Sometimes in life, we realise that we need to change our drinking habits to improve our lives, avoid regretful situations and make better choices whilst socialising.

This article will arm you with nine effective strategies that you can implement easily and immediately that will help you to make really quick and effective changes to your drinking habits.

By implementing these simple yet powerful tips, you can make a change today which will help you reach your goals when it comes to managing your drinking and preventing alcohol problems in the future.

1. Make a plan

It is important to think about the changes you want to make regarding your drinking.

Once you have set your goals, decide on a limit that you want to set yourself before you start drinking.

Once you are out, keep count of the drinks that you are consuming and try to stick to your limit.

Don’t be too hard on yourself should you have one or two above your limit and, likewise, don’t feel that you have to reach your limit! If you’ve had enough to drink and don’t feel the need to continue then stop and switch to mocktails or soft drinks or even just make your excuses and leave the situation.

2. Set a budget

Another way to limit and control your drinking is to set a budget for when you go out.

This will not only save you money in the long run but it will help you to limit the amount that you have to drink.

To do this, decide how many drinks you are going to limit yourself and only take out the amount of cash that it will take to pay for your total number of drinks.

If you cut down your total number of drinks by just six per week, over a year you would save a staggering 1,500 pounds based on a single drink costing a fiver.

3. Let friends know your plan

You don’t have to tell people that you might have a drinking problem. Instead, consider telling them that you are trying to limit your drinking to a certain weekly amount for health reasons.

It is a good idea to tell a friend, loved one or family what your plan is so that they can support you with your changes but more importantly that they will then refrain from innocently trying to encourage you to drink more.

If you feel comfortable using this technique then it can be one of the most powerful tools that you have to manage your drinking.

4. Take it one day at a time

Taking things a day at a time can really help reduce feelings of overwhelm and fears of failure. All you have to do is to reduce your drinking a little today.

Try not to think about ho you are going to do this every day, eerie week and every year.

Simply focus on today. If you have days when you fail to successfully carry out your plan then don’t beat yourself up about it.

Instead of giving up and going back to your old habits, just say to yourself that it is okay to fail sometimes and try try again next time.

5. Drink smaller measures or choose weaker drinks

One great strategy that my clients find relatively easy to implement is to reduce the size of drinks that they order or to choose a lower-alcohol alternative.

For example, if you drink wine, don’t buy a bottle or a large glass. Instead, opt for a small glass.

If you drink beer then go for a bottle rather than a pint and, if possible, choose a beer with a lower alcohol content such as replacing a pint of Stella with a bottle of becks.

You will be drinking less whilst reducing the total amount of alcohol that you consume.

You don’t need to make this a miserable experience as you can continue to go out and drink.

After a while, you will simply get used to this new way of drinking and you will gain confidence as well as increase your levels of self-esteem.

6. Don’t Keep Alcohol in Your Home

This is a simple yet effective strategy to reduce and control your alcohol consumption.

Try not to have any alcohol at home and it will immediately reduce the temptation to drink when you haven’t planned to.

Seeing that bottle of wine in your kitchen or ice-cold beer in your fridge can be too much of a temptation for many people and it can seriously put a dent in your plan to reduce your alcohol consumption, especially on days that you have allocated as being alcohol-free.

7. Drink Water Before a Session

Not only is staying hydrated good for your general health, but drinking water before, during and after a session on the booze will help you to drink slower, reduce the amount of alcohol you consume and help you reduce the negative effects the morning after.

Drinking water or soft drinks before and during a night out can also fill you up more and reduce your thirst levels thus reducing your desire to drink too much booze.

8. Take a break

It is important to try having at least three or four alcohol-free days weekly. Not only does this help to reduce your overall alcohol intake but it can also help to break the pattern of habitual daily drinking.

You will feel a lot better for it and you will increase your control over your drinking as well as develop some pride about the changes that you are implementing. This is one of the strategies advised by the NHS.

9. Talk to an Expert

Getting support from an expert can help you start to control your drinking as well as help you along the way as you implement your changes.

You can book an online session with us by clicking here or searching for alcohol counsellors in your local area.

The most important thing is to get some guidance, support and accountability. You’ve got this!