Mindful drinking: why cutting down booze is on the rise

Limiting your intake of alcohol is always a good idea and a relatively new trend called ‘mindful drinking’ is one way to do it. Here’s how it works.

Whether it’s data collected by the country’s national statistics agency or compiled through recent consumer surveys, the facts are clear: Australians – and particularly younger Australians – are drinking less alcohol.

At the same time, Google searches worldwide for the term “mindful drinking” rose significantly last year.

The University of Newcastle’s Dr Tamara Bucher researches nutrition and consumer behaviour and says she isn’t surprised.

“People are becoming increasingly aware about alcohol-related harm, including the link between alcohol and increased cancer risk, and about the high-energy content of alcoholic beverages,” Dr Bucher says.

“These things didn’t used to be top of mind for a lot of consumers, but awareness is increasing and people know a lot more these days.

“It’s also true that many people simply want to be more present and may also want to avoid the hangovers that can go hand-in-hand with drinking alcohol, so no, the fact that people are becoming increasingly interested in mindful drinking doesn’t surprise me.”

So what is mindful drinking?

Aaron Batchelor, information officer at Australia’s Alcohol and Drug Foundation, explains it as being a combination of things.

“Mindful drinking is being actively conscious about how much you’re drinking, why you’re choosing to drink or not drink, and how drinking might impact your health,” he says.

“Actively sticking to the National Health and Medical Research Council alcohol guidelines would be an example of mindful drinking.”

Dr Bucher adds that while mindful drinking isn’t a scientifically defined term, as well as being a move away from an all-or-nothing approach where you either drink alcohol or you don’t, it has some similarities to mindful eating, too.

“If we think about mindful eating, that’s a lot about noticing how things like the environment and social context influences what we’re eating and it’s similar with consuming alcohol.

“Very often we drink because we’re out and about and because others are drinking around us.

“Simply being mindful of that fact can help us start to control our intake.”

Putting mindful drinking into practise

On top of being aware of the fact that ordering a drink can sometimes happen on autopilot in certain settings or circumstances, there are other ways you can start drinking mindfully.

“If you think there are changes you’d like to make to your drinking, including being mindful about your alcohol intake, there are steps you can take,” Aaron says.

“Setting goals and monitoring your drinks – what, when and why you’re drinking can be great first steps, as is finding healthy ways to manage stress.”

Dr Bucher says simply choosing to replace some alcoholic beverages with non-alcoholic ones, is another.

“With mindful drinking being about reducing intake of alcohol, that can start with not making every beverage an alcoholic one in those environments and situations when you’d usually have a drink.

“For example, being conscious of replacing that midweek drink with a non-alcohol alternative.”

And that alternative doesn’t have to be water or a traditional soft drink, either.

Dr Bucher says the non-alcoholic or alcohol-removed beers, wines and spirits that are available can make drinking mindfully more viable than ever, remembering that “enjoying a drink” is about much more than just the alcohol.

“And likewise, there’s so much more to non-alcoholic beverages than just giving away that alcohol,” Dr Bucher says.

“There’s the enjoyment, the taste and the social aspect to consider.

“So having a choice that isn’t water or a sweet soft drink when you’re somewhere like a pub can make a big difference.”

Aaron adds that support to help change your drinking habits is also available if you need it.

“You can talk to your GP for more information and advice,” he says.

“Or use the Alcohol and Drug Foundation’s Path2Help to find support and information tailored to the specific needs of you or your loved ones.”

Written by Karen Fittall.

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