Kokova Magazine

Sometimes the odd drink or night out can become more than a special occasion - with many people starting to consider the amount of alcohol they consume on a weekly basis.

Once you have discovered how much you are drinking and if you decide to cut down, you may find you need a little help and advice on how to do it.

The NHS recommends:

• men should not regularly drink more than 3-4 units a day
• women should not regularly drink more than 2-3 units a day

If you regularly drink more than the recommended limits, try these simple tips to help you cut down.
'Regularly' means drinking these amounts every day or most days of the week.

Make a plan - before you start drinking, set yourself a limit on how much you’re going to drink.

Set yourself a budget - only take a fixed amount of money to spend on alcohol.

Let them know - if you let your friends and family know you’re cutting down and that it’s important to you, you could get support from them.

Take it a day at a time - try and cut back a little each day. That way, every day you do is a success.

Make it a smaller one - you can still enjoy a drink but go for smaller sizes. Try bottled beer or a small glass of wine.

Have a lower-strength drink- cut down the alcohol by swapping strong beers or wines for ones with a lower strength (ABV in %). You'll find this information on the bottle.

Stay hydrated - drink a pint of water before you start drinking, and avoid using alcohol to quench your thirst. Have a soft drink instead.

Take a break - have the odd day each week when you don’t have an alcoholic drink.

Drink diary - download a drink diary (PDF) to track your drinking over a week.

Benefits of cutting down

The most immediate effects of cutting down include:

• feeling better in the mornings
• being less tired during the day
• your skin may start to look better
• you’ll start to feel fitter
• you may stop gaining weight

Long-term benefits include:

Mood - There's a strong link between heavy drinking and depression, and hangovers often make you feel anxious and low. If you already feel anxious or sad, drinking can exaggerate this, so cutting down may put you in a better mood generally.

Sleep - Drinking can affect your sleep. Although it can help some people fall asleep quickly, it can disrupt your sleep patterns and stop you from sleeping deeply. So cutting down on alcohol should help you feel more rested when you wake up.

Behaviour - Drinking can affect your judgement and behaviour. You may behave irrationally or aggressively when you’re drunk. Memory loss can be a problem during drinking and in the long-term for regular heavy drinkers.

Heart - Long-term heavy drinking can lead to your heart becoming enlarged. This is a serious condition that can't be completely reversed, but stopping drinking is an important part of preventing it getting worse.

Immune system - Regular drinking can affect your immune system. Heavy drinkers tend to catch more infectious diseases.

Courtesy of www.nhs.uk