8 great tips to cut your consumption
Whether it’s for the health benefits, to save money or just because you feel like you’re drinking more than you should, reducing your alcohol consumption is a great idea. But it’s very easy to slip back into old habits, so here we’ve put together eight useful tips to help you achieve your drinking goals. You’ll find the Lower My Drinking app invaluable too, so make sure you start by downloading it here!
1. Have a plan
Set yourself a weekly target – the Lower My Drinking app will show you how – and treat each week as a fresh start, so even if you go over your target you can keep on trying.
2. Make the switch
Try a few different tipples to cut your alcohol intake. For example, lighter beers are under 4% ABV, and there’s a huge range of very good non-alcoholic beers, ciders and wines to choose from!
3. Keep going!
If you change what you drink, you’ll probably notice a difference in the taste, but stick with it and you’ll soon get used to it – so you can drink less and still be sociable!
4. Think about your social life
We all love seeing friends. But that doesn’t mean you have to go for a drink. Why not go to the cinema, meet for breakfast, grab a coffee, arrange a walk or go bowling for a change?
5. Stick to a budget
Setting yourself an alcohol budget when you go out or go shopping is a great way to make sure you drink less – either just take a set amount of cash or set up a spending alert on your card.
6. Don’t get in a round
Buying drinks in rounds is a surefire way to end up drinking more than you really want to. So avoid getting into a round, and don’t feel you have to have a drink just because someone else is buying.
7. Eat, drink and…
Wait until you have your evening meal before having a drink. And if you make sure you don’t start drinking until you’ve started eating, you’ll find it much easier to just have the one.
8. End the boredom
Boredom is often a reason people have a drink, but it’s really easy to avoid. Exercise is a brilliant way to relieve stress and boredom, or even simple things like cleaning, taking up a new hobby or a bit of DIY can help.
Remember, the Lower My Drinking app is packed with more tips and advice to cut your alcohol intake.
