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- Start with a soft drink: You will drink much faster if you are thirsty, so have a non-alcoholic drink to quench your thirst before you start drinking alcohol.
- Use standard drinks: Monitor how much alcohol you drink. By converting what you drink into standard drinks, it is easier to keep track.
- Drink slowly: Take sips and not gulps. Put your glass down between sips.
- Eat before or while you are drinking: Eating slows your drinking pace and fills you up. If you have a full stomach, alcohol will be absorbed more slowly.
- Avoid salty snacks: Salty food like chips or nuts make you thirsty, so you drink more.
- Avoid ‘shouts': Don't get involved in ‘shouts', or rounds. Drink at your own pace- not someone else's. If you do get stuck in a shout, buy a non-alcoholic drink for yourself when it's your turn.
- One drink at a time: Don't let people top up your drinks. It is hard to keep track of how much alcohol is drunk.
- Pace yourself: Try having a ‘spacer', a non-alcoholic drink every second or third drink.
- Stay busy: If you have something to do, you tend to drink less. Play pool or dance-don't just sit and drink.
- Try the low-alcohol alternative: A wide range of light beers are available. Low-alcohol or non-alcoholic wines are also becoming more available. Most places that serve cocktails also serve non-alcoholic versions.
- Have alcohol-free days: Have at least two days a week when you don't drink at all.
- Keep a diary: Write down how much you drink each day. This can make you more aware of exactly how much you drink.
- Be assertive: Don't be pressured into drinking more than you want or intend to. Tell your friends ‘thanks, but no thanks'.
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