Tips for staying out of trouble with alcohol
- Remember to eat, hydrate, pace yourself and plan
- Have regular alcohol-free days.
- If you choose to drink, start with a non-alcoholic drink first. Then make sure you have a non-alcoholic drink (such as water or juice) between each alcoholic drink.
- Dilute your alcoholic drink with a non-alcoholic mixer, ice or water.
- Eat a meal before you head out for a drink and continue to eat while you are drinking too. This helps slow the rate at which your body absorbs alcohol.
- Know what you are drinking, eg, cocktails might not taste very alcoholic but they generally are!
- Avoid getting into ‘rounds’ or ‘shouts’. They can make you drink faster and drink more than usual.
- Set limits for yourself and stick to them. Don’t let other people talk you into drinking more than you want.
- Do something other than drink at a social event. Dancing, playing music or games can take the focus away from drinking.
Warning signs that you or someone you know may be having problems with alcohol use
- Drinking more often and larger amounts
- Experiencing temporary blackouts or short-term memory loss
- Inability to control how often and how much alcohol is consumed
- Drinking alcohol even when you don’t want to
- Feeling hung over when you don’t drink alcohol
- Difficulty with meeting responsibilities, such as appointments, work or assignment deadlines
- Noticing changes to normal life activities, such as socialising less or only socialising with people who drink
- Feeling ill or moody when you don’t drink alcohol
- Increased spending on alcohol
- Getting into risky or dangerous situations
- Other people expressing concerns about your drinking or behaviour when you drink alcohol
- Loss of friends and relationships
- Lying about the amount of alcohol being consumed to family and friends
