Your mindful drinking guide

Many folks find it easy to overindulge when it comes to alcohol during social events. There can be more opportunities to have a drink, and some may face extra pressure to join in at parties and at the bar. While it’s possible to have a drink and stick to your health goals, it can be tricky, especially when other people don’t share your aims. 

You may find keeping your glucose levels steady when you’re drinking difficult, for instance. And this can have a knock-on effect on your hunger levels, mood, energy, and sleep that could make this busy season harder to navigate. 

If you’re unsure about the role that alcohol plays in your life, taking a mindful approach to drinking could be for you. 

In this article, we’ll take a close look at what it means to drink mindfully and to be sober curious. We have a list of top tips for trying out mindful drinking and also examine what benefits you might get from this mindset.   

Mindful drinking vs. being sober curious 

You may have heard the terms “mindful drinking” and “sober curious” being used by people rethinking their approach to alcohol. But what’s the difference between the two?  

Mindful drinking 

Mindful drinking is all about becoming more aware of what you’re doing and how you’re feeling when drinking. This can include being aware of: 

• How much you’re drinking on a certain occasion. 
• Why you’ve decided to drink. 
• Whether or not you want to drink. 
• How drinking makes you feel at the time and afterwards 

Mindful drinking is the opposite of mindless drinking, which is drinking without awareness of what you’re doing that could lead you to drink more than you might want to. 

Sober curiosity 

Being sober curious, in contrast, involves the goal of reducing your drinking through asking yourself questions like: 

• When do I drink? 
• How much do I drink? 
• Why do I choose to drink?  

There’s a bit of overlap with mindful drinking, and the two ideas work well together. But the focus of being sober curious is actively questioning your motives rather than simply being aware of them. 

Neither approach is necessarily about giving up alcohol. They’re just approaches to adjusting your relationship with drinking, to empower you and make it easier for you to decide what you want, rather than just joining in with what other people are doing. 

There’s often plenty of pressure to go along with the crowd. When it comes to winter work events, for instance, one survey found that among those who don’t want to drink, over a fifth would make excuses to get out of events. And separately, more than 1 in 10 people just avoid going. ¹

If you’re someone who feels these pressures, taking a mindful approach to drinking or being sober curious could help when it comes to navigating social events with your health goals intact. 

10 tips for drinking mindfully 

If you want to give mindful drinking a go, here are some top tips to get you started: 

1. Recognize your triggers 

Keep an eye out for the things that might make you want to have a drink. Do you tend to want a drink if you're hanging out with a group of people you don’t know very well? Or perhaps you feel like a drink if your day has been stressful? 

When you know what situations make you more likely to have a drink, you’ll be in a better position to respond in different ways. For example, if you recognize that feeling anxious or stressed lies at the root of your wish to drink, you may be able to think of alternative ways to manage this feeling. 

2. Reframe how you view drinking  

Lean in to sober curiosity and ask yourself why you’re going to have a drink, whether or not you want to, and how you’re feeling. 

If you don’t actually feel like drinking, what would you prefer to do instead? And if you do fancy a drink, how much would you like to have? You may surprise yourself with your answers, and asking these questions can increase your awareness of the drinking situation. 

3. Remember that whether you drink or not is up to you 

To drink or not to drink? This choice is yours to make and yours alone. 

Remember that it’s okay to say no to alcoholic drinks and that you don’t owe anyone an explanation for turning one down. Taking part in social activities should never be reliant on drinking alcohol.   

4. Plan how you’ll decline alcohol 

If you’ve decided you don’t want to have an alcoholic drink, you may find it easier to tell people or to decline the offer of one if you work out what you’ll say in advance. 

You could just be direct and say, “I’m not drinking tonight.” Or, you could go into more detail and say something like, “I’m having mocktails tonight — I’ve noticed I feel better the next day when I don’t have alcohol.” Go with whatever feels good to you. 

Knowing exactly what you’ll say when the time comes can help you feel more confident about your decision and make it easier to stick to. 

5. Decide how much you’ll drink in advance 

When you’re thinking ahead to an event that will involve drinking, try working out exactly what you want to drink beforehand. Setting yourself a limit in advance could make it an easier goal to achieve. 

You may find it helps to follow a “rule of three” when it comes to drinking. This involves having no more than three alcoholic drinks within a three-day period. 

And if you’ve decided you don’t want to drink, you may enjoy planning what non-alcoholic options you’ll have (if any) instead.

6. Get your order in first 

Placing your drink order before anyone else can make it easier to resist the pressure to drink or to dodge the kind offer of an alcoholic treat you don’t fancy. 

What’s more, ordering a non-alcoholic drink might help other people you’re with to do the same if they’re not in the mood for booze. 

