Want To Reduce Alcohol Use?
Alcohol underpins many social situations. It often feels "necessary" to drink to maintain friendships or business relationships. We often think it is "necessary" to have a drink to relax or have fun.
It's okay to have drinks in moderation, but it's never necessary to have a drink. Nobody is born with a lack of alcohol. As a child, we didn't need drinks to have fun and connect.
Somewhere in the world the idea has crept in that "drinking = fun" is in our heads – and it drives us too often into blurry nights and hangovers.
To really enjoy alcohol (if you want), you cannot allow it to have power over you. Here are five tips I used to drastically reduce alcohol consumption:
5 tips to reduce alcohol consumption
1. Rethink your thoughts on drinking
In college (at least as a man), the more you can drink, the "cooler" you become. If you can chug 10 beers, you'll be harder than the next one.
I used to feel guilty and lame because I wasn't partying hard or leaving early and skipping those extra beers.
But true strength comes when you feel sober.
strength has the courage to create its own reality and does not have to evade it.
we all want to improve. Once you can internalize the assumption that sobriety is a virtue, you may find it easier to stop or break down.
2. Ice Cream Sandwiches
If you suddenly cut back, you will probably experience extreme cravings. However, this craving applies not only to alcohol, but also to the sugar (and calories) your body consumes during happy hour.
The first week I stopped, I bought a pack of ice cream sandwiches. I would eat one at the end of the working day. I would consider it the same ritual to relax.
These treats satisfied sugar addiction so that my brain only had to fight one desire (alcohol) at a time.
At some point I cut again on the ice cream sandwiches.
3. Soda water and limes
Sure, you reduce alcohol consumption, but still want to make contacts. Can I recommend ordering soda water with lime?
The drink gives you something to do with your hands and satisfies your oral fixations.
In addition, everyone will simply assume that you are drinking a cocktail. The question "Why don't you drink?" You don't have to answer a million times.
When someone asks me directly whether I drink or not, I tell them the truth. However, if I decide to stay sober, it will be easier for me to do it simply and not make big announcements about it.
Not only when I hide it does it relieve you, it makes others feel more comfortable. Just because you don't drink doesn't mean that other people don't. Let them have fun and they will assume that you are right with them!
Bonus: You will see how strange bars really are when the night goes on. It's fun and a bit shocking to the sober eye.
4. Meditation / Mindfulness Practice
I meditate 21 minutes standing every morning and 21 minutes sitting every night. While it was not my intention, these practices made me drink less.
If you become more mindful and in tune with what you want from life, you will also better recognize the fact that I drink is just a distraction from your true calling.
When we don't drink, we spend more time building our dreams than sitting around (drinking) and talking about it.
5. Professional help and advice
Addiction is an illness. I was lucky enough not to have what most would call "alcoholism," but if you do, there is help. If ice cream sandwiches and Jedi Mind tricks are not convincing, there are always AA courses, therapy options and other professional help.
You don't have to fight addiction alone.
Conclusion
Whether you drink or not is up to you, but you have to control the habit before it controls you.
I really enjoyed my new, more mature relationship with alcohol and hope some of the tips and tricks in this article will help you do the same. Thank you for reading!
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