This document provides strategies for reducing alcohol consumption or abstaining from drinking. It suggests keeping track of alcohol intake, setting limits on drinking days and quantities, pacing drinks and having non-alcoholic drinks between alcoholic ones. Avoiding triggers for drinking and planning responses to resist social pressure are also recommended. Practicing refusal skills by role playing expected situations can help build confidence to say no to drink offers. The goal is for the reader to choose strategies that work for them and maintain control over their own drinking choices.

1. http://www.fitango.com/categories.php?id=625
Fitango Education
Health Topics
Staying away

2. 1
Overview
Small changes can make a big difference in
reducing your chances of having alcohol-related
problems. Whatever strategies you choose, give
them a fair trial. If one approach doesn't work, try
something else. But if you haven't made progress
in cutting down after 2 to 3 months, consider
quitting drinking altogether, seeking professional
help, or both.

3. 2
Overview
Here are some strategies to try, and you can add
your own at the end. Check off perhaps two or
three to try in the next week or two. Then click List
my choices, and you can print or email them to
yourself.

4. 3
Overview
-- Keep track -Keep track of how much you drink.
Find a way that works for you, carry drinking
tracker cards in your wallet, make check marks on
a kitchen calendar, or enter notes in a mobile
phone notepad or personal digital assistant.
Making note of each drink before you drink it may
help you slow down when needed.

5. 4
Overview
-- Count and measure -Know the standard drink
sizes so you can count your drinks accurately.
Measure drinks at home. Away from home, it can
be hard to keep track, especially with mixed drinks,
and at times, you may be getting more alcohol
than you think. With wine, you may need to ask
the host or server not to "top off" a partially filled
glass.

6. 5
Overview
-- Set goals -Decide how many days a week you
want to drink and how many drinks you'll have on
those days. It's a good idea to have some days
when you don't drink. Drinkers with the lowest
rates of alcohol use disorders stay within the low-
risk limits.

7. 6
Overview
-- Pace and space -When you do drink, pace
yourself. Sip slowly. Have no more than one
standard drink with alcohol per hour. Have "drink
spacers"—make every other drink a non-alcoholic
one, such as water, soda, or juice.
-- Include food -Don't drink on an empty stomach.
Eat some food so the alcohol will be absorbed into
your system more slowly.

8. 7
Overview
-- Find alternatives -If drinking has occupied a lot
of your time, then fill free time by developing new,
healthy activities, hobbies, and relationships, or
renewing ones you've missed. If you have counted
on alcohol to be more comfortable in social
situations, manage moods, or cope with problems,
then seek other, healthy ways to deal with those
areas of your life.

9. 8
Overview
-- Avoid "triggers." -What triggers your urge to
drink? If certain people or places make you drink
even when you don't want to, try to avoid them. If
certain activities, times of day, or feelings trigger
the urge, plan something else to do instead of
drinking. If drinking at home is a problem, keep
little or no alcohol there.

10. 9
Overview
-- Plan to handle urges -When you cannot avoid a
trigger and an urge hits, consider these options:
Remind yourself of your reasons for changing (it
can help to carry them in writing or store them in
an electronic message you can access easily). Or
talk things through with someone you trust. Or get
involved with a healthy, distracting activity, such as
physical exercise or a hobby that doesn't involve
drinking. Or, instead of fighting the feeling, accept
it and ride it out without giving in, know

11. 10
Overview
-- Know your "no." -You're likely to be offered a
drink at times when you don't want one. Have a
polite, convincing "no, thanks" ready. The faster
you can say no to these offers, the less likely you
are to give in. If you hesitate, it allows you time to
think of excuses to go along. Also, see the short
module to help you build drink refusal skills.

12. 11
Building your drink refusal skills
**Plan ahead to stay in control
Even if you are committed to changing your
drinking, "social pressure" to drink from friends or
others can make it hard to cut back or quit. This
short module offers a recognize-avoid-cope
approach commonly used in cognitive-behavioral
therapy, which helps people to change unhelpful
thinking patterns and reactions. It also provides
links to worksheets to help you get started with
your own plan to resist pressure to drink.

13. 12
Building your drink refusal skills
**Recognize two types of pressure**
The first step is to become aware of the two
different types of social pressure to drink alcohol—
direct and indirect.
-- Direct social pressure is when someone offers
you a drink or an opportunity to drink.

14. 13
Building your drink refusal skills
**Recognize two types of pressure**
-- Indirect social pressure is when you feel tempted
to drink just by being around others who are
drinking—even if no one offers you a drink.

