It’s common for alcohol to be served when people get together. In principle, this is completely harmless. However, alcohol is full of sugar and (potentially) other harmful ingredients, making it a serious health hazard. We all know that I love a good drink (hence the name of my blog), but it is essential to recognize when it interferes with your health. With that in mind, here are some tips on how to reduce your alcohol consumption and still stay social.
How To Reduce Your Alcohol Consumption and Stay Social
Decide If You Need to Cut Back or Quit
The first question you must ask yourself is whether you want to cut back on drinking alcohol or if you should give it up entirely. If you decide you are happy to keep drinking, you need to set your limits. However, if you give it up entirely, you need to decide whether to slow down and then stop or stop cold turkey.
Either way, you need to set a date for when you’re giving it up and how long you plan to give it up. It’s also essential that you be honest about your reasons for giving up. If you’re just concerned about your general health (and weight), then there’s a good chance you’ll be fine to go ahead on your own. If, however, you’re concerned that you’re not fully in control of your drinking, then you may need supported alcohol treatment.
Tell Your Friends
It’s entirely up to you whether you let people know that you’re reducing your alcohol consumption, but it might be best to be upfront. Reducing your alcohol consumption is now a lot more socially acceptable than it used to be. In fact, you’ll probably find that most people are sympathetic to your plans. The main argument for telling people is, essentially, to set expectations and, by extension, to let them see how your decision might impact them.
Thankfully, there’s likely to be minimal to no impact on anyone else. Most, if not all, venues that serve alcohol will also serve non-alcoholic drinks. What’s more, if you’re happy not to drink, you can be the designated driver.
Try New Drinks
If you’re planning on reducing your alcohol intake rather than eliminating it, there are two approaches you can take. The first is to stick with your regular drinks but have fewer servings. The second is to swap out your regular drinks for lower-alcohol alternatives. You can, of course, combine the two approaches.
One important point to remember is that choosing lower-alcohol options doesn’t always mean looking specifically for low-alcohol products. You can make any drink lower alcohol by adding a non-alcoholic liquid. If your main reason for reducing alcohol consumption is weight-control, you will need to choose a low-/no-sugar mixer.
Reduce Your Alcohol Consumption and Still Stay Social
There’s nothing wrong with the occasional alcoholic beverage, but many people are cutting back these days. Fortunately, you can still stay social even as you reduce your alcohol consumption. Do you have any other tips? Leave a comment and let us know!
