These can range from limiting how much you drink per day or week to designating a window of time when you refrain from drinking altogether, such as No Alcohol November or Dry January. Whatever you’re determined to tackle, setting goals can help us reflect on past behaviors, and be intentional about what we want to change. Not to be a buzzkill, but alcohol can negatively influence our health in a few different ways  in both the short and long term. In 2022, the World Health Organization took an even stronger position, stating that “no level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health” based on available evidence. Their input hasn’t yet been incorporated into the final federal dietary guidelines.

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If you’re looking for confirmation that drinking red wine is good for your heart, or that a shot of whiskey can help ward off an infection, you’re looking in the wrong place! In fact, there is more and more research which states that drinking alcohol is not beneficial at all. Moderate drinking seems to be good for the heart and circulatory system, and probably protects against type 2 diabetes and gallstones. Heavy drinking is a major cause of preventable death in most countries.

Health benefits of not drinking

If stress is a trigger, you must consciously decide to manage it without resorting to alcohol. For example, do ten push-ups when stress strikes rather than head to the fridge. In 2022 we surveyed 500 Sunnyside members and learned almost 5% of them call “social pressure” a drinking trigger. “eCHECKUP to-go” offers online evidence-based prevention and assessment tools for both alcohol use and marijuana use. Dr. Washton is an addiction psychologist and book author in private practice in New York City and Princeton NJ.

Is “moderate” drinking really that bad for you?

If you’re not careful, drinking will become the go-to response to stress triggers. These daily benchmarks add up to 7 weekly drinks for women and 14 for men. If you are interested in assessing your “chances of success,” according to ModerateDrinking.com, for drinking moderately, you can take a free online assessment. If you keep a how to drink moderately lot of alcohol around, you may be tempted to go over the drinking limit you set for yourself when you’re at home.

• They share that “risks start from the first drop” and increase with every additional sip of alcohol.
• These calories add up — and getting more calories than you need can make it harder to stay at a healthy weight.
• Click here to start your journey to better health — without giving up alcohol completely.
• All alcohol contains congeners, which are the byproducts of the fermentation process.

Start building healthier drinking habits today.

• The U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans are a set of nutrition recommendations for Americans across all lifespans that is updated and released by the U.S.
• The benefits and risks of moderate drinking change over a lifetime.
• The benefits of moderate drinking aren’t limited to the heart.

Do you find you’re able to think more clearly, focus better, and maintain your energy? Build upon these positive changes as you continue to cut down on drinking alcohol, and don’t feel discouraged if you face challenges along the way. Changing your relationship with alcohol is often a non-linear journey, and setbacks are a normal part of progress. Another tip to consider when exploring how to drink in moderation is setting attainable goals.

Strategies to Cut Back on Drinking

The How to Drink Properly campaign aims to make this trend of drinking to get drunk less socially acceptable among young adult drinkers. It also aims to support those already drinking in safe and moderate ways to continue to do so. Extensive quantitative and qualitative formative research informed the campaign development to ensure the campaign resonated with young adults. Part of this evidence-based approach involved nationwide research conducted with young Australians which indicated high levels of pre-loading and drinking more than four standard drinks on a single occasion. One of the best ways to manage triggers is to have low- or non-alcoholic drinks on hand. These drinks are often as satisfying as a beer or glass of wine, and help keep you within moderate drinking limits.

Alcohol Increases Risk of Developing Breast Cancer

Moderation Management offers a behavioral change program designed to help people concerned about their drinking habits take responsibility for their drinking behaviors and begin to make healthy lifestyle changes. This type of moderation program may be particularly helpful for those concerned about alcohol abuse (i.e., not alcohol dependence). Even moderate drinking may raise your risk for some types of heart disease and cancer.

There is nothing inherently wrong with drinking habitually, but drug addiction many clients who come to my office indicate that they would prefer to be in control of their habit rather than feel as if the habit has taken on a life of its own. At the heart of moderate drinking is mindfulness, a state where you consider how each drink affects your overall health. With moderate and mindful drinking so closely linked, you’ll need a partner to help achieve your goals. Non-alcoholic beer, wine, and spirits is a booming market, so it’s much easier to find them at bars and retail stores. According to Nielsen, these drinks were worth 1.3% of the non-alcoholic drinks market in August 2022, up 88.4% from the previous year.

Leaning on Peer and Professional Support

If you are working outside during a heat wave, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends drinking 8 ounces (1 cup) of water every 15 to 20 minutes during work. Drinking water both before and after work can help prevent dehydration. Below that threshold, based on these scientific standards, you might consider yourself to be a so-called moderate drinker.

Alcohol dependence might result, and you’ll find it much more difficult to cut back. Moderate drinking can easily morph into riskier levels of alcohol consumption. But if you have these characteristics, you’re likely in the safe zone.