How To Drink Less This Summer

We all know those warm summer days and long evenings are perfect for a drink or two, but it’s also a very easy excuse to go overboard with our tipples. In fact, research by Club Soda has revealed that we lose on average two weeks of our summer to hangovers. “The best months for reaping the benefits of a booze-free month are the summer ones,” Laura insists. “Think about it. Warm weather, long days, and your summer break are all things we look forward to enjoying. Surely, we want to make the most of them, rather than dozing off in a deck chair after a boozy afternoon? If you’ve never seen a summer without copious amounts of wine and Pimm’s, then now is the perfect time to try on a less hazy summer for size.”

Here are Laura’s tips for a booze-free summer you’ll remember…

1. Focus on Your Dream Summer

We work so hard and deserve a good summer holiday. But because we often drink every evening whilst we’re away, we come back more tired and poorer (without much to show for the cash spent). Taking a month off booze could save you up to £200, and even just halving what you spend on alcohol during a week-long holiday could save you £175. You can soon begin to see where that money can go instead – hot air balloon ride anyone?

Plus, cutting back over summer can help you get into shape. It will not only help you reduce your calorie and sugar intake, but it’ll have you moving about more in the glorious sunshine. Ultimately, you can get more out of your summer if you want to. It is amazing how much easier it is to go out and play with the kids without a hangover, or make more of your day when you can get up on a sunny morning without a fuzzy head and enjoy the outdoors with your senses firing on all cylinders.

2. Get Your Money’s Worth at The All-Inclusive

If you end up on an all-inclusive holiday, you need to know that you don’t have to drink everything in sight. Instead, hit those cold pressed juices, alcohol-free cocktails, fruits and the items that needs ordering in fresh. Then follow it up by trying all the activities they have to offer. You’ll be getting much better bang for your buck.

3. Make Moderation Rules for Sunny Days

Set some rules and stick to them – your days will go much further. Try the following:

First, don’t drink until dinner. A beer in the pub garden with lunch may sound like a great idea at the time but combined with the sun it can really whack you out.
Then, make your first two drinks alcohol-free so you can assess clearly whether this will be a late night or whether you would rather be up early tomorrow and enjoy the good weather. We often drink to stay at things we don’t enjoy when really, we should go home.

If you fancy a drink, shandies are the perfect moderation drink for summer – once you are halfway down your drink, top it up with another mixer, or go for spritzers and shandies from the start.

4. Remember: Real Adventurers Do It With A Clear Head

Drinking more mindfully doesn’t have to be boring and it doesn’t mean staying home all the time – the good weather gives you many more non-drinking options. Why not try something new with friends like paddle boarding, walking hidden trails, outdoor theatre or a last-minute weekend away somewhere quiet and remote. The more packed your itinerary is, the less likely you are to want to wake up the next day with a hangover.

5.  Discover Your Favourite Alcohol-Free Tipple

Once you’ve added lots of ice, a straw and some exotic fruit, all summer drinks really do look the same. So, whether you want to fake a beer around the BBQ or a cocktail around the pool, it’s easy to knock back glass after glass of interesting flavoured alcohol-free drinks and not suffer the next day. There are many ways to fake an Aperol spritz.

The new wave of low and no-alcohol drinks is just getting bigger, which means that if you want something special, there are options. Spend some time finding the one that works for you. Keep the fridge stocked and know that when that urge strikes you have something to look forward to (don’t worry, this isn’t replacing one bad habit with another – a drink that is 0.5% or below is a natural trace level of alcohol with less calories and sugar than a fizzy drink). That means whenever you have friends over, you won’t feel like you’re missing out.
 

For more tips on the best low and no-alcohol drink, and the best places to go for mindful drinkers, visit JoinClubSoda.co.uk.