5 steps to reducing your booze in 2023

It's pretty popular to over-do-it during the silly season then, when sitting in a puddle of shame, declare "I'm never drinking again". 

Of course this is a great goal and something we can all work towards, but creating big finite decisions can lead to giving up by February when things get tough.

If you want to reduce alcohol in 2023 here are some small steps you can take that will put you on the path towards your bigger goal.

Ultimately our lives are made up of small habits, done consistently. The idea of this list is to pick one small habit, get that cemented, and slowly build another habit on top of it. Thus creating lasting change. 

1. Start organising or attending social events that don't involve drinking. This may require you to organise a bowling night, or sign up to a painting workshop, or say no to after work drinks. We are creatures of our environment more than we'd like to admit, so curate your environment to reflect what you want to see.  

2. Find people on a similar path to you. There are many FB groups, Instagram pages and discords full of people exploring sobriety in some form. Make it a goal to connect with some people in your local area. Having people you can message and share your wins and struggles will be very powerful.

3. Start healing your childhood trauma. Everyone has trauma to some extent, and working with a professional to find out what is going on inside of you may help you start to understand why you're struggling to say 'no' to a Friday wine. 

4.Remove toxic relationships. Assess the relationships in your life and ask yourself whether they bring or take energy from you. If someone is only taking energy from you, choose to spend less time with them in 2023. Many of us drink to cope with stress, removing unnecessary stressful relationships is one way to reduce the 'need to drink'. 

5.Educate yourself on alcohol and how it impacts the body. There is endless knowledge out there, subscribe to channels, listen to podcasts, buy books and immerse yourself in information. It's really hard to unlearn when you've heard all the facts. 

Start implementing these smaller goals and you'll find your larger goal of 'never drinking again' is easier to achieve. 

We'd love to hear if this was helpful for you, let us know in the comment section below.