Help me be a more moderate drinker.

September 23, 2006 6:47 PM

What are some tips for moderating one's drinking? I love to drink two, sometimes three, times a week, and it's a positive experience for me when I keep it moderate. For me, moderate = no more than three mixed drinks, no more than half a bottle of wine, no more than three beers. My problem (duh) is that sometimes when I get started I keep drinking.

The wine tastes so good I just keep pouring til I've drunk most of the bottle. Or the mixed drinks go down fast, and I'm still out, and order another. When I go over my limit -- drink most of the bottle, or have 4 or 5 mixed drinks -- I feel hung over the next day, and annoyed at myself. (Actually, if it's my birthday or something, or I threw a party, I'm not annoyed because that seems okay. But if it wasn't a special occasion and I wake up hung over I feel like a schmuck.) When I stay within my limit, I have fun and feel fine the next day. What are some tips for staying within my limits "in the moment"? For example, perhaps only taking a certain amount of cash with me, without credit cards? Or buy a half bottle of wine instead of a full bottle? Order a drink that has a lot of mixer to slow me down? What has worked for other people?

I imagine that some people will be convinced that I am an alcoholic in denial so I am posting this as "anonymous." (And yes, all things are possible, of course.)

posted by anonymous to health & fitness (17 comments total)

At the point you think you should normlly stop, order an O'Douls (non-alchoholic beer) or whatever mixed drink you were drinking with just the mixer (Jack and coke, hold the Jack). You still get the emotionally feedback without the physical effects.

Limiting money is too easy to overcome. It is easier to agree with yourself to have a plan like fake drinking.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 6:56 PM on September 23, 2006

Alternate alcoholic drinks with glasses of water (or another non-alcoholic beverage). This spaces the booze out so you have time to metabolize more of it and are less likely to get too tipsy to want to stop.
posted by magicbus at 7:03 PM on September 23, 2006

have somebody film you drunk. watch that tape a couple times.

you have no idea how bloated, flushed, embarrassing you can be. for a somewhat self-aware person, this sometimes works wonders. for a real alcoholic it doesn't.
posted by krautland at 7:12 PM on September 23, 2006 [2 favorites has favorites]

I wouldn't think that ordering a drink with a lot of mixer to slow you down would work, because once you've lost count, it's easy to keep going. How about a system, like: first drink is straight/on the rocks. Savor it as best you can. Second drink is whatever the first drink was, plus mixer. Third drink and beyond: just the mixer. That should be the same amount of alcohol as in your ideal 3 mixed drinks, but easier to count and track.

Or, to add to the above suggestion of water between alcoholic drinks: bathroom breaks between drinks as a sobriety test. (How's your motor coordination? Can you focus on the tiles? Anything spinning?) For some reason I can seem fine when talking to friends, but navigating the bathroom reveals how sober I actually am.
posted by xo at 7:37 PM on September 23, 2006 [1 favorite has favorites]

Before moderation became natural to me, I would decide how many drinks I would have that evening prior to going out, and document it on the blank side of a business card. For each drink I planned to have, I'd draw a smiley face or stickman that looked increasingly incoherent with each drink. I deliberately made the card somewhat silly so I'd share it with others, who could have a laugh but hold me accountable as well.

Sometimes, I would ignore the card once the booze kicked in, but it saved me from many agonizing mornings. Just a reminder from sober-you is all you need to keep it in check.
posted by yorick at 7:40 PM on September 23, 2006

A lot of good ideas. I second alternating glasses of water. Hang out with friends that don't drink. Order sparkling water with a lime. I like yorick's reminder from your sober self too.
posted by dog food sugar at 7:49 PM on September 23, 2006

The only solution I've found for this is to avoid drinks I like. I have a weakness for white wine and - like you say - it tastes so good I want to drink the whole bottle; so I never touch the stuff.

If I'm determined to have a drink but don't want it to get out of control, I often find Guinness is a good bet - to me it's so heavy and bitter that I find it difficult to drink large quantities. Alternatively I'll try something pretty damn weak, like Cinzano & soda - sure, you don't sound like James Bond ordering it, but you don't wake up like a schmuck realizing that you're not James Bond the next day.
posted by forallmankind at 7:58 PM on September 23, 2006

Your solution of material limits -- e.g. only a given amount of cash and no credit cards -- seems like the most foolproof (assuming you don't have the problem of people offering to buy you drinks). In a social situation, some of the other posters are right that it will be useful if you ask people around you to help, but A) they could be getting drunk too (and therefore irresponsible) and B) your drinking isn't really their responsibility.
posted by lorimer at 8:10 PM on September 23, 2006

I have a similar problem when I go out for drinks/gigs etc. Taking ONLY a set amount of cash (no credit card, no ATM card) is the only thing that works for me. There are flaws (for example, I've bought drinks for so many people in different bars that there's almost always at least one person who wants to return the favour), but it's the best solution I've found.
posted by bunglin jones at 9:10 PM on September 23, 2006

There are a bunch of strategies, yet unmentioned in this thread, so let me throw down:

Start with non-alcoholic drinks, rather than alcoholic ones. If you're coming from work, you may be somewhat thirsty, and drink the first few drinks faster; if they contain alcohol, your judgement can take a hit in the first 1/2 hour you are in a bar. Hence, the universal economic success of "happy hour." Downing 16 to 24 oz of non-alcoholic fluid before you start drinking alcohol, will dilute the alcohol in your stomach, and slow its absorption into your blood stream.

