But if sleep is a struggle, don’t worry. Keep a regular bedtime, and practise good sleep hygiene. Here are some simple tips for improving your sleep. 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. Low alcohol and alcohol-free drinks can be a great way of cutting down on the amount you of drink at home or pacing yourself on a night out, helping to avoid the short-term effects of drinking too much. 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. 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

Most people can grin and bear it through 7 days without alcohol. So it can be tempting to get through your week by simply hitting the pause button on life. But if you’re ready to dive in, here’s what to expect if you have an alcohol-free week. Physical changes in 7 days without alcohol 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. And some people find they can be a good way of being supportive. Our recent research found around one in six parents (16%) drank alcohol-free or low alcohol products to support their partner while they were pregnant. 7 After a week without alcohol, you may find that you have a lot more energy. After the sluggishness and discomfort at the beginning of the week, suddenly, you wake up full of beans. You may notice your face is less puffy too, and your eyes might seem brighter.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. verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ 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. Low alcohol’ drinks contain 1.2% alcohol (ABV) or less. ‘ Alcohol-free’ drinks are 0.5% ABV or less, with many following government guidance in England to contain 0.05% ABV or less. 2

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 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. Swapping a standard strength alcoholic drink for a low alcohol or alcohol-free one will mean you consume fewer units of alcohol and are more likely to stay within the guidelines - but only if you aren’t adding them on top of any alcohol you usually drink. 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. 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.

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Drinkaware research has found people who haven’t tried low alcohol or alcohol-free drinks are more likely to have negative perceptions of their taste than people who do drink them. 5 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 These days, there are more, better tasting, low alcohol drinks to choose from than ever before. Drinkaware research has found regular drinkers of low alcohol products thought the taste had improved over recent years. Negative perceptions of taste were more common amongst people who hadn’t tried them, with many people pleasantly surprised with the taste when they did. 4 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. 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?