How to support friends, families and colleagues making positive choices around alcohol at Christmas:

1. Don’t. Ask. Why.
If someone declines a drink - please don’t ask why. We wouldn’t do this for any other dietary requirement. Nor would we insist a vegetarian eat a hamburger.

2. Provide choice. Think how normalised offering alcohol is and how lame alternatives are.
1. Orange juice - rcheap sweet awful.
2. Fizzy pop - constant coke or lemonade.
3. Water/Tonic Water. Probably better than the other two.
Get some No/Low choices it’s a HUGE market now.

3. Fatigue. When making different choices people are desperate to fit in.

But it’s hard

You feel anxious, insecure, like you’ll be ‘found out’.
As an ally put people at ease. Respect their choice, don’t talk to it, talk to them keep them comfortable let them relax and enjoy it!

4. Time.
Know when to start and stop.

If you start early with a tipple that piles the pressure on. Try and empathise as an ally.

Equally if you’re hanging one on - trust me - they don’t want to stay.

So let them go with respect not judgement or ‘tradition’.

It really helps.

Why can’t we normalise a healthy, positive choice, whatever your reason for cutting back or cutting out booze?

I’d like us all to think about that.

Then do something to change it in your Mess, peer groups and house.

We help a lot of spouses/partners as well as soldiers.