Fiona Beckett: How to Drink Without Drinking

Whether you’re struggling to stay motivated during dry January or just want easy tips for cutting down on the booze, wine expert Fiona Beckett has plenty of creative ideas for alcohol-free drinking

Just as with any lifestyle change, giving up alcohol, whether permanently or temporarily, needs a change of mindset. I’m obviously not talking about addiction issues here, for which you need professional help – as well as the realisation that you have a drinking problem – but simply choosing alcohol-free drinks rather than alcoholic ones.

You might think, earning my living by writing about wine, I’m the last person to advise you, but I see that as an advantage. Although I have to taste wine or other alcoholic drinks most days, like everyone else I benefit from a break from actually drinking them. But I’m not prepared to settle for second best. It’s important to me that the days when I don’t drink are as pleasurable in terms of what I consume as those when I do.

Only you will know whether you’ll find it easier to cut alcohol out completely – even if for a limited period – or just drink on fewer occasions, but it pays to make a plan.

7 WAYS TO REDUCE (OR ELIMINATE) THE BOOZE IN YOUR LIFE

1. Set a personal goal

You have to start somewhere, but make it realistic. Two alcohol-free days a week is doable for most of us, most likely after the weekend. Three is better still – preferably in a row.

2. Tell your family and friends

Family should be on your side, but one of the biggest battles you’ll face is friends who keep pressing you to drink, maybe implying that you’ve become a party pooper if you don’t. Don’t be embarrassed to explain exactly why you’re cutting down – or out – making it clear that you’re serious. It may even involve changing your social circle. Find a non-drinking pal to go out with if the pressure’s getting to you – a sobersister (or soberbro).

3. Don’t needlessly put yourself in the way of temptation

On days or periods you’re cutting down or cutting out, avoid your usual boozy haunts. Don’t make having a drink the main reason for going out – unless it’s a coffee.

In fact, it may be worth taking the car, which gives you an easy excuse not to drink. If you’re embarking on a longer period of abstinence, clear out the booze from the cupboards and fridge and steer clear of the wine aisle. Stock up with alcohol-free alternatives instead

4. B.Y.O. (Bring your own)

If you’re visiting friends and are not sure if there will be something alcohol-free to drink, take it with you, particularly to a party. Alcohol-free beers, which look similar to the full-strength version, are an especially good bet as they won’t make you stand out from the crowd. If you’re

away for the weekend, take a bottle of an alcohol-free spirit and some tonic to your hosts.

5. Get into alcohol-free cocktails

It’s hard to find a substitute for wine, but alcohol-free cocktails can be mindblowingly good these days, with many top restaurants offering an impressive selection. I often start the evening with one, whether I’m drinking or not, and end up drinking it with food.

6. Find another type of drink to get passionate about

Part of the appeal of wine, beer and other drinks like whisky, is the knowledge you accumulate about them – even working through a bucket list of drinks you want to try before you die.

But you can apply that type of geekery to other drinks, too. Get into tea, get into coffee, get into fermenting – all fascinating, absorbing worlds.

7. Focus On The Pay-offs

It’s important to see alcohol-free days as an opportunity, not a deprivation. The proverbial glass half full rather than half empty. There are, as you’ll rapidly discover, many advantages, even if

you cut down rather than cutting out, including a better quality of sleep, improved concentration, weight loss (unless you binge on cakes instead), more spare cash and, due to the happy lack of hangovers, more productive hours in the day.

FIONA’S BOOZE-FREE DRINKS

Not G&T

Rhubarb Cordial

Recipes and words taken from: How To Drink Without Drinking: Celebratory Alcohol-free Drinks For Any Time Of The Day by Fiona Beckett (£20, Kyle)