7 Tips To Tame Tippling

Posted: Monday 18 July 2011 12:19pm

For anyone partaking of Dry July – and therefore not of alcohol – this is the home stretch. Those stoic souls who’ve given up their beloved tipples this month to raise money for cancer resdearch (Younger You friends and contributors Shonagh Walker and Anna Barr among them) say they’re feeling better and more energised, but still yearn for that lovely vino (or two …)  at the end of long day or over a long meal.

For anyone concerned they are drinking too much and need to ease off to improve their health and wellbeing – or Dry Julyers who are thinking of carrying on – here are 7 tips to cut alcohol back, or out, provided by the crew at online health resource, The Right Balance (www.therightbalance.com.au). Your thinner waistline and newly dewier skin will thank you too:

1. Alcohol, the thirst quencher (not!)

How often do you get to the bar and down a schooner or vodka cranberry in record time? Always start off with a non-alcoholic beverage, particularly if you find you are happier with a boozy beverage at hand to help relax into a situation. Better still, use “spacers’” (not chasers) in between alcoholic drinks to prevent excessive alcohol consumption.  A schooner of iced water always wins, hands down.

2. Tally up.

Keep a mental tab on your drinks to help keep within the recommended guidelines – which is, by the way, no more than 2 standard drinks per day. But you already knew that. This includes those sneaky refills. Avoid refilling your glass until it is empty and/or telling the waiter to back off (a bit).

3. Savour the flavour.

Wine lovers, take note. Rather than gulp, Take smaller sips and savour, and make it last.

4. Allocate a set amount of time.

If you know it’s going to be an all-nighter, why not start by setting a  “one drink per hour’” limit? Remember, in order to have control over how much you drink, you have to know how much you are drinking!

5. Empty stomach?

The bottom line: drinking on an empty stomach makes you drunk faster. Full stop!

6. Opt out of the rounds.

Consider this – Are you drinking to be merry or to get mashed? Many of us enjoy a tipple or two to relax, to bond with friends or to create a buzz – but how much is too much, and how often does it happen every week?

7. Don’t drink to cope with stress.

And perhaps the most important tip. Exercise, relaxation, meditation or talking to friends are much safer ways of coping.

For those who haven’t signed up, what are you waiting for? Not only will you say goodbye to the weekend binges and throbbing hangovers, but you’ll be raising funds to support adults living with cancer across Australia. For more details go to the Dry July website.

by Jenni Gilbert

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