Dry January tips from Heart Research UK

0% alcohol by Heineken - try buying some alcohol-free beer or soft drinks to have when you’re next craving an alcoholic drink

This month is Dry January, which sees many people across the UK take on the challenge of curbing their drinking habits for a whole month.

We know that drinking too much alcohol can lead to increased blood pressure, some types of cancer and weight gain.

If you think you could benefit from taking on this challenge or would like to take steps to reduce your alcohol intake, try out some of the below tips this month to get you started.

Know Your Numbers
Knowing how much alcohol you are consuming can be the first step towards making a change. It is recommended to drink less than 14 units of alcohol per week, which is equivalent to approximately seven medium glasses of wine, or six pints of regular strength beer. You can calculate your exact intake at www.drinkaware.co.uk

Find Alternatives
Most of the time we can satisfy a craving with an alternative option. Try buying some alcohol-free beer or soft drinks to have when you’re next craving an alcoholic drink.

Replace Habits
It can be useful to distract yourself with another activity at the time when you would usually drink. Try going for a short walk or organise to speak with a friend at a time when you would usually drink alcohol.

Be Smart
We can still enjoy alcohol whilst reducing our overall consumption. Some great tactics you can use to reduce your intake include:

• having a soft drink for every other drink
• adding more alcohol-free days to your week
• opting for lower strength drinks such as a single spirit mixer instead of a glass of wine, which has over half of the units and calories when you opt for a low-calorie mixer

For more tips on how to stay healthy, you can sign up for weekly healthy tips from Heart Research UK here.