At times in your life, you may have noticed that you’ve been drinking more than usual. This can happen for a wide variety of reasons. Maybe you’ve met a new group of people who spend more time partying, you feel stress about work, or you simply feel bored. But whatever the trigger is for your excessive drinking, it’s a slippery slope toward alcohol abuse once you create the habit of drinking too much. So to help you nip this problem in the bud before it becomes something larger, here are three ways you can address your excessive drinking.
Know How Much You’re Actually Drinking
When you’re out at a restaurant or club, it can be hard to know how much you’re actually drinking because you’re not filling or mixing your own drinks. Without knowing, it can be hard for you to know just how much alcohol you’re consuming and then know when it should be time for you to cut yourself off. To help with this, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism recommends knowing how much alcohol is in a standard mixed drink and then knowing how much you can drink for your body without getting too drunk. You can also ask your server not to refill your drink until you’re completely done so you can better keep track of the amount you’re consuming.
Create A Drinking Pattern
If you’re planning on spending a night out and anticipate that you’ll be drinking, a good way to ensure you don’t drink too much too soon is to create a drinking pattern for yourself. KnowYourLimits.info suggests alternating the alcoholic drinks you get with non-alcoholic drinks. You could also ask the bartender to put less alcohol in your drinks if you’re wanting to make the amount of alcohol you’re drinking last longer. By creating a pattern of switching between alcohol and no alcohol, you can spend more of your night out enjoying yourself in a safe way while also spending less money in the process.
Don’t Forget to Eat
Drinking on an empty stomach can make you feel drunker faster. It can also make you drink more in an attempt to make yourself feel full. Therefore, if you want to dissuade yourself from drinking too much, DrinkAware.co.uk advises eating a normal-sized meal before you go out and then eating snacks every few hours to help your belly feel full as well as absorb some of the alcohol you’re ingesting. This can be a great way to encourage yourself to drink less.
If you recognize that you’ve let your drinking get a little out of control, you can make steps to fix this problem before it goes too far. Use the tips mentioned above to begin addressing your habit of excessive drinking today.