To drink less, first count how much you drink in a week, then spend a few minutes talking to a doctor

Moderate value
Evidence A
Buys life
Free
Takes minutes
Some willpower

In plain words

When a doctor spends a few minutes looking at how much you drink, explains the risks and helps you set a goal, a year later people drink an average of 20 g less pure alcohol a week, about half a liter of beer. Talking for longer did not help more. For people who can't stop, two drugs have been shown to work abroad; for roughly every 12 people treated, 1 more person stops going back to drinking, or to heavy drinking.

Cost: Free. Counting drinks only takes a daily note. Asking in passing at a clinic visit costs nothing extra.
What you get: Pooling 34 randomized trials with 15197 people, people who received a brief intervention drank 20 g less pure alcohol a week a year later than those who received minimal or no intervention (95% CI 12 to 28 g less, the plausible range; moderate-quality evidence). In these studies the participants' baseline drinking averaged 244 g a week. A brief intervention means advice or lifestyle counseling of no more than 5 sessions and under 60 minutes in total; longer talks added no benefit. On drugs: pooling 122 randomized trials with 22803 people, for every 12 people treated with acamprosate (95% CI 8 to 26), 1 more person stayed away from any drinking. For oral naltrexone 50 mg a day, for every 12 people treated (8 to 26), 1 more person stayed away from heavy drinking.
Notes: The size of the benefit is rated “small” because both pieces of evidence measure how much people drank, not mortality, and by this book's rule, anything with only a substitute outcome is rated “small.” Most of the drug trials were done abroad, most participants met diagnostic criteria for alcohol dependence, and in every trial psychosocial support was given at the same time, so the numbers are the extra benefit on top of that. Whether these two drugs are approved for this use in China and can be prescribed depends on your doctor and the package insert; don't order them online yourself. If withdrawal signs have already appeared, see §2.20 (don't quit cold turkey on your own).
Evidence grade: A : Specific numbers from meta-analyses, large cohorts or randomized trials; for law and policy, the statute or official text.
Sources: Kaner EF, Beyer FR, Muirhead C, et al. (2018). Effectiveness of brief alcohol interventions in primary care populations. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2, CD004148. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD004148.pub4
Jonas DE, Amick HR, Feltner C, et al. (2014). Pharmacotherapy for adults with alcohol use disorders in outpatient settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA, 311(18), 1889–1900. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2014.3628

Mentioned in

Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 2, tip 21. This section is about health and medicines. It is general information, not a substitute for a doctor’s diagnosis or prescription. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer