We could give you 1 million tips when drinking alcohol (which we do wink wink), but let's focus on immediately reclaiming our control. We all know how slippery the slope really is.
Though, the slope does not have to slip if we know the spirit of alcohol. How it breathes, moves, talks, and feels...
They say when you are taking hallucinogenic drugs to “be cautious” and “know your set and setting”. Why don’t we do that with alcohol?
It is a drug, is it not?
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When I was making beer in my basement when I was 20 (please don’t call the cops on me), I connected with alcohol in a very special way.
I watched it get created, I watched it evolve. And when I say, watched, that includes smelling it, tasting it, and feeling it. After that experience, I started to notice how different alcoholic drinks actually resulted in a different feeling.
Isn’t that wild? You would think alcohol is alcohol and there is no differentiation between a martini and a beer. Which, that can be true in the research and literature… but I encourage you to have a beer one night, then have a glass of wine another night, and really notice the difference.
These tips will help you notice the difference, bring awareness into your drinking session so you can quickly gain control, and also provide you some insights on how to utilize the set and setting of drinking.
This post is all about tips when drinking alcohol.
Tips When Drinking Alcohol
Breathe like you are in a yoga class
As a yoga teacher myself, I am a huge teacher of deep breaths. I understand you don't want to be taking deep heartfelt breaths when you are drinking, however you can simply bring awareness to your breath and deepen it a bit.
Our breath is our passage way into our body. I love taking deep breaths at any given moment to connect myself back, ground down, and become centered.
To fully regain our control, we must get into the moment. As they say, "seize the moment!" To do this, we use our breath to get into our body and understand what is happening. Which leads us to feely the full spirit of alcohol.
Once we are able to connect with the spirit of alcohol and understand it, we can regain our control.
Find awareness
Similar to above, connecting to alcohol (on a different level) takes a good deal of awareness. When I was fermenting my own beer in college, I was aware of every moment of tasting, smelling, and even just sitting with it.
The best way to describe it is to just be curious. Ask yourself, what more is here?
Maybe you notice your immediate reaction is to drink more. You feel the deep cravings, or you notice you are actually really uncomfortable and want to go home. Maybe you notice nothing (which is totally normal).
No matter what, we can use this awareness as our armor to take back control while drinking. What an empowering idea!!
If alone, ask yourself those hard questions
Maybe my most experienced way to feel the spirit of alcohol, especially recently is journaling while having a glass of wine. This is also when you will feel the quality of the drink you are drinking. Whether it is cheap beer or high end wines.
Sometimes, I will have a drink alone on the porch and contemplate life (que the movie scene). Using alcohol as a tool to tap deeper into my subconscious to help me answer those pressing questions and burning desires...
Drinking lowers our inhibitions, so if you are alone as yourself, "What am I really thinking? What do I really want right now?" This can be such a powerful practice, but in moderation of course.
Stick with one: beer, wine, or liquor
We must choose one type of fermented drink when drinking, and I am SURE you know this. Mixing drinks is like juggling two completely different items... A ball and a bat.
For example, beer and wine are already vastly different drinks, and therefore, different sensations.
Beer has the help of hops. Hops are used in medicinal herbalism as a sedative and relaxant. That alone makes the sensations of beer different from wine and liquor. So, choose one to experience at a time.
If you try to mix them, you won't know what is coming from which direction. Ultimately, fogging your view and making it easier for you to spiral out of control and slip down the slope all the way home.
Take your time, pace yourself
Is this a given? It can be so challenging in today's drinking culture to pace ourselves, to not feel rushed, and to enjoy it. To me, it seems there is always an end goal and we must get there quickly without ANY stop lights.
We move with the breath, we drink slower, and pace ourselves. And, don't forget to enjoy it. Obviously, this helps us stay in the driver seat.
Here are quick tips on how to pace your drinking when you need some extra tips!
Treat the evening like an experiment
When I was in my big drinking years I would go out drinking with serious objectives. Whether that was to meet new people, drink extra, or simply allow the night to take me away to never-ever-land.
My tip is don't do that! Have intentions with your evening and treat it like an experiment. If you were a scientist in the lab, how would you analyze the evening?
Below is my intentional night out guide. It is the checklist and drink plan I do in my head every time before I go out drinking, and it saves me every time!
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Don't overthink it
Like a bad boyfriend, we don't need to overthink or give our thoughts to something that will end up working out just fine. A underrated tip when drinking alcohol...
