3 Clever Ways To Reduce Your Drinking

Think your own drinking habits might be a bit high? You’re not alone, with 20 per cent of women in one study saying their rate of drinking had increased during COVID. A year ago, the guidelines from the National Health and Medical Research Council were revised to recommend that healthy drinking amounts to no more than 10 standard drinks a week. Want to slow down? Here, Jen Clements, certified grey-area drinking coach and Thrivalist co-founder, shares her top tips.

1 Create a weekly drinking plan

Instead of over-drinking in response to habitual cravings, make rational decisions in advance about your drinking. Each Sunday, plan for the week ahead by clearly writing down which days you’ll drink, what you’ll drink and how much you’ll consume on each occasion. Then track your actual beverages against your plan. Ensure you start by setting small, achievable reductions (eg, going from seven drinking days to six), as it’s far more effective to incrementally decrease your drinking week by week, rather than trying to make drastic reductions overnight.

2 Practise responding to cravings differently

Learning to respond to cravings by not drinking is a key skill you can learn to help reduce the amount you consume. When you feel like having a drink that’s not part of your plan, try the SBS technique: Stop, Breathe & Scan. Stop what you’re doing and set a timer for two minutes to give your full attention to the craving. Breathe deeply and use your awareness to scan your body, looking for the physical sensations of the craving. What part/s of your body do you feel the craving in? What does it feel like? Then ask yourself, “Can I tolerate these sensations?”. Spoiler alert – you can! And, finally, ask yourself, “What am I really craving and what do I truly need?”, because the answer isn’t alcohol.

3 Set yourself up for success

A common mistake many people make when trying to cut down on alcohol is simply deciding to drink less and expecting the decision alone to be enough. Avoid this trap by taking actions that set you up for success. For example, stock up on delicious alcohol-free alternatives that you can drink instead. Tell your partner and friends that you’re cutting down and ask for their support. Get feel-good dopamine hits elsewhere by doing healthy things you enjoy, such as walking in nature, listening to an inspiring podcast, having a relaxing bath, hitting the gym or doing a hobby. And, finally, commit to being kind to yourself throughout the process. Reducing your drinking is a skill that takes practice to learn, just like learning to ride a bike. Expect to be a bit wobbly and even to have the odd fall, but with practice, you’ll get there!