Are you looking for the best tips to drink less? Maybe you are just sick and tired of drinking too much or maybe you are looking for a bright and new lifestyle change.
Either way, I get it. Waking up feeling groggy, run down, unmotivated for your day (and sometimes even upset), is the WORSE feeling!
Trying to wrap your head around how you got to where you are and how the heck can we make this even just slightly better...
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I've worked in breweries, wineries, and endless bars. All the while I struggled with drinking in my early twenties... Until I packed up and left for Costa Rica to learn yoga and get my head straight.
You will learn my unique, and maybe unpopular, tips and tricks on how to drink less to start feeling more aligned, grounded, and in control.
This post is all about tips to drink less.
Grounded Tips to Drink Less
A bit of a disclaimer here, if you are struggling with addiction and/or looking to go completely sober, please seek professional help. These tips are not medical advice and are geared for individuals who are simply interested in tips to drink less and a healthier lifestyle.
1. Start with curiosity
The best way to begin the path of drinking less is to just be curious about it. Survey shows nearly 50% of Americans planned to drink less in 2025, a staggering 44% increase from 2023!
So, begin to ask yourself questions such as:
- How is my relationship with alcohol?
- Am I happy with my relationship with alcohol?
- What would it look like to live a more sober lifestyle?
You can even start with one single evening of switching out the glass of wine with a mocktail, soda water, lemon water, etc then noticing how you feel. This can start the trickling effect of curiosity!
2. Have intentions and goals
When I started my more-sober lifestyle it was a wild ride of just throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what stuck. Though, it will get messy at times as we rewire our brains, but having intentions and goals in the beginning will ease the transition.
Studies show you are more likely to achieve your goals if you write them down, set a plan, and even have a friend as your accountability partner!
Some goals can include:
- Limit my drinks to only one drink per week
- Go out with friends and only have two drinks then switch to soda water
- Wake up early and workout this weekend (instead of staying up late drinking)
- I plan on being semi-sober within 3 months
Overall, it is important to know where you want to go with it. Do you want to be completely sober? Only drink a couple high end drinks a week? Only go out with friends once per month? You get to choose.
3. Curiosity over criticism
I have found, time after time, that engaging in self-criticism does not help... Can you relate? Maybe you had an argument with someone and later on you start to criticize yourself wondering why you handled the situation like that...
Stay curious, avoid criticism!
I find that especially now, we can get really hard on ourselves for not drinking (at least I do!) instead of going out with our friends. But, remembering to just stay curious and not over criticize the situation will allow us to be more open to opportunities rather than beating ourselves up.
4. Don't generalize behavior
It can be so easy for us to generalize all our behaviors, from ourselves and others. This tip to drink less is for that moment when you have drank a little too much and start to say the classic, "I'm never drinking again! I am swearing off alcohol! I always do this when I go out!"
Can you relate?!
Really try hard not to generalize your behavior. That just solidifies your belief system and will make it 1000x harder to break the cycle. Be patient with yourself!
5. Use Sunnyside app
The Sunnyside app helps you mindfully drink and take control of your behaviors! I had no idea this existed, yet it seems to help people dramatically gain control of their drinking behaviors.
96% of users have reported to drink less after only 90 days!
A great thing to pair with your goals and intentions, plus a superb way to have some accountability and guidance along the way.
6. Feed your mind with helpful thoughts patterns
It is no surprise that our minds play a significant role in our daily habits, lifestyle, and more. Our thoughts lead to feelings lead to actions which leads to results.
If I am looking to get any sort of result in my life, I resort to changing my thoughts (which usually comes down to changing my beliefs, but that's a whole other topic!).
Learning how to drink less is no different. You want results? Change the way you think by feeding your mind helpful thought patterns.
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7. Experiment with other drinks at night
One of my favorite tips to drink less is finding other fun nonalcoholic drinks to enjoy in the evening. For me in the beginning, I remember really getting into relaxing herbal teas.
Even mocktails with magnesium for an evening ritual to aid in relaxation, muscle recovery, better sleep, hydration, and more!
Add magnesium powder with a lemonade flavor into a cup, add ice, water, lemon and poke a straw in it. It might just be the next best nightly drink...
8. Know where your drinks come from
Maybe the most critical tip to drink less is... KNOW WHERE YOUR DRINKS COME FROM! Just ask yourself a simple question, do you know where the last drink you had came from?
When I say that, I mean, do you know who made it (the actual person)? What ingredients were used? Where it was made? Etc?
Believe it or not, most Americans have a trust-gap with their food production. So why not expect the same transparency in our alcoholic drinks as well? From additives, to preservatives, to yeast nutrients, to sugar, the drink industry is no better...
