For many, summer is one of the most social periods of the year, when your schedule is filled with events that quite often involve drinking it can be a real challenge to reduce your alcohol intake.
A calendar packed full of social gatherings like picnics, beach parties, BBQ’s and trips away with friends and family can make an individual more inclined to drink more excessively, which will do no favours for their overall health. In fact a recent survey revealed that 53% of people consume more alcohol during summer than at any other time of the year.
How to reduce your alcohol intake
Martin Preston is an addiction specialist and founder of Private Rehab Centre Delamere, here he outlines five tips to cut down on the amount you’re drinking for the remainder of the summer season.
Fight back against the FOMO (fear of missing out)
Social media feeds are full of people enjoying drinks in busy beer gardens at this time of year, and this can lead to individuals feeling as though they are missing out if they’ve not got similar plans.
That’s why it is important for people to remember that social media only shows the positive snippets of a day’s drinking, and not the troubling or damaging effects and aftermath of overindulging.
Stay busy
During periods of hot or sunny weather, boredom may tempt an individual to go out and get drunk. It’s therefore recommended that those with a tendency to resort to drinking when they have nothing else planned, to organise a range of activities and sober events that make the most of the summer.
Planning healthy and stress-free activities like exploring the outdoors, reading, camping, and swimming are great rewarding ways to keep the mind and body focused.
Say no to uncomfortable events
One of the hardest but equally most important ways to not fall into the binge drinking cycle is by learning to say no!
Sometimes it can be hard for individuals to say no to events for a number of reasons, including being embarrassed to say they don’t want to drink or being afraid they will appear anti-social to others.
But, whether it’s yet another night out or another boozy summer barbeque, your body will always thank you for saying no.
Stay committed to a support network
If you do have friends and family that do not engage much with drinking, then be sure to spend a good amount of time with them this summer. After all, they can assure you that you don’t need to be consuming alcohol to have a good time.
While it might be tempting to surround yourself with ‘party people’ for the summer, it’s important to learn to appreciate the little things with loved ones.
Understand your temptations
When an individual has a problem with binge drinking, it’s essential that they understand what tempts them to drink in the first place.
A temptation can range from anything from a person, a place, a situation, a song to even a smell. Identifying and understanding what temptations an individual has will help them avoid binge drinking in the future.
If you found How to reduce alcohol intake: Expert tips to cut back during summer helpful, you’ll find more tips for lifestyle changes and healthier living on our Health channel
These tips should only be followed by those who are looking to cut down on how much alcohol they consume, and NOT those who struggle with alcohol dependency. Trying to detox using tips like this can be extremely dangerous to those that suffer problems surrounding alcohol consumption. Instead, they would need professional intervention in order to abstain from alcohol safely.
Martin Preston is an addiction specialist and founder of Private Rehab Centre Delamere.
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