Alcohol

When you drink alcohol with a meal you tend to drink more slowly. Also, drinking with food slows down the rate that alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream.

• Try having alcohol only with your evening meal. 
• Wait until you are at the table with your meal before you start drinking.
• Always have glasses of water on the table – and keep topping them up.
• Use small wine glasses and don’t continually top them up.
• Try low alcohol or alcohol free wines, beer, gin, etc.
• Make wine into a longer drink with soda or lemonade.
• Stop drinking when you’ve finished eating. Your body will have more time to process the alcohol before you go to bed, meaning a better night’s sleep.
• Try making interesting non-alcoholic drinks to complement your food. Add some fresh berries to sparkling water or fruit cordials and serve with ice in a glass jug to make it feel special.

If you are physically dependent on alcohol, stopping suddenly or going ‘cold turkey’ could be dangerous. Get advice from a medical professional – you may need medication to support you to give up alcohol.

You may need medical support if you experience these withdrawal symptoms:

• anxiety after waking
• sweating and tremors
• nausea or retching in the morning
• vomiting
• hallucinations
• seizures or fits

Giving up alcohol completely will not be easy, especially if you’ve been a heavy drinker in the past. The following tips and techniques can make it that little bit easier.

• Tell your family and friends that you’re trying to stop drinking alcohol and explain why.
• Frequently remind yourself and the people close to you why you want to stop drinking. This can help keep you on track, and may even encourage someone else to give up or cut down with you.
• Avoid situations where you may be tempted to have a drink.
• Identify the times when you would usually drink and fill the gap with something else.
• Identify your ‘triggers’ that cause you to drink. How can you deal with them in a different way?
• Set yourself achievable goals.
• Don’t be hard on yourself if you slip up once in a while.
• Reward yourself for progress.

Lower alcohol drinks can be a great way to reduce your alcohol intake without cutting it out completely. There are so many options available now, including zero or 0.1% alcohol wines, beers, ciders and spirits.

• By switching to a lower strength alternative you will consume fewer alcohol units (as long as you have the same number of drinks!).
• Lower alcohol drinks contain fewer calories.
• The quality of low alcohol drinks has improved enormously – you might be pleasantly surprised.
• If you’re having a drink in a pub or bar, ask the bar staff about lower strength or non-alcoholic drinks.

Your drinking habits have probably changed over time. Perhaps you used to drink when out in town with friends, and now you find you’re spending more time at home.

At home, nobody calls time at the bar and you need to rely on your own discipline to know when to stop drinking.

Tolerance to alcohol

If you drink on a regular basis you might find that the amount of alcohol you drink before you start to feel the effects increases. Keep an eye on the recycling box or shopping receipts to see if you’re drinking more than you used to.

Alcohol dependence

If you think you are tolerating a greater amount of alcohol, think about whether you could be becoming dependent. Do you use it regularly to unwind after work? Do you always have to drink when socialising?

Getting back on track

Here are some tips for resetting your alcohol intake.

• Stick to the alcohol unit guidelines of not regularly drinking more than 14 units a week.
• Think about what triggers you to have a drink and try to change your response. If you have a bad day at work and pour a glass of wine when you get home, try replacing it with a zero alcohol cocktail in a can. Or do some stretches or exercise – a much better way of relieving stress.
• If you feel under pressure, anxious or depressed, talk to someone close to you. Sharing your worries will make you feel much better than having a drink will.
• Give yourself a reward for any progress you make – like going to the cinema or extra time playing a computer game.

Drinking sensibly will be much easier once you have reset your tolerance. Plus you’ll have more energy and will look and feel healthier.

Warning signs you have a higher tolerance of alcohol

• You’re taking two bottles of wine to the party in case you run out.
• The amount of alcohol in your weekly shop is increasing.
• You’re finishing off an evening of drinking with a night cap.
• You buy bigger glasses.
• You’re drinking more than the daily unit guidelines most nights of the week.

• Decide how much you are going to drink before you start.
• Set a budget for how much you will spend on alcohol.
• Tell your friends and family that you are cutting down so they can support you.
• Take small steps – a little reduction each day is a success each day.
• Reduce the volume you drink. Go for a smaller glass or try bottled beers instead of pints – just be sure to check the strength.
• Pick a lower strength drink. Even a slightly lower % makes a big difference. You’ll find this information on the label of the bottle (ABV in %).
• Make sure you are hydrated by having a glass of water before you have alcohol. Alternate alcoholic drinks with water or other non-alcoholic drinks.
• Have several days each week when you don’t drink. Start with one day and then increase to two or more days in a row.