Top 10 Tips to Reduce Your Alcohol Consumption
If you’re struggling with your relationship with alcohol, the first thing you want to do is cut back. We all have different relationships with substance and we all have different points in our lives where we want to give it a break. For some it may just be one big night out, for others it may be years of addiction and the need to go through alcohol detox and withdrawal to quit drinking. See here for more information reduce Your Alcohol Consumption
For many of us, it’s a case of the former, just wanting to adjust our lifestyle a bit to be that much healthier or lose that beer belly that resulted from a long summer. be Cutting though is easier said than done.
Temptations are always there, whether it’s an invitation from friends, the stress of a long day at work, or the appeal of a glass of red at a steak dinner. However, there are some great tips for Reduce your Alcohol consumption.
1. Make a plan
Planning is always important in life and by having a solid plan you can be much more disciplined with your drinking. You can set specific days you can drink and how much you can have. While this may seem fairly regimented, it will create a bit of a pattern that will regulate how much you drink.
You’ll see an immediate effect compared to just consciously trying to cut back, and you can adapt your plan to make your consumption smaller and smaller.
2. Take it day by day
You can then take that plan day by day and tick off when you work according to your plan. By sticking to it, every day is an achievement and you’ll be able to track your achievements as you go. Give yourself a booze-free day and you may find that one day turns into two very easily.
3. Turn a pint into a half
When you go out drinking, order a half, not a pint, or a small, not a large. That way you can still enjoy those nights out at the pub or enjoying a glass of wine at a restaurant, you’ll usually be using half of it.
4. Manage your ABV
Also monitor the strength of the alcohol you drink. If you usually drink drinks with a higher ABV, why not lower the percentage a bit. For example, if you’re a beer drinker and usually participate in options that are around 5.5%, why not opt for something more sessionable at 3.5-4%?
5. Tell people
If you’re cutting back on your drinking, tell others and you’ll not only get their support, but you’ll feel less pressure from them to drink alcohol. That will help a lot.
6. Find new hobbies
If you’re used to spending your time socializing in the pub, which then leads to drinking, why not consider meeting up somewhere else or taking up a new hobby? Think about what you love to do, or what you’ve always wanted to try and give it a go!
You don’t need alcohol when you try pottery for the first time or when you learn to dance. Yet you’ll find a great buzz and maybe even something you’ll carry with you for life and share with friends and family. Hobbies can be a great distraction from alcohol and can also help you maintain a healthy and social lifestyle.
7. Find an alcohol alternative
If you still want to spend the evening at the pub or with a glass with you, an alternative drink that is alcohol-free can be a good option. For beer lovers, there are so many fantastic non-alcoholic beers around that taste just as good as the real thing, with many breweries now pushing them harder.
Alternatively, some excellent non-alcoholic cocktails and non-alcoholic wines are also widely available in supermarkets and the likes today.
8. Don’t buy rounds
For those days when you’re drinking, if you’re out and about with friends, don’t hang around. Rounds will ultimately mean that the tempo at which you drink is not dictated by you, which can affect how much you drink and whether you stick to a plan.
By purchasing your drinks you can control many aspects. Firstly, you can control how much you drink – so how many pints you can have, for example.
You can also control how fast you drink them, which drinks you have – so you can choose lower ABV drinks, while you can cycle between alcohol and soft drinks to stay on track or Will also be able to substitute.
9. Don’t stock up at home
Where you once had a wine cabinet full of wine, if you’re trying to cut back on wine, don’t replace bottles or add to your stock. Keeping your alcohol wardrobe minimal will make you less likely to succumb to temptation.
Not only will this allow you to monitor and reduce the amount you drink, but you will also save financially.
10. Freeze cooking wine
Of course, we often use wine for cooking too, and one of its many benefits is to pour a glass while you’re in the kitchen. While there’s a lot of fun in this, it’s probably not the best idea if you’re trying to give up alcohol.
To combat this temptation, any leftover cooking wine you have, simply put it in the freezer until you use it again in your cooking. Not only will this keep you from drinking, but it will also mean you won’t need to buy a new bottle when you’re in the kitchen cooking something nice and need alcohol again. You can either put the bottle in the freezer, or put it in ice cubes for easy access. you can follow these step you can easily reduce Your Alcohol Consumption.
