Get to know your drinking

Way 4 of 50Keep a drinking diary

For one or two weeks, write down every drink: when, where, who with, how much, and how you were feeling just before. Also note the times you drank less than usual, or didn't want a drink at all.

After a week or two you'll start to see patterns: the situations, people, times and feelings that lead to heavier drinking, and the ones that don't. That tells you what to avoid and what to do more of.

A notebook works fine. If you prefer your phone, the free Drinkaware app and the NHS Drink Free Days app both let you track drinks and units.

Try this todayStart a drinking diary tonight. Note the time, the drink, and one word for how you felt.

Way 5 of 50Write down how you feel

Heavy drinking often means waking up feeling ill, and low too: guilty, anxious, flat. Those feelings make it harder to get through the next day without a drink, and so the cycle goes on. Alcohol also spoils your sleep, so you wake unrefreshed even when you've slept for hours.

Next time you wake up with a hangover, write down exactly how you feel, physically and emotionally. Did you lose the day? What did you miss? Keep the list somewhere you'll see it. Read it when a craving hits. This becomes your hangover list, and you'll use it again in way 48.

Is there a cure for a hangover?

No. Only time helps your body clear the alcohol. Drink water, eat something simple, rest. Avoid "hair of the dog": a drink in the morning only delays the hangover and is a warning sign of dependence.

Way 6 of 50Tell your story to yourself

Imagine a good friend sitting opposite you, telling you your story: how much they drink, what it's doing to their health, their family, their work. What would you say to them? What would you hope they'd do?

This is similar to the "empty chair" technique used in Gestalt therapy. Speaking to an imagined person, or speaking as them, can help you see your own situation from the outside. Try it, out loud if you can.

Way 8 of 50Notice where you don't drink

There are times and places where you don't drink. Notice them, and use them.

Some people find it helps to go for a walk at the time they'd normally open a bottle, take the children out, go to the gym, or read in bed. In the early days of stopping, some people go to bed earlier and get up earlier, simply to shorten the evening.

Ask yourself: where am I when I don't feel like a drink? How can I spend more time there?

Way 9 of 50Work out what drinking costs you

For one week, keep a note of everything you spend on alcohol, including rounds, takeaways while drinking, and taxis home. Multiply it by 52. For many people it's hundreds, or thousands, of pounds a year.

Now write down what you'd rather spend that money on: a holiday, a weekend away each month, clearing a debt, something for your children.

If you're cutting down rather than stopping, switching to a lower-strength drink saves money as well as units. Weaker lagers are usually cheaper. See way 29 for how much difference it makes.

Try this todayAdd up last week's spending on alcohol and write the yearly total on a sticky note on the fridge.