So, if you can, know your drinks producer, know the winery or brewery. This alone helped me have a better relationship with alcohol because it helped me avoid the additives and sugars that made me sick, hungover, addicted, etc.
9. Only drink high valued, high quality drinks
Another of my favorite tips to drink less... Only drink high valued, high quality drinks.
In addition to the tip above, knowing where your drinks come from and only drinking high quality drinks will set you up for ultimate success.
When I started drinking high quality beers and wine I was drinking less and feeling better. And why does that matter? Because cheap drinks come in abundance.
Ask yourself: Do you want to drink 10 low quality, highly processed drinks? Or do you want to drink a couple high quality, clean drinks?
10. Avoid hard alcohol
A seriously secret tip to drink less: I've worked in wineries and breweries making these amazing fermented drinks, and one thing I noticed is how wine and beer are still a part of their plant constituents.
When hard alcohol is made, like whiskey, is it made from fermented grain BUT it is distilled and pulled away from the plants influence making it extremely pure alcohol.
Wine and beer are softer, gentler, and have pieces of the Earth still in them (insert heart emoji). To live more natural and healthy lives, we ought to incorporate as much Earth and nature as we can into the things we consume.
11. Don't be hard on yourself
The question remains when you slip up or you feel guilty for not going out and drinking, what do you do?
Well, for starters, don't be hard on yourself!
I know it is easier said than done, but try to forgive yourself for slipping up or not wanting to drink. And don't be hard on others for their choices either.
12. Fall in love with solitude
When I started to stray away from drinking heavily, I often felt super lonely and uncomfortable.
That was until I found yoga and learned to fall in love with solitude. The best tips to drink less and ground down include yoga and meditation!
Solitude allows for so many beautiful expressions of yourself that you might not know about. It also allows for personal healing and reflection which is great when someone is trying to transition out of an engrained habit.
13. Do more yoga
Which bring me to the next tip on how to drink less: Do more yoga!
Connecting with our breathe and body grounds our spirits and helps ease the struggles. It can also help elevate the bliss.
Using yoga as a nightly ritual or part of your morning routine can ease the struggles of rebalancing your mind and spirit coming off alcohol. It is also a great activity to do in solitude.
14. Engage in naturally-rich dopamine tasks
When we drink alcohol we get a rush of dopamine, I'm sure you are aware of this! This makes it reaaaalllyy addictive!
So, to contrast the dopamine spike you would get from alcohol you can engage in naturally-rich dopamine tasks. Unnatural high dopamine comes from scrolling social media, drugs, alcohol, sugar, food, etc.
While naturally-rich dopamine tasks come from exercising and spending time outside. Even small tasks like cleaning, making your bed, creative arts and learning a new skill.
Spending more time with naturally-rich dopamine tasks will fill the time you would be drinking!
15. Drink lots and lots of water!
Working in the brewery was challenging to not drink because I am working and I am THIRSTY! The beer looks oh so good like it would quench my thirst immediately and be the best thing that's ever happened to me.
Though, that craving mostly resulted from being dehydrated!
So, if you are trying to drink less and find yourself craving your favorite alcoholic drink then go ahead and DRINK WATER! Evening adding in some electrolytes into your water will help!
16. Everything in moderation
A simple principle that can change everything. Everything is healthy in moderation!
This ties into the tip of "don't be hard on yourself". When you are enjoying your favorite beverage try to remember that everything is healthy in moderation.
That can help alleviate any guilt, stress, discomfort, etc. I know that sometimes I will have maybe 3 drinks and other times only have one or even zero. But, even that to me is in moderation.
Everyone's moderation looks different, so find what works for you! Just like everyone's relationship to each other looks different and we find our own balance.
17. Get enough sleep
A critical step in learning ultimate tips to drink less! Sleeping is so powerful and a lot of people can overlook it's potency (me included!).
Studies show that not getting enough sleep reduces your self-control, impairs your decision making, and effects your ability to problem solve.
So, if you are trying to cut back on drinking one of the best things you can do is make sure you are getting enough sleep. This will help you find your moderation, balance, and align your self control.
18. Ditch the sugary drinks (they make it 100x more addictive!)
Are you a sugary-cocktail kind of chica? Or maybe you like sweet wine? Well, I have some news... Those sugary drinks are making your drinking habit that much more attractive!!
Sugar is addictive, there is NO question! And when we have drinks with lots of added sugar, we can tend to become more attracted (even addicted) to that drink.
Even when you are choosing wine, and you are choosing the cheaper version... You are most likely opting-in for a sugary drink. Learn more about sugary wines here! Sugar will make drinking more attractive and addictive!
Stay away from low-quality drinks and drinks with lots of added sugar!
These tips to drink less can make you the hero to be more grounded in yourself, feel more aligned in your purpose and in control of your life!