“If you drink alcohol with the bottle next to you, it encourages excess. It’s far too easy to top up your glass quickly and mindlessly. To counter this, open and pour your drink in the kitchen and then leave the bottle there and carry your glass to wherever you plan to enjoy your drink. This makes it far less likely you will engage in mindless drinking, and studies show it can help reduce total alcohol consumption.” – Sam

“This is arguably the most effective and important rule of them all. Research shows when alcohol is only consumed with food, the side effects are reduced and on average less alcohol is consumed.” – Sam 

“Everyone has a ‘safe’ number of drinks – for most of us it’s somewhere between two to four drinks. Work out what your number is, then minus one drink – for example aim for two drinks if your safe number is two to three. You’ll feel better when you have a plan and are more likely to stick to it. It can also help to shake up your routine to break out of old patterns, for example meet people at different times of the day or different places. Only say yes to events where you know you can stay in control.” – Ailsa Frank, alcohol reduction hypnotherapist 

“Trick yourself and others into drinking less when out socially by always starting with a glass of water. If you ask for an alcoholic drink with a glass of water no one ever seems to mind. Later on, a sparkling water with a slice of lime can look like a vodka and soda, and an apple juice with soda water can look like beer.” – Ailsa 

“Visualise your life as a non-drinker and see yourself living a more sober life. Visualise yourself as a successful person dropping in on a social event but leaving on time. In your mind, see your week going well with you relaxed and in control without alcohol. Imagine it is the end of the week, you are looking back at a successful and calm week behind you. By visualising positive outcomes, you are less likely to drink. Sports people often use similar techniques to increase performance.” – Ailsa 

“You may have spent many years creating your drinking habits, now you need to invest time to reprogram yourself. Visualise a red triangle in your mind and imagine putting all the drinks you have ever had in your life and all the times you were around drink into the triangle. Then shrink the triangle and the alcohol down in your mind until it is so small it is the size of a speck of dust. Imagine blowing away the speck of dust and the excess alcohol. Repeat this exercise until you feel better. By taking control of your thoughts, you will break the habit of craving alcohol and overtime you will program your mind to feel in control of your thoughts.” – Ailsa 

“A great first step can be to set yourself a goal, whether that’s for the next week, month or however long. Good goals are specific and a little bit challenging, but also achievable. Your goals could be based on a maximum number of units – if you don’t know where to start, start with the UK low-risk drinking guidelines, which recommend we drink no more than 14 units (around six pints of beer, or six medium glass of wine, or seven double G&Ts) spread across the week, not in one go, keeping a few alcohol-free days each week. Keep a diary to track your progress.” – Ruari Fairbairns, CEO at One Year No Beer

“Some of us drink as a way of dealing with stress. Try to identify what situations result in you reaching for the bottle and find alternative ways to relax, such as deep breathing, a hot drink or chewing gum. It also may sound simple but learning to say no is a powerful tool. If you’re a people pleaser, saying no can be hard. Creating strong boundaries will make you feel better about yourself by taking back your power and helping you stick to your goals. If someone insists on buying you a drink, just say no. And if they won’t take no for an answer, either leave the drink or leave the situation.” – Marisa Peer, therapist & author