It’s important to keep the goals you set in mind if you want to reduce your alcohol consumption. You can help yourself stick to these goals by setting ground rules that will guide your behavior whenever you’re in a situation where you may encounter alcohol. Every drinker's rules are different, and you have to find what works for you. Some guidance rules that might help the binge drinker become more casual include:


Never drink before parties or other social gatherings (i.e., no “pre-gaming”)
Never drink more than the “low risk” guidelines set by National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism:For women: no more than 3 drinks on a single day, and never more than 7 drinks per week
For men: no more than 4 drinks on a single day, and never more than 14 drinks per week


Only drink with other people, not by yourself
Stick to the limit goals you set for yourself (e.g., “only 2 beers on Saturday”)
Avoid drinking with others who binge-drink or have problems with alcohol
Never drink to relieve stress

, The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has set standards for what counts as “one drink,” which will contain roughly 14 grams of alcohol. However, many people have no idea what a standard drink looks like. If you don’t know what 5 ounces of wine looks like, use a measuring cup with colored water to get a sense. Remember that the alcohol-by-volume (ABV) level determines what counts as “one drink,” so if you regularly drink things like “high-gravity” beer (which often has ABV ranges from 6-9%, but can be as high as 12%)calculate how much you’ve had by the alcohol content. One drink counts as:


12 ounces of regular beer or cider (5% ABV)
8-9 ounces of malt liquor (7% ABV)
5 ounces of wine (12% ABV)
1.5 ounces (1 shot) of hard liquor (80 proof)

, If you become quickly intoxicated and end up slamming back a bunch of drinks to ease your nerves, or if you're just a "thirsty drinker," it can be very helpful to slow down and make each drink last longer. You will enjoy the taste of your drink more, and you will have fewer drinks over the space of your socializing.Aim to have no more than one drink per hour, depending on your tolerance. (For example, men can often drink more than women before they feel the effects of alcohol.)
Use a straw to sip cocktails. It will take you longer to drink them this way.
If you’re used to ordering pints, order a half pint instead. Sip it slowly rather than chugging it down.
Order your drink “on the rocks.” As the ice melts, it will dilute the drink. You’ll end up taking longer to finish it, and you’ll get a little extra water.Your body absorbs alcohol into your bloodstream much faster than you can metabolize it. The quicker you drink, the more time that alcohol spends buzzing around your body, doing damage that you’ll really regret during next morning’s hangover., A big reason for continuously drinking from whatever is in front of you is lack of activity and sitting or standing next to a drink. What else are you inclined to do if you are not moving about or participating in something? Dancing, talking, playing pool or darts, etc. can all keep you occupied over and above the drinking. Once you remove alcohol as the focus, you're less likely to drink as much.


Have a plan made in advance for what you will do if you can’t find something to keep you busy. For example, if you can’t distract yourself, determine whether you will politely excuse yourself and leave, find someone to chat with, or do something else to take your mind off drinking., Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it dehydrates you. Your body can expel four times as much liquid as you consume in an alcoholic beverage.Drinking water will also mean that your alcohol consumption slows way down. The added hydration cuts down your chance of having a hangover the next morning, too.


For example, if you have a cocktail that has 2 ounces of alcohol, drink at least an 8-ounce glass of water before you have another alcoholic drink.
Try a “spacer” beverage between alcoholic drinks. Sipping a club soda or Coke between alcoholic beverages forces you to go more slowly, while giving you something to drink and fiddle with., "Going out for drinks" is a loaded proposition, because it means that you basically have to drink. It's what you went out for, after all. But, if you only allow yourself to drink with meals, it'll mean you can still enjoy the ritual of going out to bars and restaurants with friends, but with a limit on it for the length of a meal. Have a glass or two of wine with dinner, or drink a beer with your BBQ, but call it a night when your plate is clean.Drinking on an empty stomach makes a hangover much more likely. Eating a healthy meal before or during drinking slows down how fast your body absorbs the alcohol, giving your body more time to metabolize it. Fats and complex carbohydrates are especially good.When the meal's over, switch to coffee or sip water and call it a day. Don't continue drinking when you're done. If you're at a busy restaurant, it might be time to give up your table anyway, or you'll start getting dirty looks.
 If you've got to meet friends at the bar and are worried you won't be able to control yourself, take steps to actively make it impossible to drink more than you want to allow yourself to drink. Getting in your own way can help you stick to your goals even when your motivation wanes.


Only bring enough cash to pay for two drinks and leave your card at home. Look up the menu ahead of time and find out exactly what you'll be able to afford and only bring enough to pay for that, then call it a night.
Drink more expensive alcohol. For one thing, more expensive brands of alcohol have fewer congeners, a chemical that can contribute to hangovers. In addition, you won’t be able to have as many drinks if they’re pricier than what you usually spend.Don’t keep alcohol at home. If you're a regular after-work drinker and want to avoid plowing through a six pack every night, stop buying them and bringing them home with you. If they're sitting there in the fridge, it can be difficult to resist, so don't put them in the fridge.
Buy smaller glasses. It can be easy to overindulge if your glasses are too big. For example, a wine glass could actually hold far more than the 5 ounces that counts as “one drink.”You’re more likely to pour too much if your wine glass is wide, or if you hold the glass rather than setting it on a table., If you're going out with friends and have a tendency to want to always order one more, stay another hour, and push your drinking in the wee morning hours, an effective way of cutting back can be to set very rigid times for your drinking. If you're going out around nine to meet friends, don't stay out any later than midnight or one. Make it a particular time that's your "pumpkin hour," or choose a particular number of hours that you can be out.


Setting a limit doesn't mean you should slam as many drinks as possible before your pumpkin-hour rolls around. Remember the end goal, or your goals aren't serving you.
 Fun doesn’t always have to involve alcohol. Instead of going out for drinks with your friends, suggest that you do something else. If you're worried you won't be able to resist at the bar, try to arrange to go to a movie, or check out a concert, or doing something else active instead of just hanging around the bar., Practice saying “no” in a polite but firm way.Make eye contact when you refuse the drink. This can help reinforce that you mean what you say.Keep your answer short and simple. Long winded answers or excuses tend to be unconvincing to others. Say something firm and to the point, such as: “No, thanks, I don’t want to” or “No, thanks, today’s my ‘day off’ from alcohol and I’d be really disappointed in myself if I broke that promise.”
Establish drinking ground rules for yourself.
Get a sense of what “one drink” looks like.
Slow down and make each drink last longer.
Stay busy.
Make yourself drink four times as much water as alcohol.
Only drink with meals.
Make it difficult to drink more.
Set rigid time-lines for your drinking.
Make other plans.
Practice saying “no, thanks.” You will probably find yourself in situations where you’re offered a drink you don’t want, or encouraged to drink on a day you’ve set aside as a “day off” from alcohol.
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