a good way to cut the amount you drink.¹³ Read our guide to get started with drink-free days.
Get started with drink-free days

Once you have an understanding of the triggers that can prompt you to feel like drinking alcohol, there are things you can do to stay in control and avoid drinking when you don’t want to.¹⁴

Avoid the trigger

Once you know what your triggers are, avoiding them can be a straightforward way of keeping temptation at bay.¹⁵ For example:

If you tend to drink at home, stop buying alcohol with your usual food shopping, or restrict how much you buy
If you have alcohol at home keep it out of sight
If you usually meet friends in a bar or pub, you could suggest meeting elsewhere, like a park

Changing your normal activities can be challenging at first – many people usually find it’s helpful to let other people know what they’re doing, and why.¹⁶ You can also find peer support online - from social media to podcasts, as well as organisations that offer advice.

Avoiding your triggers can be a particularly effective first step if you are just getting started with reducing your drinking. Other tactics for dealing with your triggers will be easier to stick to once you’ve managed to build up some good habits.

Do something else instead

Finding different types of rewards or distractions - other than drinking alcohol - can help when you are faced with things that normally trigger you.¹⁷ This technique is known by psychiatrists as ‘response substitution’.

Apart from alcohol, what else do you find comforting? It could be a treat or an activity that helps to take your mind off things.

If you automatically reach for a drink after work, think of something else you enjoy doing instead.
Have something planned for when the kids have gone to bed and you're less likely to spend the rest of the evening with a glass in hand
Watch a film or a box set, play a favourite online game, read your book, chat to your partner or message a friend.
If you feel like getting active, join the gym, do some yoga or take up a new hobby

If you’re buying less alcohol, keeping track of how much money you are saving can be a good motivator. It can be a good way of cutting your day-to-day expenses, and you might find you have enough left over to put some of the money towards an alternative treat.

Building new habits

Choosing something you really enjoy will help you build new habits – research has found that having an expectation that something will be enjoyable makes it much more likely that it will be enjoyable.¹⁸

The repetition of switching a negative habit for one with either a neutral or positive outcome will build up over time and can make a huge difference to your lifestyle, health, and happiness.¹⁹

And that’s just by changing one habit.

Once you’ve tackled the first, you can use your momentum to move onto the next habit you’d like to change, and then the next. Building up incremental changes can lead to some pretty incredible results, so keep at it.

How to build new habits and make them stick

Set yourself limits

Once you have become more comfortable with understanding your triggers and have plans in place to deal with them, if you do decide to drink less, sticking to the UK low risk drinking guidelines will reduce your risks from alcohol. Some people find stopping drinking completely is the best choice for them.

If you’re trying to limit your consumption, try to delay the time you start drinking, and set yourself a time or spending limit. You could also slow your drinking by alternating any alcoholic drinks with water.

After a while, drinking less will lower your tolerance to alcohol – meaning you don’t need to drink as much for the same effect, and reducing your risks from alcohol dependence.

You could try switching to a low alcohol, or alcohol-free alternative - there are more options than ever for beer, wine and spirits. Although these often still contain some alcohol, they can form part of a sustainable approach to cutting down on alcohol in the longer-term.²⁰

Taking a break to reset your tolerance

Track what you're drinking

Want to make sure you’re staying within the UK low risk drinking guidelines? Using an app can be an effective way to stay motivated.²¹

The free MyDrinkaware app is an easy way to track the units and calories in any alcoholic drink, and measure it side-by-side with your sleep quality – so you can see the benefits straight away.

You can use MyDrinkaware to set manageable, realistic goals, plan and celebrate drink-free days and track your progress over time.

Download MyDrinkaware now

Support is available

If you are concerned that you or someone you care about has a drinking problem there is help available.

A good first step is to complete the Drinkaware Drinking Check, a confidential self-assessment. It takes just a few minutes to complete and can help to see if the amount you drink could be putting your health at serious risk, or if you might be dependent on alcohol. It’s confidential – being completely honest will give you the most accurate result.

