Alcohol is one of the most commonly used substances in America. Society is awash in beer commercials, billboards for alcohol, and messages that declare social situations must have alcohol present to be fun. Many people don’t even consider alcohol a drug or think of themselves as using substances when they drink. But the reality is that alcohol abuse and addiction is a huge problem across the country. The best way to avoid a problematic relationship with alcohol is to abstain. However, alcohol moderation is possible. You can right-size your relationship to alcohol and continue to participate in drinking alcohol without careening into danger.
Discover the benefits of Insight Recovery Centers’ alcohol addiction treatment program in Virginia by calling 703.592.6946.
What Is Alcohol Moderation?
A lot of people struggle to know what the right balance is for alcohol moderation. In addition, each person reacts differently to alcohol. That means alcohol moderation for you could look a bit different from alcohol moderation for your best friend. Still, the medical community has put forth a guideline for limiting alcohol intake. Their recommendation is for women not to have more than one drink per day and men not to have more than two drinks per day.
Some of the best questions to ask related to whether or not you are practicing alcohol moderation or whether you are leaning toward dangerous alcohol consumption are:
- Do you regularly drink until you are sick or blackout?
- Do you regularly drink more or for longer than you intend?
- Has drinking interfered with school, your job, or your family responsibilities?
- Have you found yourself unable to think about anything besides getting a drink?
If you answered yes to one or more of those questions, it is likely time to start drinking less. Limiting your alcohol intake is possible by implementing a few easy tips that are explored in the next section.
How to Drink Less
You’ve identified a problem–you need to start drinking less. But just saying that doesn’t solve that problem. Consider employing a few of the following tips for drinking less to achieve alcohol moderation.
1. Measure and Track Your Drinks
Many people have an imbalanced relationship with alcohol consumption because they simply have no idea how much they are actually drinking in an evening or at a social event. A simple way to get a handle on this is to measure your drinks and track how many you have. You can even employ a partner or friend to help you keep track as a form of accountability.
2. Plan
Don’t just tell yourself to limit your alcohol intake; actually plan how you will do so. You can set daily limits on alcohol and implement certain days that will be sober. Research indicates starting a week strong is an important indicator of how the rest of a given week will go. With that in mind, try sober Mondays. Sticking to your goals in the first few days of a week will make it easier to stick to your plan when the weekend rolls around, and you might otherwise be tempted to throw the plan out.
3. Engage in Healthy Habits
Stopping something without replacing it could simply leave a void. While you are limiting your alcohol intake, consider leaning more into healthy habits such as exercising, drinking lots of water, and eating fruits and vegetables.
4. Remove Alcohol From Your House
Keeping alcohol around at all times is a huge temptation. If you are serious about drinking less, do not keep alcohol in the house. Remove it altogether so you can approach alcohol moderation without a constant temptation present.
Achieving Alcohol Moderation With Insight Recovery Centers
Insight Recovery Centers understand that drinking less may not come naturally. Achieving alcohol moderation is a process; expecting to transform your relationship with alcohol overnight is unrealistic. Learn more tips for how to drink less by calling 703.592.6946.
