It’s Friday night and you’re heading to a big party. There are friends to catch up with, new faces to meet, and maybe someone special to flirt with! But this time you want to make a change. You have a…
Drink Less, Party More! Smart Tips for Drinking Less Alcohol at Parties
It’s Friday night and you’re heading to a big party. There are friends to catch up with, new faces to meet, and maybe someone special to flirt with!
But this time you want to make a change. You have a busy weekend ahead. You have brunch with old friends tomorrow and a badminton match with your new team.
You also want to improve your health and livelihood – you can’t afford a hangover!
What can you do to drink less alcohol AND enjoy the party? Join CAN WE on a night out as we explore tips for drinking less at parties!
Party Planning
You’re about to leave for the party. First stop is your friend’s house party, and then the bar. Before heading out, you plan to:
1. Set your alcohol limit
“What’s a good benchmark to limit or reduce my drinking?”
Glad you asked!
The Australian Alcohol Guidelines say: Don’t have more than 4 standard drinks a day. This is to reduce the risk of alcohol-related harm, like accidents, injury, cancer, and disease
Based on this, you can determine the amount of alcohol you plan to drink tonight. The Guidelines aren’t around to limit your fun. They exist to keep you healthy so you can keep having fun!
If this limit is a bit too low for you right now, you can gradually lessen your drinking overtime to adjust.
2. Know how to Count your drinks
Use this standard drink calculator to plan your drinking and follow the Guidelines.
Not all drinks equate to a standard drink exactly so it’s important to know how strong your drink is. For example, an average serving of red wine is close to 1.5 standard drinks.
Using the Guidelines as a benchmark, you want to pace 4 standard drinks throughout the night.
To help you visualise this, 4 vodka sodas = 4 standard drinks.
Your 4 standard drink limit tonight! Let’s count them as we go.
3. Ask “what’s the occasion?”
Going to a wedding, birthday, or a simple night out? Whatever the event, remember, you can choose and plan to drink within the Guidelines!
The Guidelines recommend not having more than 10 standard drinks a week.
Let’s say you drank at an after-work happy hour on Tuesday and now you’re at this party on Friday.
Balance your drinking throughout the week to stay within the Guidelines. For example, if you had a few drinks over the weekend, you might want to take some alcohol-free days during the week. Or perhaps you might want to drink less tonight so you can enjoy a wine tomorrow.
The less you drink, the lower your risk of alcohol-related harm!
4. Track your drinks with an app!
You can keep tabs on how much and how often you drink using a mindful drinking app. You can choose the free version of these apps or pay for the premium service, depending on what works best for you.
Pace the pre-drinks
You get to the house party and it’s getting lively. At pre-drinks, people might drink more to save money and time at the bar.
But drinking too much at pre-drinks can get you drunk faster. It can lead to rash decisions with money and alcohol later. Take it easy; there’s no need to rush!
You decide to have your first drink. The night is young, and there are a few more stops to make!
That’s 1 drink down!
Mix it up! Make drinking less alcohol fun
You just finished your drink and one of your friends beckons you to get another. Let’s shake things up and try a mocktail, water, or low-alcohol drink. Drinking a non-alcoholic ‘spacer’ drink can help pace your drinking. Make it fun – variety is the spice of life after all!
Smaller grips, smaller sips
Use smaller glasses and take smaller sips to manage your alcohol intake. You can set your drink down between sips to stop frequent swigs. But stay vigilant against drink spiking. Always keep an eye on your beverage.
Take a break between drinks
You’ve finished your second drink, the music’s pumping, and you’ve having a laugh with your mates.
That’s 2 drinks down!
“Kick ons at the bar!” you hear someone shout.
As your friends start to file out onto the street to call an uber, you take a sec to adjust your outfit and hair.
“How do you feel?”
Throughout the night, check in with yourself and acknowledge your alcohol intake. It’s okay to chill out between drinks. You’ve got some booze in you, and you don’t need to rush for another!
Feeling peckish? Grab a bite!
You and your friends are about to enter the bar but your stomach growls. Wanna snack before heading in? Eating before and while drinking can slow alcohol absorption. Beware the salty snacks because they can make you thirstier for more drinks.
