If you feel that it’s time to cut back on your drinking, you may be curious as to what you can do. Thankfully, there are several different strategies you can try when it comes to limiting drinking. Even the smallest of changes can help you get your drinking under control…
Limiting Drinking: Tips For Cutting Back
Measure your drinks
Measuring your drinks is a good start to limiting drinking. Many people are unaware of what counts as a standard drink. This leads to them drinking well over the recommended amount without even realizing. Being aware of your portion sizes can help you to avoid accidentally over-drinking.
Pace yourself
Pacing your drinking is another strategy to use when limiting drinking. The quicker you finish off a drink, the more likely you are to have another, and another, and another… However, if you pace yourself by taking slow sips or only having one drink per hour, than you’ll avoid drinking too much too fast.
Pacing your drinking is especially effective for those first few drinks. As you won’t feel buzzed or drunk when you start drinking, you might think you can drink more than you should. This just means all those drinks will quickly get you very drunk.
Space out drinks
Another way to work on limiting drinking is to space out your cocktails. Whether that spacing means having a non-alcoholic drink, a water, or even just taking a second, giving your body time can make a big difference. These will help you slow down your total alcohol consumption. Water is one of the best spacers, as it keeps you hydrated without any unhealthy additives that may be in juices or sodas.
Make sure to eat
Having something to eat tends to help some drinkers reduce their craving to drink. Some drinkers find that having a meal beforehand will help them to limit or outright avoid drinking. After all, a fuller stomach means less room for alcohol, and drinking on an empty stomach should be avoided.
Limiting your drink intake comes down to figuring out what works for you. No single strategy works for everyone. However, these ones are good starting points to help you see what works and what doesn’t for you.