I was drinking for 21 years, and was an alcoholic for 20 of them(I’m 35 started when I was 12.5)When I quit drinking, I did it with the intention of drinking again. I know that sounds crazy but bare with me. I set a goal of 30 days, after which I told myself I could have a drink again. It was rough, my anxiety and depression, were spiking through the roof. I’m a naturally anxious and depressed person, I feel this is one of the reasons why I drank, but I pushed through those 30 days. It was rough, I realized how much I did with a drink in my hand, from walking my dog, shopping, and even working. After those 30 days I told myself I could have a drink or we can go for 90 days,I chose to go for 90 days. After those 90 days had passed, I told myself again you can have a drink or we can go big and go for a year. I chose to go for that year. It was still hard but at about 120 days it became easier. The urges started to lessen, my impulse to grab a beer, or take a shot to deal with my problems, or even to relax or enjoy myself, began to go away. Once I made it to a year, I told myself once again, you can have a drink or we can go for two years. I’ll be at two years of sobriety June 17, 2023. In this time the only habit I changed was drinking. I made sure I had money to buy booze, I made sure I had booze in my fridge, and I still went to bars to watch games or grab a bite to eat with my friends. I didn’t use therapy, AA meetings, or self-help books(if these help you please pursue them, they just weren’t for me, but they have helped millions of people find sobriety). I did this, because I wanted to ensure I was chasing true sobriety, not running away from alcohol, and fearing what it might do to me again. I stayed true to my resolve, and never faltered. Even if I did, I wouldn’t of been hard on myself, because that would only inure my drinking habit. It wasn’t easy at first, but after a while, the habit of not drinking, became just as familiar to me as a habit of drinking. I’m healthier mentally and physically. I’m more glad that I did it then I’m not. It’s not an easy road by any means, I wish I can say that it was. But the benefits of it, are far greater than the feeling that alcohol brings. It is something I wouldn’t trade for all the money in the world.

I don’t know you personally, but making a post like this is a step most people don’t take. And it’s a step in the right direction. My best advice would be don’t replace alcohol with another habit, mostly, because once you fall out of that habit, you may fall back into the habit of drinking again. Just remove the habit of drinking from your daily routine,or your weekend routine. If you need to go to meetings, or seek therapy, or read self-help books, or even post on Reddit for advice, do that. It’s amazing what those things have done for people and can do for people. It’s not going to be easy. But I believe in you, and I feel that you can achieve your goal of either cutting back or cutting it out completely. I do truly hope that you reach your goal, I really do. I would love to hear an update, and see where you’re at with your sobriety. Best of luck, you have absolutely got this.