Your weekly drinking results
You're reducing your risk of long-term health problems
You drink MORE than 65% of women your age
Less alcohol = less calories.
It's shocking to see how many calories are hidden in alcohol. Cutting out a drink here and there can really reduce calories and help you lose weight. For every large glass of wine you don't drink, you'll save 235 calories. For every pint, you'll save 180 calories. Avoiding spirits and mixers can save you lots of calories too.
Drinking less gives you more energy.
Drinking too much can make you feel tired, sluggish and generally a bit under the weather. Drink less and it shouldn't take too long before you notice that you have more energy.
Save money.
If you start drinking less you should quickly start to see the money you're saving pile up. Keep this money in a safe place and use it as additional motivation. The less you drink the more you'll save!
Now we know more about how you drink, we'd like to suggest some simple tips that you could try using to drink less. You don't need to do them all. Pick what works best for you and your life.
Dilute your drinks.
A popular way to drink less is to have a wine spritzer using soda water or a shandy instead of a pint (a shandy is beer or lager diluted with lemonade, make sure to ask for low-sugar lemonade). This will not only help you cut back on how much you are drinking, but your calories too! If you aren't keen on diluting your drink then try to reduce the number of drinks you are having on each occasion instead.
Swap to a lower strength to cut your calories.
Knowing the alcoholic strength of what you are drinking is really quite important. A simple way to reduce the amount of alcohol and calories you're drinking is to swap strong beers or wines for ones with a lower strength. The strength can be seen on the side of cans/bottles and on pumps in pubs as "% ABV", which stands for alcohol by volume. This is sometimes written as "vol" or "alcohol volume". A 1% difference may not sound much but it adds up over a few drinks.
Find other ways to relax and ease stress.
Drinking regularly can make you feel down or even lead to feelings of anxiety or depression, which make stress harder to deal with. This is because regular drinking interferes with neurotransmitters in our brains that are needed for good mental health. It's better to find out what's making you feel stressed and look for ways to deal with it. If stress can't be avoided, look for other ways to manage it better. Exercise can help. So can talking things through with someone and making sure you spend time doing things that you enjoy. For more ideas visit the other ways to relax section of our website.
Drop a drink size.
A really easy trick to drink a little less without feeling like you are missing out is to go for smaller sizes. Try bottled beer instead of pints, or a small glass of wine instead of a large one.
Can you have one less?
Each time you have a drink, ask yourself "Can I have one less?"
Be aware of your drinking.
Think about whether you ever automatically drink out of routine (after a long day, for example). You may hardly be aware you are doing it, so the amount you drink over a week creeps up. Some people find it helpful to keep a diary to identify when and how much they are drinking.
Is red wine really healthy?
Are beer and wine safer to drink than spirits?
© Drink Less Feel Good 2024
