Alcohol is known to be harmful to health.Research shows it’s linked to some cancers, can damage your liver, is linked to dementia risk, and just makes you feel bad. So with all of these findings, it’s natural to think more about your relationship with alcohol.

As your month of sobriety draws to a close, you may feel the urge to return to your old drinking habits. But it might be worth thinking about your drinking and making changes that last a month. (And, no, that doesn’t necessarily mean removing it entirely.)

Terms like “mindful drinking” and “sober curiosity” appear in the news and on social media, indicating that people are taking these findings seriously. Mindful drinking may mean different things to one person than it does to another, but essentially it’s about making people aware of how much they drink and choosing to drink when they actually want to, not just as a way to watch the game as a reflex or as a crutch to cope with stress. While some people who follow this lifestyle still drink, others don’t, making the definition flexible and customizable to suit you.

In the end, it’s up to you to drink or not to drink. But nutritionists say there are a few things to keep in mind for those who decide to drink it. Below, they share the drinking guidelines you should follow if you choose to drink alcohol.

1. The CDC guidelines say women should have no more than one drink per day and men should have no more than two.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines define moderate drinking as no more than one drink per day for women and no more than two drinks per day for men.

I think this is a very good guideline. These specific guidelines also note that this doesn’t mean women drink seven drinks a week, but rather one drink a day – so five days without drinking is not the same thing as having six drinks on the sixth day.

Your body has a lot of alcohol to process, which is why you can’t save all those drinks for day six.

Having one day when your alcohol level is over the limit and not drinking for 7 or more days can be more harmful than having just one drink a day for a woman or two drinks a day for a man. Our bodies are capable of handling this amount of alcohol.

While not a bummer, an alcoholic drink doesn’t mean a Long Island Iced Tea (a cocktail of gin, vodka, rum, tequila and triple sec).

Instead, the CDC says one drink is equivalent to 12 ounces of 5 percent alcohol by volume (ABV) beer, 5 ounces of 12 percent alcohol by volume wine, 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor, or 8 ounces of 12 percent ABV malt liquor.7% alcohol.

But know that alcohol is not good for your health. It’s important to know that recently, I think since last year, the World Health Organization has actually come out and said that no amount of alcohol is safe.

We know that alcohol is linked to cancer, it’s a Group 1 carcinogen, it’s the same as tobacco Belong to the same class of carcinogens. In addition to being a carcinogen, alcohol is also a toxin. Our body metabolizes alcohol preferentially because it is a toxin, so it wants to get rid of it.

World Health Organization guidelines say even drinking one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men is still associated with these health risks.

So for those who choose to drink alcohol, it’s important to know that we’ve moved beyond the general consensus that drinking alcohol has health benefits.

Suffice to say, just because the guidelines say you can drink a certain amount of alcohol per day, doesn’t mean you should.

2. If you do imbibe, drink water after each alcoholic beverage.

This is not an official guideline, but the idea of ​​drinking a glass of water after drinking an alcoholic beverage is a good idea.

Not only does it hydrate you, it also slows you down, which is helpful. Alcohol is a diuretic, which means it makes you urinate more frequently and can dehydrate you.

If you decide to drink more than what CDC guidelines consider moderate, drinking water after each drink can help.

3. Don’t drink on an empty stomach.

You probably have at least one memory (albeit a vague one) of drinking on an empty stomach.

Drinking alcohol on an empty stomach is not a good idea for a number of reasons.

Drinking on an empty stomach is not recommended. This way the alcohol will hit you faster, which can be a problem. Specifically, your body absorbs alcohol faster when there’s no food in your stomach, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Drinking while eating can help you feel less drunk, which is a good thing. It can also help you drink less because you’re not only drinking, but you’re also eating – and have other things to do. Drinking less alcohol is also a good thing.

So if you’re having happy hour with friends, order a few bites to eat too.

4. Don’t replace meals with alcohol.

While alcohol does provide calories to your body, it doesn’t provide essential nutrients like protein, fiber, or fat.

People tend to equate diet quality with calories, and this can be really harmful, especially when it comes to alcohol. Because if they’re just thinking about how many calories they’re eating, then they’re going to substitute alcohol calories for food calories and think that’s enough or that it’s a healthy substitute.

But really, nutrition is about getting the things we need: protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals and water, and when we cut back on these things to maintain caloric balance, there are nutritional risks. If you replace a meal with beer, your body won’t get the nutrients it needs.

5. Be aware of what constitutes binge drinking.

It’s important to understand the official definition of alcoholism. The CDC says five or more drinks on one occasion for men and four or more drinks on one occasion for women is considered binge drinking.

I think it’s less than a lot of people think.

Think about it: If you’ve ever been to a wedding that had a cocktail hour, dinner, dance, and after-party, you know how easy it is to have four or five drinks during the celebration.

How you handle alcohol is entirely up to you, and just because you drink more than what is considered a binge on one occasion does not necessarily mean you have an alcohol addiction or alcohol problem. I want to clarify this too, but technically that’s the definition of alcoholism.

6. Pay close attention to why you’re drinking.

For those who choose to drink alcohol, it’s important to note three things:

• Frequency and amount of alcohol you drink: Use the CDC’s guidelines to assess how much and how often you drink.
• Why drink: Ask yourself, how do I think this drink will benefit me? If you use alcohol to reduce stress, relax, or socialize, know that you can do this without drinking.
• Are there other things you can do or drink besides alcohol? Because there are actually many ways to achieve the benefits people think they get from drinking alcohol, we can get all of those benefits without drinking.

If you say, “Well, I just need this drink because I just need to relax”…alcohol itself doesn’t actually help you relax. What can give you this effect is sitting down, taking a break from what you’re doing, or going to happy hour, talking to people, connecting with people, and having a change of scenery.

You can still relax without a glass of wine. You could start coloring, or take a shower with sparkling water instead of a glass of wine, or you could go for a walk after get off work for a change.

If someone thinks having a drink at the end of the day is how they relax, then by default they won’t consider other ways to actually de-stress.

In addition to considering your intentions for drinking, it’s important to look for any red flags.

If you think there may be a problem with your drinking, ask yourself why you do it. If you’re doing it to avoid certain feelings or to numb certain feelings, then that’s something to question and possibly a reason to quit drinking. Re-evaluate your relationship with alcohol.

In this case, it is best to contact a therapist trained in substance abuse treatment who can provide support. The Psychology Today website can help you find local mental health providers.

Furthermore, changing your drinking habits is not an easy task. If you’re trying to do this, it’s a good idea to seek help from loved ones who share a similar mindset.