Low-risk drinking: tips to get you through the silly season

With the silly season almost upon us, many of you will have some big events planned with friends and family. From work parties, weddings, ‘friendsmas’, Christmas and New Year’s, many of the events Australians have in their calendar at this time of year centre around a common theme- alcohol.

In Aussie culture, binge drinking is widely very socially acceptable and even encouraged. ‘Pre-drinking’ and drinking with the intent to become intoxicated are so commonplace that not many would consider that these activities are actually forms of substance abuse.

So how much is too much? Well, in 2020 the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) made the following recommendations for drinking levels to reduce the risk of alcohol-related harm over a person’s lifetime.

For healthy adults aged 18 years and over, men and women should consume no more than 10 standard drinks a week and no more than four standard drinks a day. Think back to the last time you went to an event or function where alcohol was present. How many people stopped drinking at four? Probably not very many.

For those who don’t want to abstain from alcohol entirely, there are steps you can take to help yourself and the people around you consume alcohol in a low-risk way.

1. Know what a standard drink is and be aware of the number of standard drinks you consume.
2. Know the alcohol content of what you’re drinking.
3. Eat while drinking.
4. Drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration.
5. Drink beverages with lower alcohol content, e.g., drinking light beer instead of full strength.
6. Switch to non-alcoholic drinks when you start to feel the effects of alcohol.
7. Don’t top up your drink before you’ve finished it. This can lead you to lose track of how many standard drinks you have consumed.
8. Avoid keeping up with a friend, drink for drink. Set your own pace.
9. Avoid drinking competitions and drinking games.
10. Drink slowly by taking sips instead of gulps and putting your drink down between sips.
11. Spend time doing activities that don’t involve drinking while you’re out.
12. Make drinking alcohol a complementary activity instead of the sole activity.

The festive season is a great opportunity to spend time with the people you love. Enjoy your time together, but keep in mind the risks associated with drinking culture and alcohol consumption. The impacts on your health and well-being can be severe if you are not mindful of your actions and behaviours, so seek help if you need to and take active steps to keep yourself healthy, happy and protected.

Helpful Resources

Alcohol and Drug Foundation: www.adf.org.au

Australian Government Alcohol Information: www.alcohol.gov.au

Check Your Drinking: www.checkyourdrinking.net

Alcoholics Anonymous: www.aa.org.au