Set a booze budget!
After tapping your phone to buy your third drink, you realise you’ve almost hit your budget for drinks tonight.
Set a budget and stick to it so you avoid overspending and overdrinking. And try to avoid going overboard when shouting drinks for your mates. Your wallet will thank you for it!
That’s 3 drinks down!
Conversation Confidence! Speak up about drinking less
Throughout the night, you might get questions like, “Where’s your drink?” or “What’s in your cup?” If you’re cutting back on drinking, you might hear the “Why aren’t you drinking?” conversation sooner or later.
Some may urge you to drink to loosen up and have fun. Others might ask out of curiosity. How can you respond?
You don’t owe anyone a reason for doing what you do. But if you must – keep it short and sweet by mentioning your commitment to your health goals. Share however much/little you feel comfortable with.
People may want to hear several reasons, so just fire them off quickly! For example:
- “I’m saving for a trip!”
- “I wanna stay a bit longer so I’m drinking slower”
- “I have a sports game tomorrow”
This might spark a deeper discussion about moderate drinking. You can enjoy alcohol and have an active, healthy lifestyle.
Who knows? You might inspire someone else to focus on their health goals too!
No pressure – you’re in control of your drinking
Alcohol holds a significant place in both Australian and queer culture. Bars and clubs are popular social spaces for LGBTQ+ communities.
Drinking is often expected at bars and parties. But you don’t have to drink to fit in. To refuse shots or decline drinking games doesn’t mean you’re a buzzkill. You can still join in with smaller amounts of alcohol or non-alcoholic drinks.
Whatever your reasons for cutting down on drinking, be confident and own your choice. You can be the life of the party without getting wasted!
Peer Power! Creating a support network for drinking less
“Can I get you a drink?”. How fortunate! Someone’s shouting you a drink. It may be tempting to get a free drink, but you can ask for a non-alcoholic option instead.
Your surroundings and the people around you can influence your drinking habits.
At a party with a close friend? Ask them to help you drink less and keep you accountable.
When meeting new people at a party, you can make plans to hang out during the day for activities that don’t involve alcohol.
If you can, rally support from your friends and family to champion your choice to drink less!
Hit your alcohol limit? Take it easy~
Lo and behold, you’ve hit your 4 standard drink limit for the night! It may be tempting to drink more. But remind yourself of the HUGE benefit you’re doing yourself by staying within the limit. Let’s just ride the wave and enjoy the buzz!
That’s 4 drinks down and we’ve hit the limit tonight!
Know your alcohol triggers
As the night ends, you spot your ex across the room. Oh no. Things didn’t end smoothly.
You feel the urge to grab a drink.
Pause. This is a trigger moment. Instead of reaching for alcohol, consider stepping away to chat with a friend.
It’s crucial to know your alcohol triggers: stress, social situations, memories, or emotions. Identify what makes you want to drink. Then, find other ways to respond. This could mean distracting or distancing yourself from alcohol-related situations.
Managing your triggers empowers you to make healthier choices for yourself.
You don’t have to finish that drink babe
Time to go home! Your friend hasn’t finished their beer and offers you to “skull it!”
You really don’t have to finish that drink, even if it was yours. If you don’t feel like it — don’t! It’s your health, your choice, and good friends respect your choices.
A successful night out!
Congrats!!
You’ve made it home, had a blast, and drank less tonight. Time to enjoy the benefits of keeping to your limits and wake up tomorrow ready to tackle the weekend!
Sinking into bed, you know you have a better chance of having a great night’s rest since you didn’t overdrink. No hangover to wrestle tomorrow~
Before, you never had enough time for hobbies on weekends. Now you can enjoy nights out and still have energy for your weekend adventures!
Cheers! To your health and life
Drinking less improves mental clarity and physical health. Most importantly, it lowers the risk of alcohol-related health issues and cancer.
Consider staying within the Guidelines and it will do wonders for your health.
Let’s raise a glass to cutting back on the drinks, have fun with these tips, and live our weekends to the fullest!
“Cheers to that!”
For more information and support, check out the resources below:
Alcohol: reducing the risk – Alcohol and Drug Foundation (adf.org.au)