Here are practical suggestions for either cutting down or abstaining from alcohol along with tips for helping loved ones who have a drinking problem.

Useful sources of help for alcohol and drinking abuse problems are also listed.

Some Questions

Could you or someone you care about drink too much?

Do you drink alone when you feel angry or sad?

Does your drinking ever make you late for school or work?

Does your drinking worry your family or friends?

Do you ever drink after telling yourself you won't?

Do you ever forget what you did while you were drinking?

Do you ever get headaches or have hangovers after drinking?

Have you started hanging out with heavy drinking friends?

Do your friends use less alcohol than you do?

Have you ever been in trouble because of your drinking?

Do you ever borrow money or go without things in order to buy alcohol?

Is drinking hurting your reputation?

Do you feel a sense of power when drinking?

Do you ever drink until your supply is gone?

Have you ever lost friends because of your use of alcohol?

Do you think you might have a drinking problem?

The more of these questions that apply, the greater the chance that you might have a problem with drinking.

But having a drinking problem doesn't mean that you are alcoholic or that you have to abstain from alcohol.

Most, people who experience problems from drinking choose to reduce their consumption to moderate levels rather than to abstain. You might consult with your doctor for advice.

How to Cut Back on Drinking

Write down your reasons for drinking less.

Why do you want to drink less? To protect your health, to get along better with your family or friends, to do better in school or to save your job? Make a list of the reasons you want to drink less.

Set a drinking goal.

Choose a limit for how much you will drink. A common guideline in the U.S. is no more than one drink per day for women and no more than two drinks a day for men.

These daily drinks can't be "saved" and consumed later. For example, a man can't abstain all week and then consume all 14 drinks in one day.

Most countries define moderation at higher levels of consumption than does the US.

For example, Australia, Italy and France consider anything from three to over four drinks per day for men to be moderate drinking. 2.1

Set Goals

Write your drinking goal on a piece of paper and put it where you can see it, such as on your refrigerator or bathroom mirror.

I will start on this day ________.
I will not drink more than ________ drinks in 1 day.
I will not drink more than ______ drinks in 1 week.

OR - I will stop drinking alcohol.

Keep a "diary" of your drinking.

To help you reach your goal, keep a diary of your drinking. For example, write down every time you have a drink for three or four weeks.

This will show you when, where, and how much you drink. How different is you goal from the amount you drink now?

Be especially careful at home

Keep only a small amount of alcohol, or even no alcohol, at home. This will help reduce temptation.

Keep your blood alcohol content (BAC) low

When you drink, sip your drink slowly. Drink for taste rather than effect.

Don't drink on an empty stomach.

Consume no more than one drink per hour.

Eat food or "munchies" while drinking. High protein and high fat foods like cheese and nuts are especially good at keeping your blood alcohol content low.

Drink soda, water, or juice after a drink containing alcohol.

Learn to say "no" when you don't want a drink

You don't have to take a drink just because it's offered to you.

You can "lose" unwanted drinks that are given to you. For example, set them down and later walk away.

"A Consumer Guide to Recovery Options" provides excellent descriptions of both abstinence and non-abstinence recovery options. This useful guide is in Anne M. Fletcher's Sober for Good (NY: Houghton Mifflin, 2001), pp. 267-302.

Additional resources below.

You can drink non-alcoholic drinks that look like alcoholic ones.

For example, tomato juice, lemonade, iced tea, water with ice cubes, club soda with orange juice, tonic water with a twist or wedge of lime, and either orange juice or 7-Up with grenadine.

Stay away from people who give you a hard time about not drinking as much as they do.

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