Alcohol

No drinking Monday - Friday. Only drink at weekends. A big pint glass of a mix of dash of orange juice with fizzy water fills you up and gets you over the early evening craving. Remember a glass of wine has as many calories as a slice of cake.

Tonic water does it for me. With a slice of lemon in it, I can happily drink it in place of a G&T on alcohol-free days. The problem is, I do find that I drink it much more quickly than a regular G&T, then top up my glass again, and this habit risks carrying through to when I'm drinking the real thing, which kind of defeats the object!

Choosing days not to drink is a good idea, as is cutting units. Have you tried diluting what you drink? (I realise that’s not always possible depending on what you drink!) maybe 1/3 of a glass of wine topped with soda water? Or half your usual shot of vodka, with a little extra lemonade? You may be able to ‘trick’ yourself into feeling like you’ve had drink. Then you can gradually drop one all together and keep going until you’re happy with the amount you drink?

Old habits, whatever they are are not always easy to break........whilst lets be fair,the advice given about what and how much alcohol (along with just about every food and drink on the market) changes daily.
We are left in a state of flux.
What was deemed as just right yesterday is on the banned list tomorrow.
I think personally with any of these things.........drink or foodstuffs........... the secret is to to drink/eat all things BUT in moderation.

If I put my mind to do something I will stick to it like glue........and so never really get into any great problem.

But certainly visiting drinking establishments or eating out they make it very hard to say No.............so perhaps if and when trying to cut down or curtail alcohol, the first and best bit of advice is NOT enter these type of places.
Similarly do not keep the drink you particularly enjoy in your home.
Make it difficult for yourself to enjoy whatever it is you perhaps like too much!

Whilst finding an alternative drink to the one you might be cutting out or cutting down on is also a big help.

Hope you are extra strong oldbatty though when coping with stress it is so easy to sort of "slip by the wayside"

Give yourself a target such as not drinking on a Monday and Thursday. Then add an extra day and gradually build up. I used to drink too much wine, working in pub trade didn't help, but gradually cut down like that. I rarely drink now and if I do open a bottle I find it lasts three days as I never want more than a glass or two - and I use the old style small goblet glasses not the buckets a lot of places serve it in now.

"just dont drink " is a bit like " eat less and move more" apart from the fact that alcohol is an addictive and readily available substance.

Anyhow thanks folks, I am reading each idea with interest.

Well I think the advice 'just don't drink' is easier said than done for some people (probably me included). I probably drink more than I should and I do use it sometimes to relieve stress. I have had some pretty horrendous things happen to me - sounds like an excuse, maybe it is. My DH was having chest pains a few years ago due to a stressful job. His GP told him to have a couple of whiskies at night, that it would do him good.

Appletise is nice too.
The only way I know to cut down is to change habits, such as substituting new activities, change mealtimes.
We were staying with friends from last Thurs. to Tues., and I never missed alcohol. For me it's associated with food preparation.
Everyone's different.

Just don't drink .!
If you have difficulty in not having one then you already have a problem and need some form of help.
So anyone unable to go without a drink go see your gp as a first step. Well actually it's a second step as admitting you have a problem is the first step so well done to anyone identifying this.
Do something now before the problem gets bigger.
I'm speaking as the daughter of a man who had a drink problem and witnessed the wreckage it made of the entire family.

I think that's the key. Find something non alcoholic you like to drink and drink that instead. Up till a month ago, the OH drank a bottle of wine every night, and had done for some time. He decided he needed to do something about it before irreparable liver damage set in. He has opted for alcohol (just one) when he's out socialising and diet coke at home in the evenings. So far this seems to be a plan he can stick to. Fingers crossed!

Good luck with this.

It may be that your GP can help. I understand there are pills you can take initially to assist willpower. Might be worth try?

I don't drink much at all, since my incredibly drunken hen night, 33 years ago! The exceptions being Irish Whiskey or Champagne, and those very rarely.
However, try Badoit mineral water, available in Citron or Mint flavour, or just plain.
It's naturally carbonated, and with ice and a slice the Citron is a lovely drink.
Waitrose sell it, and, I think S'bury's do too.

Oh dear Yes Old Batty got told off my the doctor whose shocked expression when I told him I had two glasses of wine with dinner every day was a sight to behold. Anyway I am having a couple of alcohol free days and have bought myself some expensive fizzy water (San Pellegrino) so it feels like a treat.

I've joined Weightwatchers after being egged on by DD2. I do need to lose some weight and it's easier to monitor alcohol intake when you're following a plan.

I'm under a lot of stress at the moment so the diet has given me something to focus on that's actually for my benefit. The only night I reached for a G&T to ease stress was last Saturday when things went a bit pair shaped chez merlot

So it's alcohol free weekdays because I save up my points for the weekend