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How To (Subtly) Drink Less Alcohol

It’s getting to that time of the year where we wonder how we’re already halfway through 2018, we try to squeeze every last drip out of the summer weather, and dread the idea of cold morning wake ups.

With that comes a lot of final rooftop bar birthdays, house parties in the colder months and perhaps a more frequent midweek wine to pair up with that warm chicken and corn soup (okay I am looking forward to that come winter season, admittedly.) But if you’re looking to actually try and slow down your casual alcohol addiction or binge drinking traits in the coming months (esp heading into Dry July), we got you.

Dance Dance

The more open you and the crew are to simply light up the dance floor, the better. Not only do you of course sweat out a few cheeky calories here and there, but we all know your dance move catalogue at least doubles when you have no drinks in your hand.

So just try and spend as much time on the DF as possible. Plus anyways, who honestly has time to wait in some long-ass line for an overpriced cocktail when Ja Rule is being blasted?

Swap The Night Cap For Night Tea

Look we all know the warmth that a cheeky drop of red, white or whisky might provide after a night out or even on a casual weeknight. But not only does alcohol tend to result in poorer, more fragmented sleep, you can wake up suddenly due thirst – simply because of the dehydration it promotes.

If you’re someone that just absolutely needs a calming drink of some sort before bed (heck, even if you aren’t) swap in alcohol for tea. Especially green tea, which has that many antioxidants that it helps your immune system, helps you lose weight and has compounds that help soothe your nerves. And if you ever get bored, there are so many different teas to float between. (Ps. If you do struggle with sleeping, check out this sleep fact sheet from headspace to help get that consistent shut eye.)

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Stick To Routine (Or Try At Least)

Schedule, routine, structure (whatever you want to call it) is important to create habit. And ultimately if you’re trying to drink less, habit is the most important thing. Maybe you have one alcohol free weekend every third week of each month, maybe you only have one big night out every month? Heck even start things super easy and just try to avoid alcohol for the majority of the week. Start small, and stick to those goals each week.

Hit The Top Shelf

There’s no doubt that regardless of how much coin you have in your bank, we all can be quite money conscious when buying bevs at your next mate’s birthday. Most of us might spend about $100+ (so sad to think about how much $$ we’ve all spent on boozey nights on the town) on a regular alcohol-fuelled adventure. So next time maybe try the top shelf of premium spirits and such.

It’s a bit of a last resort, but go for the exxy spirits, and it might sound borderline ludicrous to advocate spending $20 for a high-end vodka soda or whiskey on the rocks, but it’s effective. The pricey spirits are often cleaner and made with better ingredients than the cheap stuff (there’s a reason why Aldi wine costs $3..), and the price alone might set off some internal guilt. But be warned, the last thing you want to do is spend heaps on pricey drinks, only to get tipsy and end up spending a fortune in your drunken-confidence state.

It can be tough to ease up on the alcohol if it’s such a regular part of your life, and maybe even your job or career. But small steps are key to start helping you drink less. If you’re after a few more tips to get things moving, check out headspace’s tips on how to manage alcohol to see how you can start slowly making changes that will make you feel super brilliant without big hangovers.

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