cut down on alcohol
= cut back on alcohol
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Reasons for cutting down on alcohol
Cutting back on alcohol?
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You could be in for some pleasant surprises.
A sound night’s sleep. Brighter skin. More time and energy.
Cutting back on alcohol can have positive effects on the way you look and feel – often within just a few days.
And at the same time, you’ll be reducing your longer term risk of serious illnesses such as cancer and liver and heart disease.
If you’ve decided to cut back, here are some benefits to look out for.
Deeper sleep
Alcohol affects your sleep. When you drink you spend less time in the deep, restorative stages of sleep. You’re also more likely to wake early and find it hard to drop off again. By cutting back on alcohol, the quality of your sleep should improve, which can also benefit your mood and help your ability to concentrate.
Brighter mood
Alcohol can make stress and anxiety worse. This is because drinking too much interferes with the neurotransmitters in our brains, so alcohol can affect your mental health. Drinking less can mean that you feel happier, more of the time. Try keeping a mood diary to see if you notice the difference.
More energy
With its negative effects on your sleep and mood, drinking too much can make you feel tired, sluggish and generally a bit under the weather. Drink less and it shouldn’t take too long before you notice that you have more energy.
Better concentration
You don’t have to have a hangover for alcohol to start affecting you at work. Regularly drinking above the UK Chief Medical Officers' (CMO) low risk drinking guidelines (no more than 14 units per week for men and women) affects your concentration and ability to work. Cutting down on alcohol can help you feel less stressed and enjoy more of a work-life balance.
Tips on cutting down
If you regularly drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week, try these simple tips to help you cut down.
14 units is equivalent to 6 pints of average-strength beer or 6 medium glasses of wine.
Simple tips for cutting down
Make a plan
Before you start drinking, set a limit on how much you're going to drink.
Set a budget
Only take a fixed amount of money to spend on alcohol.
Let them know
If you let your friends and family know you're cutting down and it's important to you, you could get support from them.
Take it a day at a time
Cut back a little each day. That way, every day you do is a success.
Make it a smaller one
You can still enjoy a drink, but go for smaller sizes. Try bottled beer instead of pints, or a small glass of wine instead of a large one.
Have a lower-strength drink
Cut down the alcohol by swapping strong beers or wines for ones with a lower strength (ABV in %). You'll find this information on the bottle.
Stay hydrated
Have a glass of water before you have alcohol and alternate alcoholic drinks with water or other non-alcoholic drinks.
Take a break
Have several drink-free days each week.
Benefits of cutting down
The immediate effects of cutting down include:
feeling better in the mornings
being less tired during the day
better looking skin
feeling more energetic
better weight management
Long-term benefits include:
can help some people fall asleep quickly, it can disrupt your sleep patterns and stop you sleeping deeply. So cutting down on alcohol should help you feel more rested when you wake up.
Behaviour
Drinking can affect your judgement and behaviour. You may behave irrationally or aggressively when you're drunk. Memory loss can be a problem during drinking and in the long term for regular heavy drinkers.
Heart
Long-term heavy drinking can lead to your heart becoming enlarged. This is a serious condition that cannot be completely reversed, but stopping drinking can stop it getting worse.
Immune system
Regular drinking can affect your body's ability to fight infections. Heavy drinkers tend to catch more infectious diseases.