diff --git a/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/netlink-internal.h b/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/netlink-internal.h
index 98de4f0a83..a8af3fc63b 100644
--- a/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/netlink-internal.h
+++ b/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/netlink-internal.h
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@
 #include "list.h"
 #include "netlink-types.h"
 #include "prioq.h"
-#include "refcnt.h"
 
 #define RTNL_DEFAULT_TIMEOUT ((usec_t) (25 * USEC_PER_SEC))
 
@@ -56,7 +55,7 @@ struct sd_netlink_slot {
 };
 
 struct sd_netlink {
-        RefCount n_ref;
+        unsigned n_ref;
 
         int fd;
 
@@ -114,7 +113,7 @@ struct netlink_container {
 };
 
 struct sd_netlink_message {
-        RefCount n_ref;
+        unsigned n_ref;
 
         sd_netlink *rtnl;
 
diff --git a/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/netlink-message.c b/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/netlink-message.c
index f878fc9471..bf3ac95400 100644
--- a/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/netlink-message.c
+++ b/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/netlink-message.c
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@
 #include "netlink-internal.h"
 #include "netlink-types.h"
 #include "netlink-util.h"
-#include "refcnt.h"
 #include "socket-util.h"
 #include "util.h"
 
@@ -36,7 +35,7 @@ int message_new_empty(sd_netlink *rtnl, sd_netlink_message **ret) {
         if (!m)
                 return -ENOMEM;
 
-        m->n_ref = REFCNT_INIT;
+        m->n_ref = 1;
         m->protocol = rtnl->protocol;
         m->sealed = false;
 
@@ -96,12 +95,10 @@ int sd_netlink_message_request_dump(sd_netlink_message *m, int dump) {
         return 0;
 }
 
-DEFINE_ATOMIC_REF_FUNC(sd_netlink_message, sd_netlink_message);
+DEFINE_TRIVIAL_REF_FUNC(sd_netlink_message, sd_netlink_message);
 
 sd_netlink_message *sd_netlink_message_unref(sd_netlink_message *m) {
-        sd_netlink_message *t;
-
-        while (m && REFCNT_DEC(m->n_ref) == 0) {
+        while (m && --m->n_ref == 0) {
                 unsigned i;
 
                 free(m->hdr);
@@ -109,7 +106,7 @@ sd_netlink_message *sd_netlink_message_unref(sd_netlink_message *m) {
                 for (i = 0; i <= m->n_containers; i++)
                         free(m->containers[i].attributes);
 
-                t = m;
+                sd_netlink_message *t = m;
                 m = m->next;
                 free(t);
         }
diff --git a/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/netlink-socket.c b/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/netlink-socket.c
index 432e8e8c06..d1c95b260f 100644
--- a/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/netlink-socket.c
+++ b/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/netlink-socket.c
@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@
 #include "netlink-internal.h"
 #include "netlink-types.h"
 #include "netlink-util.h"
-#include "refcnt.h"
 #include "socket-util.h"
 #include "util.h"
 
diff --git a/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/rtnl-message.c b/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/rtnl-message.c
index 2d4d00e0eb..ccc497de09 100644
--- a/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/rtnl-message.c
+++ b/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/rtnl-message.c
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@
 #include "netlink-internal.h"
 #include "netlink-types.h"
 #include "netlink-util.h"
-#include "refcnt.h"
 #include "socket-util.h"
 #include "util.h"
 
diff --git a/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/sd-netlink.c b/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/sd-netlink.c
index d83952d0cc..f3e267f007 100644
--- a/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/sd-netlink.c
+++ b/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/sd-netlink.c
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ static int sd_netlink_new(sd_netlink **ret) {
                 return -ENOMEM;
 
         *rtnl = (sd_netlink) {
-                .n_ref = REFCNT_INIT,
+                .n_ref = 1,
                 .fd = -1,
                 .sockaddr.nl.nl_family = AF_NETLINK,
                 .original_pid = getpid_cached(),
@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ static sd_netlink *netlink_free(sd_netlink *rtnl) {
         return mfree(rtnl);
 }
 
-DEFINE_ATOMIC_REF_UNREF_FUNC(sd_netlink, sd_netlink, netlink_free);
+DEFINE_TRIVIAL_REF_UNREF_FUNC(sd_netlink, sd_netlink, netlink_free);
 
 static void rtnl_seal_message(sd_netlink *rtnl, sd_netlink_message *m) {
         assert(rtnl);