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Are you ready to cut down?

Could it be time to reduce your Alcohol intake?

Ever put your recycling out and wondered how you managed to get through so many bottles of wine and beer in only a week? Or maybe you’ve suffered from one too many mid-week hangovers at work. If so, now might be the time to take a look at your drinking.

Reducing your alcohol intake has loads of feel-good benefits. It’s good for your health great for your relationships and can even have a positive impact on your sex life. And the good news is that there are plenty of practical ways you can start to cut down.

How much is too much?

The first step is to look honestly at how much you already drink. If you’ve come to this page straight from our online unit calculator or MyDrinkaware then you’ll already have a good idea.  Getting an understanding of the amount you drink and what that equals in alcohol units and calories, and how that compares to Drinkaware's recommended daily guidelines is a quick and easy way to decide whether it’s time to cut down.

The government advises that people should not regularly drink more than the daily unit guidelines of 3-4 units of alcohol for men (equivalent to a pint and a half of 4% beer) and 2-3 units of alcohol for women (equivalent to a 175 ml glass of wine). ‘Regularly’ means drinking every day or most days of the week.

Stick to these guidelines and you are what the Government defines as a ‘lower risk’ drinker. The same guidelines state that regularly drinking over them puts you at an ‘increasing risk’ of developing health problems, and if the amount you’re drinking is usually double or more than the guidelines you are putting yourself at a ‘higher risk’ of developing health problems.

If you think your drinking puts you into the increasing risk or higher risk categories, it could be time to re-think your relationship with alcohol.

Simple steps

The key to successfully cutting down is to make small, but important, changes in your attitude towards drinking. Lots of little changes can add up to big change in your lifestyle.

Begin by looking at how much you drink at home. You might drink more alcohol than you think on an average night in, especially if you like a couple of beers or glasses of wine with a takeaway in front of the telly.

Try replacing the alcohol in your fridge with soft drinks. Luckily these days the soft option doesn’t have to be dull, since the supermarket shelves are packed with upmarket cordials, smoothies and fizzy drinks. Entertaining guests and want to impress? Go for something a bit different and serve up a selection of non-alcoholic mocktails.

When you do drink alcohol at home remember that home measures are often much bigger than you’d get at the pub. Chances are if you are regularly drinking at home, you could be shocked by the amount of alcohol you’re drinking. Be aware of this before you pour your favourite tipple into a gold fish bowl sized glass. Buying small wine glasses or an alcohol measure are good ways of making sure you don’t go overboard.

Stay in control

Staying within the guidelines on a night out is much easier if you stay in control of what you drink. Opting out of rounds altogether or buying drinks within smaller groups of friends can be a good move, since drinking rounds in a large group can make you drink a lot faster than you’d like. Watch out for cocktails - they can contain more alcohol than you might think.

Spreading out your drinks throughout the night will help your units go further. So rather than sticking to pints, try sipping halves, go for a bottled beer or if you are drinking wine, opt for a small glass.

There’s also the option of a more diluted alcoholic drink such as a spritzer or shandy. If you’re out for a whole night, space out each alcoholic drink with one or two soft drinks to help you stay hydrated. Remember that drinking less alcohol means you’ll stay sharper.

Five benefits to cutting back on the booze

Keeping an eye on what you drink can have a positive effect on your overall health and wellbeing. It can help you:

1. Watch your weight Alcohol is heavy on the calories. And with around 500 calories in an average bottle of wine, cutting down is a great way to stay in shape.

2. Sleep soundly Drinking less means that you get more high quality shuteye, and as a bonus you’ll have fewer 2am toilet trips.

3. Reduce stress Some people say that they drink to relax, but in fact excess alcohol can actually make you feel more stressed.

4. Avoid hangovers Keep to the guidelines and you can kiss goodbye to a sore head, dry mouth and that dreaded “what on Earth was I thinking last night?” hangover feeling.

5. Stay healthy for longer Cutting down can be great news for your long-term health. Drinking less alcohol reduces the risks of alcohol-related cancers, diabetes and heart disease. It puts a lot less pressure on the liver too.