Your weekly drinking results
A few changes could make a difference to you
You drink MORE than 72% of men your age
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!
Drinking less can help you sleep.
Regular drinking can affect the quality of your sleep, making you feel tired and sluggish. When you drink alcohol before bed you may fall into a deep sleep quicker, but as the night goes on you spend more time in the less restful Rapid Eye Movement (REM) stage of sleep. This can leave you feeling tired the next day, not matter how long you stay in bed. To help you sleep better, stop drinking earlier before bedtime. This will give your body time to process the alcohol you've drunk. On average it takes two hours to process a glass of wine or pint of beer. For more advice to help you sleep visit www.nhs.uk/livewell/sleep/pages/sleep-home.aspx
Drinking less can lift your mood.
Some people drink when they're feeling down, but this usually only makes them feel worse. Initially alcohol may make you feel more energetic or cheerful, but then - because alcohol is a depressant - you could end up feeling worse. For other ways to lift your mood visit www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/
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.
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.
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.
Steer clear of rounds.
Think of a good reason for avoiding rounds, and let your friends know before you start drinking. For example - you're losing weight, you're saving up, or you have something important to do in the morning. Another popular idea is only taking a limited amount of money (and no bank cards) out with you. If you don't want to drink at all, you could offer to be the designated driver. This will help you stay in control of how much you're drinking.
Don't spoil your night before it begins.
Merseyside Police are making sure that bars don't serve anyone that is drunk. Make sure your night doesn't get cut short by drinking less before you go out or waiting until you go out to have a drink. Find out more at www.drinklessenjoymore.co.uk
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