7. Take a moment to savor your drink 

An important part of mindfulness is becoming aware of your situation and seeking new ways to look at things. Try to savor each mouthful when you have an alcoholic drink and you’ll likely find it easier to connect with and understand how you feel about drinking.  

You could focus on what each of your senses is telling you about your drink and the environment you’re in. How does it taste, what does it look and smell like, and how does it feel in your mouth? Take your time and appreciate the moment. 

8. Take a break between drinks 

When you finish a drink, pause and ask yourself whether another one is what you actually want. Take a moment to reflect on how the alcohol is making you feel and what the effects of another drink would be. 

You could plan to take a 20-minute break before your next drink and then decide what to do after this time. Even if you do opt to have another alcoholic drink, this break can also provide a handy opportunity to rehydrate with some water. 

9. Try out non-alcoholic alternatives 

Wishing to have an alcoholic drink might be driven by a desire to have a special treat or to experience specific flavors. In many cases, you can enjoy these things with one of the many non-alcoholic options that are available to make at home or order at the bar. 

Mocktails and non-alcoholic versions of beer and wine can often be just as satisfying as their alcoholic counterparts, and trying something new could even add an extra element of fun. 

10. Be flexible with your plans 

While it can be useful to set yourself goals and to plan in advance, being too rigid with your targets can sometimes be counterproductive.  

When someone feels unable to achieve a certain goal, there’s a risk that they might start thinking that it’s not worth trying to change their behavior at all. In the context of alcohol, feeling unable to stick to a strict drinks limit could lead some to overindulge instead. 

A key aspect of being mindful is taking time to check in with yourself as you go and see if you still feel like sticking to your plan. If you do, great! But if not, that’s fine as well. The most important thing is to be intentional with your choices. 

Benefits of mindful drinking

Mindful drinking could help you to avoid overdoing it. If it works for you, it could lead to a healthier relationship with alcohol — where a drink is something to enjoy in and of itself, rather than a way of handling certain emotions.  

Potential benefits include: ² 

• A greater awareness of yourself and your feelings. 
• Finding it easier to drink less or keep within drinking guidelines. 
• Finding it easier to respond to social pressures to drink. 

And of course, drinking too much can make it harder for you to stick to your health goals. Booze brings excess calories and can make you more likely to overeat. ³ Alcohol can also disrupt your sleep, which in turn can lead to consuming more calories and making poorer food choices the next day. ^4,5 

A lack of sleep, overeating, and the sugar and carbs present in certain drinks can all trigger glucose spikes, which can have a negative effect on your energy, sleep, mood, and focus. ⁶

Effects of drinking too much 

Drinking too much alcohol can have a range of adverse short- and long-term effects. ⁷

Short-term effects include: 

• Lightheadedness 
• Slurred speech 
• Blurry vision 
• Reduced reaction times and co-ordination 
• Accidents that can lead to injury 
• Impaired judgement and decision-making 
• Loss of inhibitions and self-control 
• Drowsiness 
• Dehydration 
• Nausea and vomiting 

Long-term effects include: 

• Damage to various organs, including your brain, liver, and heart 
• Raised blood pressure 
• Raised blood cholesterol 
• A weakened immune system 
• Weaker bones 
• Some cancers 

While there’s no “safe” drinking level, you can keep your risk of the above effects low by following the guidelines for drinking in moderation. The CDC defines moderate drinking as two drinks or less in a day for men and one drink or less in a day for women. 

Help and support 

If you're worried about how much you’re drinking or your relationship with alcohol, it may be worth speaking with a doctor. 

There are also many resources available for people who are looking for support. Here are some options: 

• SAMSHA’s National Helpline: This is the US’s national substance abuse helpline and is free to call on 1-800-662-HELP (4357). The line is open 27/7, 365 days a year, and can provide information in both English and Spanish. 
• Alcoholics Anonymous: A free self-help group that aims to support people on their journey to sobriety. 
• Al-Anon Family Groups: These support groups provide help for those who are friends or family members of people who have had problems with alcohol.  
• LifeRing: An abstinence-based organization aiming to set up non-judgmental conversations about recovery from alcohol misuse with others on the same journey. 
• Women for Sobriety: A peer-support program for women overcoming substance misuse with local and online meetings. 
• SMART Recovery: A self-help group that allows people to decide if they have a problem and then helps to foster the motivation to make changes with meeting groups and online training. 

A final note from Lingo 

Alcohol doesn’t have to dominate your social life. If you’re interested in having a more intentional relationship with drinking, adopting a mindful drinking mindset could be useful. 

A mindful or sober curious approach to alcohol could help you strengthen your self-awareness while navigating social pressures. And it could make it easier for you to stick to your health goals and keep your glucose steady. 

If you’re curious about the impact that drinks have on your glucose, a continual glucose monitor (CGM) like Lingo can provide insight into the effects that different drinks have on you. 

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