An after-work beer here, a glass of sparkling wine to celebrate the day there: Alcohol has a firm place in our society – although it is by no means healthy. Utopia shows what health risks alcohol consumption entails and how you can manage to drink less alcohol.
Drinking less alcohol is one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions every year. But many also consciously go on radical withdrawal for a month. We have tried and tested tips on how to reduce your alcohol intake.
Drinking alcohol: a toxic part of our society
Alcohol is an integral part of our everyday life: we meet for a beer after work, toast our birthdays with sparkling wine and drink a glass of red wine for dinner. Celebrations and drinking alcohol also belong together for many people. Alcohol consumption in Germany is correspondingly high; per capita, people aged 15 and over drink 10.2 liters of pure alcohol per year in this country (source: DHS).
The problem: We often associate alcohol with socializing, perceive consumption as normal – and find it difficult to imagine celebrations without alcohol, for example. But that shouldn’t hide the fact that alcohol is a drug that can be addictive.
The German Center for Addiction Issues (DHS) states that the consumption of alcohol is always risky. Even small amounts can impair the ability to concentrate and react. In addition, according to the DHS, alcohol consumption can result in various health problems, such as diseases of the liver, pancreas, heart, central and peripheral nervous system and muscles. Alcohol can even cause cancer.
Experts therefore advise drinking as little or no alcohol as possible. Specifically, the DHS recommends: “Alcohol should be avoided completely on at least two to three days a week.” In addition, adults should not permanently exceed the following amounts in order not to risk disease:
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Women: twelve grams of pure alcohol daily
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Men: 24 grams of pure alcohol daily
To illustrate these amounts of alcohol: There are about ten grams of pure alcohol in 0.1 liters of wine or sparkling wine, 0.2 liters of beer or four centilitres (cl) of schnapps.
The best tips to drink less alcohol
We don’t want to spoil a glass of wine with a good meal or a small beer on vacation. But for the sake of your health, you should limit your alcohol consumption. It works with the following tips.
Important Note: We are targeting adults who drink occasionally and want to limit their alcohol consumption. If you are concerned about being or becoming an alcohol dependant, you should seek professional help from a counseling center. The DHS lists contact points on its website, aid organizations such as Caritas or the Blue Cross also help. The Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA) also offers an information line for addiction prevention on 0221 892031.
1. Get an overview of your own alcohol consumption
First of all, it is important that you know how often and how much alcohol you drink. Therefore, write down for a month on which days you drink and how many glasses it is. Important: Also note why you drank on this occasion. You can note this in your diary or you can make a note on your cell phone.
After the month you have a good overview of how many days a week you drink alcohol and you can reduce the days step by step. If you turn to alcohol to unwind or to celebrate achievements, below are tips on how to substitute drinks like wine and beer in these situations.
2. Set goals
You can of course do a “cold start” and temporarily do without alcohol completely. This is particularly popular at the beginning of a new year – keyword Dry January – or during Lent.
Our colleague tried not to drink alcohol for a month herself – she rarely pushed her limits, but learned a lot about beer and herself. Feel free to read about her experiences in the article: “Dry January”: A month without beer, wine and Co. in a self-experiment
If you don’t want to radically stop drinking, set other goals. This can be:
- Only drink alcohol once a week.
- Don’t drink alcohol for a week every month.
- Drink alcohol “only” 100 days out of the 365 days a year.
A firm rule can help to sustainably reduce your alcohol consumption. If you only loosely resolve to drink “less”, you cannot measure whether you stick to it.
3. Avoid alcohol in everyday life
At birthdays, company celebrations and other occasions (plenty of) alcohol often flows, but people also unconsciously drink regularly in everyday life. You can reduce:
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Don’t buy alcohol to take home. That way you won’t be tempted to pour yourself a glass of wine or open a bottle of beer on the couch in the evening.
- Speaking of after-work beer: Many people drink it to relax and switch off after a stressful day. Break this routine and find other ways to unwind: a walk, a yoga session, or a podcast will clear your head.
- In a beer garden or in a bar, alcohol is somehow part of it? Simply order the non-alcoholic version and try out the large selection of non-alcoholic beers (also available in organic quality). Alcohol-free wine and sparkling wine are also available.
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Alcohol-free cocktails can be a varied new experience, you can also mix so-called mocktails yourself.
- If you’re ever bored with water, throw a slice of lemon in your glass or spice up the fizz with mint leaves. A shot of fruit juice or syrup also tastes delicious, but usually contains a lot of sugar.
- When meeting up with friends or family, deliberately suggest non-alcoholic activities. For example, go on an extensive hike, go to an escape room, go on a scavenger hunt or cook together.
If you do want to drink alcohol, know your limits and never quench your thirst with alcohol. Remember to drink a water in between party nights and don’t down cocktails and co. quickly, but enjoy them slowly.
Celebrate success and persevere in the long term
If you’re the only one in your group of friends who doesn’t want to drink alcohol, it’s not easy at first. But try to be steadfast and don’t let yourself be persuaded to drink. Say clearly “No, I don’t want to drink alcohol today.” You can learn to say no.
Explain to your friends why you want to reduce your alcohol consumption. Maybe you can get a person or two to think and you’ll soon have alcohol-free allies.
Very important for you to keep going for a long time: If you have achieved your goal for six months, for example, you should celebrate this success. Treat yourself to a massage, a meal at a nice restaurant, or a day off just for you.
You will see that over time it will become easier and easier to drink less alcohol. Because your new routines, such as a walk after work or a non-alcoholic beer, will become routine. This means that you question them less and instead automatically incorporate them into your everyday life.
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