Alcohol: how to drink less

• Start with a soft drink. You will drink much faster if you are thirsty, so have a non-alcoholic drink to quench your thirst before you start drinking alcohol.
• Use standard drinks. Monitor how much alcohol you drink. By converting what you drink into standard drinks, it is easier to keep track.
• Drink slowly. Take sips and not gulps. Put your glass down between sips.
• Eat before or while you are drinking. Eating slows your drinking pace and fills you up. If you have a full stomach, alcohol will be absorbed more slowly.
• Avoid salty snacks. Salty food like chips or nuts make you thirsty, so you drink more.
• Avoid ‘shouts’. Don't get involved in shouts or rounds. Drink at your own pace — not someone else's. If you do get stuck in a shout, buy a non-alcoholic drink when it's your turn.
• Have one drink at a time. Don't let people top up your drinks. It is hard to keep track of how much alcohol you have drunk.
• Pace yourself. Try having a ‘spacer’, a non-alcoholic drink, every second or third drink.
• Stay busy. If you have something to do, you tend to drink less. Play pool or dance — don't just sit and drink.
• Try the low-alcohol alternative. A wide range of light beers are available. Low-alcohol or non-alcoholic wines are also becoming more available. Most places that serve cocktails also serve non-alcoholic versions.
• Have alcohol-free days. Have at least 2 days a week when you don't drink at all.
• Keep a diary. Write down how much you drink each day. This can make you more aware of exactly how much you drink.
• Be assertive. Don't be pressured into drinking more than you want or intend to. Tell your friends ‘thanks, but no thanks’.

Alcohol can be an enjoyable part of life. However, alcohol can cause problems when consumption is not controlled.

For more tips on how to drink less and to minimise the risk of alcohol-related harm, contact the alcohol and drug information service in your state or territory.

For more information, please click on the Australian Drug Foundation's DrugInfo Clearinghouse web site link below.

myDr, 2002. Reproduced with kind permission from the Australian Drug Foundation.
© Copyright: myDr, UBM Medica Australia, 2000-2010. All rights reserved.

Last Reviewed: 20 September 2006