Drink less alcohol

If you want to slowly reduce your alcohol consumption, there are some simple steps that can help. One of the best strategies is to set yourself a drink limit: every time you get a drink, take a note of what number drink it is. 

A good guide for setting your drink limit is to follow the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Australian guidelines to reduce health risks from drinking alcohol.
 

For adults, set yourself a limit of no more than ten standard drinks over a week and no more than four on any day.  

Anyone under 18 years of age along with women who are pregnant, breastfeeding or planning a pregnancy, should not drink at all.
 

There are many health benefits to creating the habit of having a few alcohol-free days each week. Not only will you lower your cancer risk, you will also see immediate physical and mental benefits including better sleep, increased energy, and a balanced mood. Plus don't forget the cost savings!

Instead of alcohol, try reaching for a low or no alcohol alternative. Many low or no alcohol drinks look and taste the same or similar as your favourite drink.

Some popular alternatives include:

• soda water, which can be flavoured with citrus or a splash of juice
• non-alcoholic spirits – many are infused with botanicals or spice flavours
• low or no alcohol beer or cider or wine
• mocktails instead of cocktails
• kombucha
• sparkling juice

Giving up or changing a drinking habit can be extremely challenging. This is made only harder when alcohol is at the heart of so many social events, making it difficult to say no to a drink. In the first few weeks of trying to reduce how much you drink, it can help to avoid events where there is drinking.

Try to see your friends during the day rather than the evening. Have a picnic in the park with family rather than meeting where there are alcoholic drinks available. Swap after-work drinks at a pub for coffee at a café before work. Or meet up with a friend for a walk or a swim instead of heading out to a bar. For more ideas on social activities that don't involve drinking, take a look at these suggestions from Hello Sunday Morning.

It is easy to be encouraged or to feel pressured into drinking, even when we tell our friends and family that we are drinking less for our health. Research shows peers can influence our drinking practices both directly and indirectly.⁵ Direct influences can be as clear as open encouragement to drink, buying someone a drink when they have said they do not want one, or subtle gestures to drink up. It is helpful to be aware of social pressure and to plan how you are going to respond.

Avoiding the pressure to drink can be as simple as planning an early start the next morning or heading home early. Remind yourself of the reasons you are cutting down or stopping drinking. A solid resolution to change your drinking can be a great aid in resisting the pressure to drink.

Setting up a personal support network or finding no drinking “buddies” can be extremely helpful to start and sustain a goal of reducing your alcohol intake. Telling people about your plans to stop drinking and being a part of a community with a shared goal can help you be accountable. Your support network does not have to be made up of just friends or family, it could be an online community.