Try not to overthink drinking... while drinking! Enjoy yourself, take it easy, and don't put too much pressure on yourself to get to any sort of "finish line". It took my a lot of practice to get to a place with drinking alcohol that I was happy with.
Tap into your gut instinct
Remember the idea of a "safe set and setting"? Well, if your friends all the sudden want to go to a loud, crazy, wild bar and you are on the fence and feel like you shouldn't go. Then, don't!
The spirit of alcohol can also be destructive and can weasel its way into the evening in a malicious manner. So, staying in tune with your gut and keeping your set and setting safe will keep you in the driver seat.
Watch how conversation flows as the drinks flow
Coming back to our awareness, notice how the conversations might flow differently. This can be especially interesting to me because alcohol really does infiltrate our brains, in a helpful way as well as a unhelpful way.
When my man and I enjoy a bottle of nice wine at sunset, our conversation gets deep, real, and honest. Of course with light laughter and enjoyment. But, it is always interesting to see how the spirit of alcohol influences these moments.
By simply noticing the conversations change we can be more aware of the spirit of alcohol working through us. When we know it, we can control it better.
Go to bars that are elegant and beautiful
Imagine twinkle lights, cute tables in the garden at sunset, mini tapas on handmade pottery plates, and wearing your BEST dress.
What a setting to invite the pure essence of alcohol. No loud music, no shots, no distractions... just beauty, you, and you friends enjoying an elegant and beautiful evening.
So, if you are out at a loud bar, or something you are not a fan of, you feel the alcohol kind-of taking over... Then, offer to go to a nice relaxing bar. Regain control of the setting!
Only drink high end drinks, please!
Cheap drinks give a cheap high, and let's be honest... It can be way easier to keep the drinks flowing when it is cheap beer.
The pure and true spirit of alcohol lives in the creation! Drinks made with intention, love, and even bare hands. That will give you the best expression of alcohol's spirit and help you stay in control of it.
Honestly, I embodied this lesson when I was working in a winery in Napa Valley, California. My girlfriend and I were at our wine wednesday at the tasting room and it just hit me like a bad of crystal clear rocks: the quality of the drinks you drink MATTER!
The best tips when drinking alcohol... Drink high quality drinks!
Order/make drinks with minimal sugar
Think about that bottle of wine you bought at the hole-in-the-wall liquor store for $15 that might as well have been syrup! A sugar rush will only distract you and be harder to re-calibrate yourself.
Pure drinks, not liquor on the rocks necessarily, but clean pure drinks will support you in keeping control.
Be intentional
As with all these tips on when drinking alcohol, being intentional is the root! If your intention to drink is simply to get drunk and get wild, then that most likely will happen for you. But, if we want to experience drinking as a means of wellness and self care then we must make that intention too.
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Respect it, don't abuse it
Much like anything else, if we abuse drinking we will lose sight of what is important. Let's take traveling for example. So many people have the "travel bug", but when abused, it loses its sparkle.
I know this from experience. I traveled too much, had a hard time slowing down, and the "travel bug" actually became a chore to continue. So, for drinking, it is the same. Don't abuse it and it shall keep its pure and beautiful sparkle.
Know your limits!
The spirit of alcohol can get enraged when go past our limits. Whether that is getting angry, wild, or experiencing pure euphoria. When we go past our limits it can be a bit of a wild card, as the spirit of alcohol loses its purity.
So, know your limits. For me, that is about 3-5 drinks (depending on what I am drinking).
Try Georgian wines...
Have you ever heard of wines from Georgia? Georgia the country! It is said to be the "spiritual home of wine". They have been making wine the same way for 8,000 years!
Georgian wines have their own unique winemaking process and a rich history of winemaking (8000 years!). Follow the other tips when drinking alcohol to use Georgian wines as a tool for regaining our control when drinking.
Show up as your best self
The malicious spirit of alcohol likes when you show up upset, angry, saddened, etc. If you do show up that way, acknowledge it and know that the spirit of alcohol will shift its energy to match yours.
Some call it "self medicating" to go out drinking when they are upset. Which is totally understandable for a coping mechanism, but understand that the ill-spirited side of alcohol will feed on that.
So, show up as your best self and you will see that keeping control is not that challenging... Even start with a good morning routine, get a good workout in, and find time for yourself before going out.
Keep your circle small and tight
The purity of alcohol thrives in tight, small, and intimate settings. Of course, you could find the pure spirit of alcohol in other moments with big crowds, etc, but to step into the idea of wellness and purity it is best to keep your circle small.
A small circle of supportive people will help keep you aligned with your intentions and know what is best for you, keep you in control, and more.