Tips to Reduce Risky Drinking

Drinking alcohol can cause you to lose your inhibitions, and may lead you to do things that you wouldn’t normally do. When planning a night out and having a drink, there are a number of things that are easy to remember, which you can do to avoid drama:

• know the standard – know how much alcohol is in what drink so you are aware of the amount of alcohol you are consuming and therefore know when you have had enough
• thirsty? – alcohol does not quench your thirst but in fact makes you more dehydrated. If you are thirsty drink water as this will help prevent dehydration.
• drink slowly – take sips and not gulps. Put your glass down between sips
• eat before or while you are drinking
• One drink at a time – do not let people top up your drinks
• pace yourself – try having a ‘spacer’, a non-alcoholic drink every second or third drink
• stay busy – play pool or dance – don’t just sit and drink
• be assertive – do not be pressured into drinking more than you want or intend to.

It is important to keep these tips in mind regardless of who you are, what you are doing and how much you are drinking.

For more information on how to reduce risky alcohol consumption, go to:

Alcohol Fact Sheet
www.health.nsw.gov.au/public-health/dpb/publications/alcohol.html

Drinking Choices
www.drinkingchoices.gov.au

Minimising the Risks from Drinking Alcohol
http://www.druginfo.adf.org.au/article.asp?ContentID=alcohol#minimising%20the%20risks

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