Here's the Most Effective Way to Reduce Your Alcohol Intake

Oh, alcohol. How I love you when I need you, but how I hate you in the morning. Unfortunately, it can be quite hard to stop drinking, especially when you're not really thinking about the consequences like the amount of alcohol you've already consumed or the crazy hangover you'll end up having in the morning because of it.

If you're hoping to cut down on the booze intake, then you'll be happy to hear that Australian research has revealed the most effective way to do so - and it's actually not rocket science. All you have to do is keep count of your drinks.

Curtin University and researchers from the University of Newcastle and Cancer Council Victoria assessed different protective behavioral strategies that might be able to reduce alcohol intake.

Out of the 16 different strategies that they investigated, 11 off them didn't work at all, 4 actually increased people's alcohol consumption, and only 1 proved to lower levels of alcohol consumption over time: counting your drinks.


Believe it or not, I have tried this before - and I can attest that it actually works. If you know your limit, stop there, no matter what. Switch to water and good conversation. The best part is that you won't just reduce your alcohol intake; you'll also save a lot of money. ;p

In case you're wondering, the ones that increased alcohol consumption were asking a friend to let you know when you've had enough, adding more ice to your drink, having a designated driver, and leaving the drinking venue at a predetermined time.

The results were published in the Addictive Behaviors journal online.