Want to drink less during the holidays? These 5 tips can help you cut back on booze.
From the festive cocktails at holiday parties and a steady stream of eggnog to toasting the new year with a glass of bubbly, alcohol-fueled celebrations are likely filling up your calendar right now. But if you're still haunted by the Ghosts of Hangovers Past, are looking to reap the health benefits of cutting back on booze or just want a head start on Dry January, rest assured: You can get through it without drinking quite so much.
Looking to cut back on the booze this holiday season? Experts share their top tips.
Plan or attend holiday events where alcohol isn't the main focus
“Parties are often centered around alcohol,” Dr. Stephen Holtsford, medical director at Recovery Centers of America, tells Yahoo Life. “Instead, plan active events where the main attraction is something other than alcohol consumption.” That could mean inviting friends over to check out the holiday light displays in your neighborhood (with mugs of hot chocolate at the ready) instead of hosting a cocktail party.
If you're invited to a boozy gathering — say, the company holiday party you know will have an open bar — you can also consider whether or not it's worth attending. Holtsford notes that some people looking to avoid drinking stay away from events where they might be tempted, while others set a limit for how long they'll spend there. You can always drop by for a bit before calling it a night — or heading off for another activity that doesn't involve alcohol.
Consider drinking only on special occasions
Kelly Jones, a performance dietitian for athletes and active adults, advises minimizing your alcohol intake by only drinking on select occasions — and not, say, after work on a quiet Wednesday night at home. "Make it a point to skip your usual glass on weeknights or days when you don’t have a function,” says Jones.
It's also worth keeping in mind that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines moderate drinking as no more than one alcoholic beverage per day for women, and two or fewer drinks per day for men; binge drinking is having four or more drinks on one occasion for women, or five or more drinks for men. Having eight or more drinks in a week (for women) or 15 or more (for men) is considered heavy drinking. (It's also important to point out that the World Health Organization says that no level of alcohol consumption is safe.)
Avoiding alcohol on other days of the week can give you a little more wiggle room to indulge during a party — though, again, it's advisable to avoid overdoing it and/or falling into the binge drinking category.
Find an accountability buddy
Think of this as a not-drinking buddy. “Team up with a friend who’s also cutting back and make it a fun challenge to try the best nonalcoholic drinks together,” suggests Dr. Partha Nandi, a gastroenterologist and clinical associate professor of medicine at Michigan State University.
Whether it’s your spouse, partner, best friend or a co-worker, using the buddy system will help you stay on track when it comes to drinking less. It's also more fun to sip a mocktail when you're not the only one doing so.
Have a drinking strategy
Nandi recommends setting a limit — such as just one drink for the night — before starting your evening, but there are even more ways to be strategic.
“I always suggest pushing the first drink back as long as possible,” Stephanie Dunne, a registered dietitian at Nutrition Q.E.D., tells Yahoo Life. “Starting with sparkling water or a mocktail reduces the amount of time in which alcohol could be consumed.”
Dunne and Jones both also recommend alternating between one alcoholic beverage and one nonalcoholic drink (either a mocktail, water or some bubbly seltzer to keep things feeling festive). “[This] can reduce total alcohol consumption while also helping keep one hydrated … which is one part of reducing hangover symptoms,” says Dunne.
Try out different mocktails and other nonalcoholic drinks
“Experiment with mocktails, nonalcoholic beer and other nonalcoholic drinks at home before the holiday events get started,” Dunne suggests. “There are so many nonalcoholic drink options on the market that each of us has to find the one that we want to drink.”
Not sure where to start? Dunne says her favorite mocktail is simply a splash of pure, unsweetened cranberry juice mixed into sparkling water. “The tannins in the cranberry juice and the bubbles in the sparkling water give a similar mouth feel to a dry sparkling rosé, without the negative side effects that alcohol can bring. Served in a champagne flute, this beverage is worthy of toasting with,” she says.
Most events will have at least some juice or soda around, but you can always bring your own booze-free beverage. “If you don’t anticipate nonalcoholic options wherever you’re going, bring a bottle of zero-proof wine or some sparkling water and fill up a wine or rocks glass,” says Jones.
