Northern Arizona University

Introduction

If you are drinking too much, you can improve your life and health by cutting down. How do you know if you drink too much? Read these questions and answer "yes" or "no":

• Do you drink alone when you feel angry or sad?
  
• Does your drinking ever make you late for work?
  
• Does your drinking worry your family?
  
• Do you ever drink after telling yourself you won't?
  
• Do you ever forget what you did while you were drinking?
  
• Do you get headaches or have a hang-over after you have been drinking?

Write your reasons for cutting down or stopping

Why do you want to drink less? There are many reasons why you may want to cut down or stop drinking. You may want to improve your health, sleep better, or get along better with your family or friends. Make a list of the reasons you want to drink less.

Set a drinking goal

Choose a limit for how much you will drink. You may choose to cut down or not to drink at all. If you are cutting down, keep below these limits:

Women: No more than one drink a day

Men: No more than two drinks a day

a 12-ounce bottle of beer;
a 5-ounce glass of wine; or
a 1 1/2-ounce shot of liquor.

Now--write your drinking goal on a piece of paper. Put it where you can see it, such as on your refrigerator or bathroom mirror. Your paper might look like this:

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