How to Lower Alcohol Intake

You've always enjoyed wine with dinner, beer while watching the game with your friends, or cocktails at happy hour after a hard day at work. But lately, you may have noticed that you don't seem to recover like you used to, or you're waking up hungover and sometimes missing work. Your head doesn't feel as clear and focused all the time, and you may have put on a few pounds (alcohol is almost completely empty calories). Perhaps others have commented that you seem to be drinking more, or are amazed at how well you can "hold your liquor.'' This is not a compliment, but a sign that your body has adapted to ethyl alcohol and needs more to get the same effect. In any case, you've decided that it's time to cut down.

Instructions

• 1

  Know what is considered a safe amount of alcohol to drink. According to the 2005 "Dietary Guidelines for Americans," by the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the recommended amount of alcohol is no more than one drink per day for women and no more than two drinks for men. Pregnant or nursing women, persons taking certain medications or with certain medical conditions, children and adolescents, or persons operating machinery or driving a motor vehicle should not drink at all. A standard drink in the U.S. is defined as 12 ounces of beer, eight ounces of malt liquor, five ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces or a "shot" of 80-proof distilled spirits or liquor. This amount reflects the amount consumed in a single day, not an average (so not drinking all week and binging on the weekends is not considered OK). The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) supports these guidelines, and the recommendations are well-substantiated by research on the effects --- both harmful and helpful --- of alcohol on health.

• 2

  Clarify you motivation for cutting down or stopping drinking completely. Have a written list of solid reasons for changing your drinking behavior, for instance, "I want to drink less so that I can ..." and fill in the blank --- "feel better physically;'' "remember things I did the next day;'' "avoid arguments with my spouse;" "regain get my self-respect;" or "get fit enough to run a marathon." Keep or post the list in a prominent place and look at it frequently to remind yourself of the reasons you are trying to reduce your alcohol intake.

• 3

  Set your limits before you start drinking. If you go to a party or out for the evening, determine that you will have no more than one or two drinks. Don't wait until you've already started drinking, since your decision-making ability is immediately affected by the first drink, and you may find your willpower dissolving. Make a plan before you go out and stick to it.

• 4

  Time your drinks and space them out. Your body can only metabolize about one drink per hour, so drink slowly and make it last. On a weekly basis, don't drink every day. Give your body a break and time to repair the damage that alcohol does.

• 5

  Alternate alcoholic with nonalcoholic beverages. Choose soda water with a lemon or lime squeeze, juice or a soft drink in between alcoholic drinks. It is better not to drink coffee, energy drinks or other beverages with a lot of caffeine, as the extra jolt they give you could fool you into thinking that the alcohol you've consumed has had no effect.

• 6

  Eat before you drink. Alcohol is quickly absorbed through an empty stomach, while food will slow down the rate at which it passes through your system. This will make you feel satiated and help you moderate the amount you consume. Use alcohol to complement food, not replace it.

• 7

  Learn to say "No" politely, recommends the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in their guidelines on college student drinking. You don't have to explain "why" to anyone: It's your body, your mind, your decision. If you feel uncomfortable, say that you are on a new health kick or taking medication.'

• 8

  Rid your home of alcohol. If you have people over, buy only what you need for that occasion. Do not keep a well-stocked bar; if it's there, you are more likely to drink it.

• 9

  Check out the organization Moderation Management, which bills itself as a "behavioral change program and national support group network for people concerned about their drinking and who desire to make positive lifestyle changes." The free program emphasizes the goal of harm reduction and learning to drink responsibly and safely instead of requiring complete abstinence from alcohol. You can learn techniques that have worked for others and share your concerns and feelings in supportive, confidential group settings or online chat rooms with like-minded people.

• 10

  Contact other free groups for help if you find that you're consistently breaking your promises to yourself to cut down on or moderate your drinking. If you have a history of alcohol abuse or alcoholism in your family, you are automatically --- by virtue of your genetic makeup --- at higher risk. While Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is the best known or these organizations and has daily meetings in nearly every large city in the world, as well as online groups, there are alternatives, all of which offer face-to-face groups as well as online support: Women for Sobriety, Secular Organizations for Sobriety, Rational Recovery, and SMART Recovery are among the largest and best known. Most of them require a commitment to complete abstinence from alcohol, but can be useful in helping you cut down in the meantime.