Plan ahead for the party – advice for keeping track of your alcohol consumption

Here are some tips:

• Start by describing what you are not satisfied with about your drinking.
  What are your drinking habits? What can make you drink too much, too fast or too long? What are the consequences for you?
• Then set goals for how to drink during the evening.
  What does a successful evening look like to you? What is the limit for your drinking to make you feel good and behave in the way you want? What do you want to be able do the next day? Then plan how you want to drink.
• Decide on a time when you will stop drinking.
  Then portion out your drinks. How long should each glass last for you to stick to your plan? If you need reminders to help you stick to your times, you can set a silent, vibrating alarm on your mobile. Stop at your stopping time and switch to non-alcoholic drinks or water.
• Drink more slowly.
  Take small sips and put the glass down between sips. Take a break between your drinks and see how you feel. By drinking more slowly, you reduce the amount of alcohol you consume and reduce the risk of quickly becoming too drunk.
• Let every other glass contain water or a non-alcoholic drink.
  One tip is to opt out of having alcohol in your drink and just have a non-alcoholic drink or to replace the strong beer with an alcohol-free beer that you pour into a glass. In this way, any annoying alcohol nagging from others is avoided because it doesn’t look like your drink is alcohol-free.
• Avoid rounds where one person buys the rest of the group a drink.
  Did you miss the opportunity to say no? Swish the person who bought the round so you don’t have to buy one back. If you feel that you have to buy a round, you can choose alcohol-free for yourself.
• Eat well before you start drinking.
  Eat something during the evening too. Food prevents alcohol from being absorbed into the blood as quickly.
• Activate yourself.
  Sometimes it can be tempting to get stuck just sitting and talking, which easily leads to the focus being on drinking. By focusing on other things, you drink less. Do a music quiz, dance or play a game. So the next time you plan a meet up, remember to include some kind of activity to keep both the conversation and the body going!
• Dare to say no.
  Are you being challenged? Stick to your answer and direct the conversation onto something else, perhaps by asking an unrelated question.

Think about what tips might work for you. Choose one or two at a time and try them out. Then evaluate how it went: what worked well/less well? Is there something you need to alter or do you want to try one of the other tips?