Struggling to control your drinking this holiday season? These five simple shifts can help you stay balanced.
Practical strategies to help you enjoy the season without regret over drinking.
Key points
- Pacing and spacing your drinks helps you stay in control while still participating socially.
- Setting limits before events and tracking your consumption prevents unintentional overindulgence.
- Choosing lower-alcohol options and measuring your pours helps you know exactly what you’re consuming.
The holidays are supposed to be joyful, but for many people, they come with a nagging worry about drinking. Between office parties, family gatherings, and New Year’s celebrations, it’s easy to find yourself consuming more alcohol than you intended. And here’s the thing: You’re not alone in this concern, and wanting to moderate your drinking doesn’t mean you have a problem—it just means you’re being thoughtful about your relationship with alcohol.
The good news is that there are concrete, evidence-based strategies you can use to keep your drinking in check during the holidays. These aren’t about deprivation or white-knuckling through parties. They’re about creating a plan that lets you enjoy the season while staying in control. Let’s dive in.
Read More: The Emotional Secret to Resisting Alcohol: How To Quit Drinking And Be Sober
5 (More) Ways To Control Your Drinking This Holiday Season
1. Slow Your Roll
Perhaps the simplest and most effective strategy is to slow down. Try alternating alcoholic beverages with water, soda, or other non-alcoholic drinks. This approach does double duty: It reduces your overall alcohol intake while keeping you hydrated, which can help you feel better throughout the evening and prevent the dreaded next-day hangover.
A useful guideline is to limit yourself to one standard drink per hour. This gives your body time to metabolize the alcohol and helps you maintain a pleasant buzz without tipping over into territory you’ll regret. Between drinks, focus on what the holidays are really about—the conversations, the food, the connections with people you care about. The drink in your hand is just one small part of the experience.
2. Practice the Delay Technique
Before reaching for another drink, pause and check in with yourself. Are you actually thirsty, or are you drinking out of habit or social pressure? Implementing a simple delay—even just 15 to 20 minutes—can make a significant difference in your overall consumption.
During this waiting period, grab some food, start a conversation, or step outside for fresh air. You might find that the urge passes, or at the very least, you’ll make a more conscious decision about whether you really want that next drink. This technique helps break the automatic reach-and-refill pattern that’s so common at holiday events. It’s about creating space between impulse and action—something that serves us well in many areas of life, not just drinking.
3. Measure Your Drinks
When you’re pouring your own drinks at home gatherings, it’s remarkably easy to pour much more than a standard serving. And here’s what most people don’t realize: A standard drink is 5 ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer, or 1.5 ounces of spirits. But when we’re eyeballing it, we often pour significantly more.
Try using actual measuring tools or marked glassware to ensure you’re sticking to standard servings. What looks like two glasses of wine might actually be three or four standard drinks if you’re free-pouring. Being mindful about measurements helps you track your intake accurately and avoid unintentional overindulgence. It’s not about being rigid—it’s about knowing what you’re actually consuming so you can make informed choices.
4. Stick With Lower-Alcohol Options
Not all drinks are created equal when it comes to alcohol content. Choosing wine, beer, or hard seltzers over spirits and cocktails naturally limits your alcohol consumption. These beverages typically have lower alcohol by volume and take longer to consume, which aligns well with the pacing strategy we talked about earlier.
A glass of wine (around 12% ABV) or a beer (4-6% ABV) allows you to participate in the social aspects of drinking while consuming less alcohol overall compared to cocktails that might contain multiple shots of liquor. Hard seltzers have become increasingly popular for exactly this reason—they’re refreshing, relatively low in alcohol, and come in pre-measured servings. This isn’t about being “less fun”—it’s about finding what works for you and your goals.
5. Set Clear Limits and Track Your Progress
Before heading to any holiday event, decide in advance how many drinks you’ll have. Whether it’s two drinks at the office party or three over the course of an evening gathering, having a predetermined limit helps you stay accountable to yourself.
Consider using your phone’s notes app or a drink tracking app to keep count. It’s surprisingly easy to lose track after a few drinks, especially at longer events where refills seem to appear magically. Some people find it helpful to use physical tokens, like moving coins from one pocket to another, as a tangible way to track each drink. Find whatever system works for you.
If you’re comfortable doing so, share your goals with a trusted friend or family member who can provide gentle accountability. Having someone aware of your intentions can help you stick to your plan when the festive atmosphere tempts you to have “just one more.” And remember: you don’t owe anyone an explanation for your choices about drinking.
Read More Here: 4 Reasons Why A Drinking Log Can Be A Powerful Tool To Cut Down Your Drinking
Moving Forward
These strategies are practical, doable, and don’t require you to sit out the festivities or explain yourself to every person who offers you a drink. The reality is that most people who want to moderate their drinking fall along the mild-to-moderate end of the spectrum—they’re not necessarily dealing with severe addiction, but they’ve noticed their drinking creeping up and want to get ahead of it. That’s a healthy, proactive approach.
If you find that these strategies alone aren’t sufficient, or if you’re struggling more than you expected, that’s valuable information. Consider reaching out to a therapist who specializes in substance use. Therapy is an ideal option for addressing these kinds of drinking concerns, and it’s often much more accessible and appealing than traditional rehab. You don’t have to wait until things get worse to ask for help.
The holidays should be a time of genuine joy and connection, not regret and hangovers. By implementing these five strategies, you can fully participate in celebrations while maintaining control over your drinking. And you’ll create clearer, more meaningful memories from this special time of year—which is what it’s all about.
If you or a loved one are concerned about your drinking, don’t hesitate to reach out: www.ianmcloone.com
Written by Ian McLoone, LPCC, LADC
Originally appeared on Psychology Today
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