Take the Drinking Check

If you want to talk to someone, try these support services:

Drinkchat
Free online chat service for anyone who is looking for information or advice about their own, or someone else’s, drinking. Our trained advisors are on hand to give you confidential advice. Drinkchat is available from 9am-2pm on weekdays.
Chat with an advisor

Drinkline
Free, confidential helpline for anyone who is concerned about their drinking, or someone else's.
- Helpline: 0300 123 1110 (weekdays 9am–8pm, weekends 11am–4pm)
- If you are in Scotland, you can also contact Drinkline Scotland on 0800 7314 314
Call Drinkline

Or, if you want to get help, wherever you live in the UK, there are services that can offer both support and treatment for adults with alcohol-related problems. There are three main ways you can get help:

Through your GP surgery, which can provide you with advice or refer you for extra support
Contact a local treatment provider and refer yourself
Or contact a local community alcohol support service like AA or SMART Recovery directly

Track what you’re drinking

Want to make sure you’re staying within the alcohol unit guidelines?

Download the MyDrinkaware app

Was this information helpful?

Group of people saying cheers around a dinner table with food

Want to know more?

Related information

Arming yourself with strategies and tips can help you or a loved one take small steps towards big results.

Alcohol in the home Help to stop drinking completely Navigating social situations Guest blog: Scott Thomas on finding the joy of the middle ground

References

[1] Tyng, C. M., Amin, H. U., Saad, M. N. M., & Malik, A. S. (2017). The Influences of Emotion on Learning and Memory. Frontiers in psychology, 8, 1454. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01454

[2] Asensio, S., Hernández-Rabaza, V., & Orón Semper, J. V. (2020). What Is the "Trigger" of Addiction?. Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience, 14, 54. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2020.00054

[3] Armeli, S.; Sullivan, T.P.; and Tennen, H. (2015). Drinking to cope motivation as a prospective predictor of negative affect. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs 76(4):578–584, 2015. PMID: 26098033

[4] Abrahao, K. P., Salinas, A. G., & Lovinger, D. M. (2017). Alcohol and the Brain: Neuronal Molecular Targets, Synapses, and Circuits. Neuron, 96(6), 1223–1238. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2017.10.032

[5] Koob, G. F., & Volkow, N. D. (2016). Neurobiology of addiction: a neurocircuitry analysis. The lancet. Psychiatry, 3(8), 760–773. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(16)00104-8

[6] Drinkaware press release. Worrying number of people drinking to cope with day-to-day pressures (11 January 2018). Available at: https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/news/worrying-number-of-people-drinking-to-cope-with-day-to-day-pressures

[7] Abrahao, K. P., Salinas, A. G., & Lovinger, D. M. (2017). Alcohol and the Brain: Neuronal Molecular Targets, Synapses, and Circuits. Neuron, 96(6), 1223–1238. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2017.10.032

[8] Wycoff, A. M., Carpenter, R. W., Hepp, J., Piasecki, T. M., & Trull, T. J. (2021). Real-time reports of drinking to cope: Associations with subjective relief from alcohol and changes in negative affect. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 130(6), 641–650. https://doi.org/10.1037/abn0000684

[9] Carvalho, A. F., Heilig, M., Perez, A., Probst, C., & Rehm, J. (2019). Alcohol use disorders. The Lancet, 394(10200), 781-792.

[10] Wood, W., & Rünger, D. (2016). Psychology of Habit. Annual review of psychology, 67, 289–314. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-122414-033417

[11] Chen, W., Chan, T. W., Wong, L. H., Looi, C. K., Liao, C. C. Y., Cheng, H. N. H., Wong, S. L., Mason, J., So, H.-J., Murthy, S., Gu, X., & Pi, Z. (2020). IDC theory: habit and the habit loop. Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning, 15. Retrieved from https://rptel.apsce.net/index.php/RPTEL/article/view/2020-15010

[12] Norcross, J. C., Krebs, P. M., & Prochaska, J. O. (2011). Stages of change. Journal of clinical psychology, 67(2), 143–154. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.20758

[13] Department of Health (2016), UK Chief Medical Officers’ Alcohol Guidelines Review: Summary of the proposed new guidelines.

[14] Clinical Guidelines on Drug Misuse and Dependence Update 2017 Independent Expert Working Group (2017) Drug misuse and dependence: UK guidelines on clinical management. London: Department of Health. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/673978/clinical_guidelines_2017.pdf

[15] BEST, David, BECKWITH, Melinda, HASLAM, Catherine, HASLAM, S. Alexander, JETTEN, Jolanda, MAWSON, Emily and LUBMAN, Dan I (2015). Overcoming alcohol and other drug addiction as a process of social identity transition : the social identity model of recovery (SIMOR). Addiction Research and Theory, 24 (2), 111-123 DOI: 10.3109/16066359.2015.1075980