Weekly Drinking Review Template

A weekly drinking review is a short, private end-of-week prompt set - usually five questions on paper or in a notebook, taking five to fifteen minutes - that helps you notice the past seven days without an app, a score, or a diagnosis. The point is to see the pattern in your own words, not to grade yourself. This page offers a general template only; it is not a screening tool, it is not a diagnosis, and it is not a treatment plan. If the review surfaces that you currently drink daily and want to cut back, please talk to a licensed clinician or call the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP for a free, confidential referral.

Key takeaways

• A weekly review is a reflection habit, not a clinical test.
• Five prompts are enough: amount, days and context, surprise, what to keep, and what to try next.
• You can compare your pattern with public-health references if you choose, but the template does not score you.
• Heavy daily drinking deserves clinician guidance before any sudden change.
• This site is educational today and does not provide clinical care, prescriptions, accounts, or health questionnaires.

Below is the full template and a practical way to use it without turning Sunday night into a courtroom.

What a weekly drinking review is and what it is not

A weekly review is a pause. It asks, "What happened this week?" before the details blur into a general feeling. It can be useful if you are not ready to download anything, join anything, tell anyone, or make a public commitment.

It is not a standardized screening tool. It is not a diagnosis. It is not a score. It is not proof that you do or do not have a problem. It is a private note that may help you see whether your drinking pattern matches the life you say you want.

The review works best when it is short. If it becomes complicated, you may avoid it. If it becomes punitive, you may stop telling the truth. Aim for plain language and a few concrete details.

If you want a daily method, read how to track your drinking without an app. If you want a structured break, how to do a no-drink month at home is the closer fit.

Five prompts to use at the end of a week

Use these once a week, on paper or in a private note. Keep each answer short.

1. How many drinks did I have across the week?

Estimate the total in standard drinks, not just glasses or pours. NIAAA describes a U.S. standard drink as 0.6 fl oz, or 14 grams, of pure alcohol. A large pour or strong mixed drink may count as more than one.

You do not need perfection. The point is to stop using "not that much" as the only measurement.

2. Which days did I drink, in what context, and with what trigger?

Write the day, setting, and cue. For example: after work, alone at home, at dinner, during a stressful evening, at a social event, or because the house was quiet.

Do not analyze the whole story yet. Just name the conditions around the drink.

3. What surprised me this week?

Maybe a night you expected to be hard was easier. Maybe one drink became four. Maybe the craving was strongest before dinner, not after. Maybe you slept better on one alcohol-free night.

Surprise is useful because it shows where your memory and your actual week do not match.

4. What do I want to keep doing?

Name one thing that helped. It might be eating before a social event, taking a walk at 5 p.m., buying fewer drinks for the house, leaving a gathering earlier, or telling one person you were cutting back.

This prompt matters because a review should not only collect mistakes.

5. What is one thing I want to try next week?

Keep it small enough to actually do: one alcohol-free night, a slower first hour, a non-drinking plan after work, counting standard drinks, or writing the review again.

Avoid turning this prompt into a complete life overhaul. The next week only needs one clear experiment.

What to compare the week against at a general level

If you want a public-health reference point, you can compare the week with standard-drink and guideline language. NIAAA defines binge drinking as a pattern that typically brings blood alcohol concentration to 0.08% or higher, often 5 or more drinks for males or 4 or more drinks for females in about 2 hours.

The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest that adults of legal drinking age who choose to drink limit intake to 2 drinks or less in a day for men and 1 drink or less in a day for women.

Use those as optional comparison anchors, not as a verdict. This template does not say, "If you wrote X, you have Y." If your notes worry you, the next step is a clinician conversation, not self-diagnosis.

If weekly volume is the main question, read how much is too much alcohol per week. If alcohol-free days are easier to think about than totals, read how many alcohol-free days a week.

What one or two weeks might change for some people

One review gives you a snapshot. Two or three reviews give you a pattern. You may notice that the amount is not evenly spread across the week, that the same trigger repeats, or that the hardest day is predictable.

If you drink heavily every day and want to cut back, talk to a licensed clinician before stopping suddenly. Stopping cold can be medically risky for some patterns of drinking.

For lower-risk patterns, the review can help you choose a smaller experiment. Instead of "be better next week," you might write, "Do not keep alcohol in the house on Tuesday," or "Eat dinner before deciding whether to drink."

If your notes show that drinking keeps landing beyond what you intended, signs you are drinking more than you meant to may be a useful next read.

What this page will not tell you to do

This page will not provide a score, app workflow, spreadsheet system, standardized screening questionnaire, diagnosis, or treatment plan. It will not tell you that one answer means you have a problem. It will not recommend a notebook, journal product, planner, course, or software tool.

It also will not tell you to stop suddenly. If the review shows heavy daily drinking, that is a clinician question.

When to talk to a clinician

Talk with a licensed clinician if your review shows daily drinking, repeated heavier episodes, attempts to cut back that do not hold, physical discomfort when you do not drink, or worry that feels bigger than a self-reflection template.

If you need a confidential referral for substance-use support, SAMHSA's National Helpline is a free, confidential 24/7 referral service for individuals and families facing substance use disorders.

What not to use this page for

Do not use this page to diagnose yourself, replace clinical care, decide whether stopping suddenly is safe, or assign yourself a score. Do not use it as punishment.

Use it for a narrower job: collect the week in your own words, compare only if that is helpful, choose one small experiment, and ask for individual help when the pattern calls for it.

FAQ

What should a weekly drinking review include?

Keep it to five prompts: total drinks, days and context, one surprise, one thing to keep doing, and one thing to try next week.

Is a drinking journal a screening tool?

Not this one. This template is reflective, not diagnostic. If your notes worry you, talk to a licensed clinician.

Do I need an app to review my drinking?

No. A short paper note can be enough for noticing a weekly pattern. The best format is the one you will actually use honestly.

What to do next

At the end of this week, answer the five prompts in ten minutes or less. Put the note somewhere private, then repeat it next week. If the pattern is daily, heavy, or hard to change, bring the notes to a licensed clinician.

This content is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. You can join the waitlist for updates as Clero develops.