8 Ways To Cut Down on Alcohol

1. Keep Wine off the Table

Instead of keeping wine on the dinner table, keep a pitcher of water on the table. It makes it too easy to keep pouring until it's empty. Instead, pour one glass, then cork the bottle and put it away.

2. Add Seltzer Water to Your Drink

Seltzer water mixes with wine, whisky, vodka, cognac, indeed almost any alcohol other than beer. Making your drinks with seltzer cuts down on alcohol consumption, in part because the bubbles in the seltzer help fill you up.

3. Drink a Full Glass of Water

Drink water or other non-alcoholic beverage before and after every alcoholic drink. We guarantee that the amount of alcohol you drink will drop substantially.

4. Make Drinking Rules

For instance, no more than one drink a day. Only drink on weekends. Only drink wine spritzers. Only drink when you're dressed up in your best clothes, etc. Post the list near the liquor cabinet/wine cellar.

5. Keep a Drinking Diary

You can find a sample of a drinking diary from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (www.niaaa.nih.gov). Tracking how much you drink will provide you with some surprising information that will encourage you to cut down or quit.

6. Make a List of Reasons to Cut Down

Your reasons could be to: lose weight, sleep better, fewer headaches, get more done, improve blood sugar control, better sex, perform better at work. Post the list in a prominent place and read through it every time you think about having a drink.

7. Track How Much Money You Spend on Alcohol

After you have calculated how much you spend on alcohol, commit to spending half that amount in the future. Put the savings into a special account (or even a jelly jar) and use it for something special for you (not a bottle of 2000 Bordeaux).

8. Tell Your Friends You’re Cutting Back

Hopefully, this will prevent people from urging you to have "just one" or "just one more."