15. 14
Building your drink refusal skills
**Recognize two types of pressure**
Take a moment to think about situations where
you feel direct or indirect pressure to drink or to
drink too much. You can use the form below to
write them down. Then, for each situation, choose
some resistance strategies from below, or come up
with your own. When you're done, you can print
the form or email it to yourself.
**Avoid pressure when possible**

16. 15
Building your drink refusal skills
**Recognize two types of pressure**
For some situations, your best strategy may be
avoiding them altogether. If you feel guilty about
avoiding an event or turning down an invitation,
remind yourself that you are not necessarily talking
about "forever." When you have confidence in your
resistance skills, you may decide to ease gradually
into situations you now choose to avoid. In the
meantime, you can stay connected with friends by
suggesting alternate activities that don't involve
drinking.

17. 16
Building your drink refusal skills
**Cope with situations you can't avoid**
**Know your "no"**

18. 17
Building your drink refusal skills
**Cope with situations you can't avoid**
When you know alcohol will be served, it's
important to have some resistance strategies lined
up in advance. If you expect to be offered a drink,
you'll need to be ready to deliver a convincing "no
thanks." Your goal is to be clear and firm, yet
friendly and respectful. Avoid long explanations
and vague excuses, as they tend to prolong the
discussion and provide more of an opportunity to
give in. Here are some other points to keep in
mind:

19. 18
Building your drink refusal skills
**Cope with situations you can't avoid**
-- Don't hesitate, as that will give you the chance to
think of reasons to go along
-- Look directly at the person and make eye contact
-- Keep your response short, clear, and simple

20. 19
Building your drink refusal skills
**Cope with situations you can't avoid**
The person offering you a drink may not know you
are trying to cut down or stop, and his or her level
of insistence may vary. It's a good idea to plan a
series of responses in case the person persists,
from a simple refusal to a more assertive reply.
Consider a sequence like this:
-- No, thank you.
-- No, thanks, I don't want to.

21. 20
Building your drink refusal skills
**Cope with situations you can't avoid**
-- You know, I'm (cutting back/not drinking) now
(to get healthier/to take care of myself/because
my doctor said to). I'd really appreciate it if you'd
help me out.

22. 21
Building your drink refusal skills
**Cope with situations you can't avoid**
-- You can also try the "broken record" strategy.
Each time the person makes a statement, you can
simply repeat the same short, clear response. You
might want to acknowledge some part of the
person's points ("I hear you...") and then go back
to your broken-record reply ("...but no thanks").
And if words fail, you can walk away.
**Script and practice your "no" **

23. 22
Building your drink refusal skills
**Cope with situations you can't avoid**
Many people are surprised at how hard it can be to
say no the first few times. You can build confidence
by scripting and practicing your lines. First imagine
the situation and the person who's offering the
drink. Then write both what the person will say
and how you'll respond, whether it's a broken
record strategy (mentioned above) or your own
unique approach. Rehearse it aloud to get
comfortable with your phrasing and delivery. Also,
consider asking a supportive person to role-play
with you, so

24. 23
Building your drink refusal skills
**Cope with situations you can't avoid**
Try other strategies
In addition to being prepared with your "no
thanks," consider these strategies:
-- Have non-alcoholic drinks always in hand if
you're quitting, or as "drink spacers" between
drinks if you're cutting back

25. 24
Building your drink refusal skills
**Cope with situations you can't avoid**
-- Keep track of every drink if you're cutting back so
you stay within your limits
-- Ask for support from others to cope with
temptation
-- Plan an escape if the temptation gets too great

26. 25
Building your drink refusal skills
**Cope with situations you can't avoid**
-- Ask others to refrain from pressuring you or
drinking in your presence (this can be hard)
-- If you have successfully refused drink offers
before, then recall what worked and build on it.

27. 26
Your choice
**Remember, it's your choice**
How you think about any decision to change can
affect your success. Many people who decide to
cut back or quit drinking think, "I am not allowed
to drink," as if an external authority were imposing
rules on them. Thoughts like this can breed
resentment and make it easier to give in. It's
important to challenge this kind of thinking by
telling yourself that you are in charge, that you
know how you want your life to be, and that you
have decided to make a change.

28. 27
Your choice
**Remember, it's your choice**
Similarly, you may worry about how others will
react or view you if you make a change. Again,
challenge these thoughts by remembering that it's
your life and your choice, and that your decision
should be respected.
**Plan to resist pressure to drink **

29. 28
Your choice
**Remember, it's your choice**
The links below will take you to forms to plan how
you'll handle high-risk situations and offers to
drink:
**Plan your resistance strategies**
Script your "no"