Drinking Sensibly

Noone is trying to spoil your fun or saying you should never drink.  But everyone, regardless of age or whether they "can handle it" should always drink sensibly. 

But how much is safe?  The governmnet's guidelines state that Men should consume no more than 3-4 units per day and women no more that 2-3 units.

 

1 unit of alcohol = half a pint of ordinary strength lager/beer/cider (3.5% ABV)

 

OR

 

25 ml pub measure of spirit (40% ABV)

 

OR

 

a small glass of wine (9% ABV)

 

Refraining on one day should not mean excess on another

Remember: it is never safe and there is never an excuse to drink and drive.

What if I'm worried about my drinking?

If you are worried you may be drinking too much and want to cut down, the following tips may help.  At the end of the page there are also links to other organisations who may be able to help.

First start by working out what you drink in a week. If it is difficult to remember keep a daily note of all the drinks, how many units in each, the times of day and where you were. If this is a typical week, your notes should give you a good idea about whether you are drinking too much and, importantly, the situations in which you drink and whether it's going to be hard to cut down

If you think your drinking is a problem, try following these steps:

STEP ONE

Decide what your aim is. Do you want to give up alcohol altogether? Or do you want to cut down to within daily benchmarks? Or maybe you want to avoid binge-drinking and all the problems that go with it. The decision is yours but be clear about what you want to achieve.

STEP TWO

Pick a day in the next week to start cutting down. Go for a day when you are likely to be relaxed and not under pressure. Plan ahead for a day when it is easier to avoid alcohol.

STEP THREE

Work out how you can avoid situations when you know you end up drinking more. If you often drink at home, stock up on alternatives to alcohol, like alcohol-free beers, or lagers or wine or soft drinks. You might like to tell other people that you are cutting back, this should avoid them putting pressure on you to drink and they might even join in.

STEP FOUR

Do not give up! Changing habits like drinking takes time and hard work and sometimes it is difficult to drink less. Keep focusing on the positive things you have achieved. If you do relapse, set a new date to start reducing again.

STEP FIVE

If you continue to find it difficult to cut down you could see a trained alcohol counsellor to help you develop strategies or contact Drinkline for advice

Try phrases such as: No thanks, I have had enough or I have got a lot on tomorrow

Reward yourself. Chart your progress. Cutting down requires willpower and self-control so you should be pleased with yourself for succeeding. Buy yourself something special with the money you save from not drinking. Be honest with yourself. Make sure you only reward yourself when you meet the targets you set yourself.