Looking to change your relationship with alcohol? Dry February is here and it’s a perfect time to consider practicing some healthy drinking habits. Building these habits now will make it easier for you to manage your drinking throughout 2022. Here are a few tips for building healthy drinking habits that you can work on now:

1) Establish some rules around drinking and practice these when you’re ready. For example, this could look like telling yourself:

• “I never pour my own wine.”
• “I alternate a drink and water.”
• “I never have more than two drinks.”
• “I don’t drink after 10 PM.”

2) Drink water before having an alcoholic drink. It’ll quench your thirst and make it less likely that you’ll drink more than you intended to.

3) Before going to a social gathering where alcohol will be present, practice refusing a drink. Create a script and practice how to turn down offers to drink in a way that feels comfortable and authentic for you. This could look like:

• “I’m driving.”
• “I’ve got an early meeting tomorrow.”
• “I’m not drinking these days.”

4) Your relationship with alcohol can become problematic if it’s your only way of dealing with stress or strong emotions. To reduce your reliance on alcohol, find other ways of coping with stress, such as creating healthier eating and sleep habits, engaging in exercise, participating in hobbies, or spending time with family and friends.

5) Share your goals around changing your relationship with alcohol with supportive loved ones. This will make it more likely for you to achieve your goals.

6) Changing your relationship with alcohol is hard. So don’t beat yourself up if a slip-up happens. Instead, focus on what you’ve learned from the slip-up and what you plan to do next time.

If you’re looking for a bit of help as you manage your relationship with alcohol, MindBeacon’s Managing Alcohol Use Guided CBT Program can help. Whenever and wherever you need, you can access support. MindBeacon’s therapists will guide you through readings and exercises, coaching you along the way.