Get some non-salty protein food in your stomach, early in the evening. Cheese, sausages, pork rinds, and such will fill your stomach, and further slow both your intake (chewing, swallowing, etc means you drink slower) and absorption of alcohol from your stomach. You'll also have more stable blood sugar, and be less likely to crave calories you get from sweet, syrupy cocktails. Stay away from nuts and salty snacks, as much as you can, as salt draws liquor; but if it's a choice between beer nuts and nothing, take the beer nuts.

Never order doubles, even if their is some 2-fer deal, as doubles free poured often have more than two shots in them, as a means of keeping doubles drinkers from complaining. Bartenders also tend to be a bit more liberal if your are ordering call drinks; your "Grey Goose" dirty martini may have 8 to 10% more "heavy pour" per drink, than bar brands, because the call price is covering the long pours, and people tend to watch call pours.

Be careful ordering cocktails, many of which contain as much alcohol as 2 or 3 shots of hard liquor, and hide it under sweet syrup or fruit juice. If your "usual" is something like a mai-tai, your "3 drinks" is actually something like 8 to 10 shots of hard liquor.

Bars generally put stirrers or "swizzle sticks" in drinks, as much to help them and you keep count of your drinks, as to stir liquor. Collect your stirrers, and when you've got three, switch to Coke, club soda, 7-Up, or your soft drink of choice. Keep yourself reminded of what you're doing by switching to something that looks different than your "usual."

Order wine by the glass, not the bottle, or 1/2 bottle (although the "house" wines won't be as good, and will cost more on a per glass basis. Cost isn't your control problem yet, consumption is.)

Don't play drinking games, or make bar bets where you "pay" by buying rounds, or consuming more alcohol. As much as possible, order and buy your own drinks. Bars that collect crowds of people that buy rounds actively market this way; it's good for the bar's business, and people generally think they've had a great time, because they've drunk a lot more than they usually do. Don't get consistently hooked into this behavior, if you want to stay in control of your drinking.

If you're leaving at midnight, stop drinking at 11:00 p.m. Tell your waiter to cut you off "on the clock." Take his reminder, if you need to, as a signal to switch to your virgin alternative.

Volunteer regularly, if you can, to be the designated driver. Better your friends have a stake in keeping you sober, than getting you drunk.
posted by paulsc at 9:13 PM on September 23, 2006 [1 favorite has favorites]

All of these are great suggestions.

What helped me was to keep tabs for a while--how many drinks I had, how fast, and how awful I felt. Soon I realized, that for me, even having had dinner, more than two in two hours was a big mistake. And usually, two was all I truly needed to feel good and not get sloppy or ruin the following day. Find your own formula and stick to it. It is not so hard, since you're barely buzzed at your limit, and won't be so likely to let the yumminess impair your judgement.
posted by Riverine at 9:52 PM on September 23, 2006

I also set a defined limit before I go out. After I hit my personal limit, I order a cup of coffee. I really love coffee, and I like the way the coffee buzz interacts with the alcohol buzz. Usually as the booze fades the caffeine starts taking over, and I can enjoy a second wind and have fun without being drunk.
posted by croutonsupafreak at 10:40 PM on September 23, 2006 [1 favorite has favorites]

Don't pee and continue drinking. One bladder worth is all it takes to be pleasantly buzzed.
posted by srboisvert at 4:26 AM on September 24, 2006

For some reason I can seem fine when talking to friends, but navigating the bathroom reveals how sober I actually am.

This sounds like me: I'll sit on a bar stool for awhile, think I'm sober -- but when I stand up for any reason, the drunkenness hits me like a freight train.

I would alternate each glass of booze with a big glass of water. There is even a chance that if you do happen to go a little over your limit at that point, the effect will not be quite as harsh.

Start drinking later in the evening. Put it off as long as you can. You can only drink so fast, and the closer you are to last call when you order that first drink, the less likely you are to even have the opportunity to order a fourth or fifth drink.

have somebody film you drunk. watch that tape a couple times.

This strategy sometimes works in still picture form as well.
posted by Famous at 6:51 AM on September 24, 2006

I am dealing with this exact same thing. I used to go out, even swear myself to a beer or two, and four beers and three shots later later I'm stumbling home. A few times a week.

Basically I curbed the habit by 1) Not going out so much and 2) Using sheer will to keep my drinking under control. I failed many many times at number 2 until the last few weeks where I've gone out and kept to the 2-3 beer/drink maximum. Sometimes I leave earlier than I might if I were planning to drink more. I'm hoping I can get to the point where I can hang out without feeling the desire to be drinking.

Seriously, and I know this is one of those shitty answers that people hate to hear, but getting over the mental part of it is key to doing it.
posted by frecklefaerie at 8:40 AM on September 24, 2006

Here's 2 tips that work for me:
Don't have that first drink until an hour or so after you normally would start.

Drink the first ones as slowly as possible.
posted by NSSG at 6:04 PM on September 24, 2006

It's important to also try to have a few nights a week with no alcohol.
posted by oxford blue at 6:04 PM on September 24, 2006