Alcohol consumption is a significant problem in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that excessive alcohol use leads to 88,000 deaths per year. One way to help reduce these numbers is to follow some simple steps that our experts at New Horizon Counseling recommend. These ten tips will help you limit your alcohol consumption and lead a healthier lifestyle.
1 – Plan ahead
Make sure you have plenty of nonalcoholic beverages on hand so you don’t feel pressured by friends or family members who may drink too much. This will help you limit your drinking and avoid pressure from friends or family members who may be heavy drinkers.
2 – Set limits
Decide how many drinks you will have each week instead of drinking until intoxication. At New Horizon Counseling we go over this in our program to help you stick to a goal. Limit yourself to one drink per day if you are a woman and two drinks per day if you are a man.
Keep track of your weekly limits so that you don’t go over the limit at any time during the week. This will help reduce the number of times you feel obligated to join others who may be drinking more heavily.
3 – Drink slowly
Pace yourself when it comes to drinking. Avoid shots, mixed drinks, or other types of alcoholic beverages that are high in alcohol content, such as beer. This will help reduce your overall consumption because these more potent drinks can make it easier to overindulge without realizing how intoxicated you have become until it is too late.
4 – Eat before you drink
Eat something before you start drinking to help reduce the effects of intoxication. This means you will be less likely to feel sleepy or drunk after just one or two drinks than if you had not eaten anything beforehand. You may also find it easier to avoid overindulging in alcoholic beverages when your stomach is filled with food rather than empty, which can make consuming alcohol even more tempting.
5 – Alternate between alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages during social occasions
If you are at a bar with friends who will be ordering rounds every 20 minutes for several hours, order water in between each round they buy you so that it is easier to pace yourself throughout the night. Alcohol can have significant health impacts even if consumed only occasionally. It’s estimated that over half of all adults in the U.S., including those not diagnosed with alcohol abuse or dependence, have an alcohol use disorder.
6 – Take a break
Don’t drink every day. People often have very different tolerance levels for alcohol depending on their lifestyle, weight, and other factors that change over time. If you only occasionally drink now but are drinking every day this week, it may be harder to control yourself during the next social occasion where there is plenty of free-flowing beer or wine around you. This will help reduce your overall consumption by limiting how many times per month (or year) that you feel obligated to engage in activities. For instance, a happy hour after work with co-workers who tend to go out once a week and order several rounds throughout the evening at the bar where they meet up before heading back home together afterward.
7 – Watch out for high-sugar mixers
When you are at a bar, try to stick with dry wines or spirits on the rocks in place of mixed drinks. Sugar can make it easier to drink more than usual because sweet tastes tend to be more appealing and satisfying when compared to sour ones that are often found in alcoholic beverages like vodka or rum. People who have had too much alcohol will also sometimes crave sugar as their body craves carbohydrates after drinking this type of beverage. This is another reason why cutting back on sugary mixers may help reduce overall consumption even if they don’t seem very high calories per serving.
8 – Alternate alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks
If you prefer to drink, try alternating between alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages during social occasions. This will help reduce your overall consumption by limiting how often you feel obligated to engage in activities like a happy hour after work with co-workers who tend to go out once a week or host parties at their own homes where there is plenty of free-flowing beer or wine around for guests to enjoy all night long. It also helps cut back on calories because even though many people consider alcohol an empty-calorie food source (meaning it has no nutritional value), drinking too much can lead to weight gain, increasing the risk of developing other health conditions such as diabetes if leftover time.
9 – Avoid buying alcohol with your groceries
If you live with other people, keep the number of alcoholic beverages in your house limited. If you purchase them at the store, they will most likely outlast anyone or a two-person household given that it is hard for many adults (and even some teens) to finish off a six pack over an extended time unless they are hosting parties frequently. This can help reduce overall consumption by limiting how often you feel obligated to engage in activities like a happy hour after work with co-workers who tend to go out once a week and order several rounds throughout the evening at the bar where they meet up before heading back home together afterward.
10 – Consider replacing alcohol with a healthier alternative
Our experts at New Horizon recommend swapping out at least some of your alcoholic beverages for another form of beverage that can provide additional health benefits, such as fruit juice or sparkling water. This will help reduce your overall consumption by limiting how often you feel obligated to engage in activities like a happy hour after work with co-workers who tend to go out once a week and order several rounds throughout the evening at the bar where they meet up before heading back home together afterward. It also helps cut back on calories because even though many people consider alcohol an empty-calorie food source (meaning it has no nutritional value), drinking too much can lead to weight gain, increasing the risk of developing other health conditions such as diabetes if leftover time. And, don’t forget, if you are ever in need of help, New Horizon Counseling Center Addiction Recovery programs are licensed by the NYS Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse to treat substance abuse by offering to help all individuals whose lives are affected by addiction.
