We know that drinking can be an enjoyable part of university life, and we want to help you make informed choices when it comes to alcohol.
Our Be A Mate campaign supports you with information on how to be a little more mindful about your own alcohol consumption, as well as showing how you can Be A Mate to your friends.
Here are our top tips to help you cut back and enjoy drinking responsibly at home:
- Set joint ‘drink free’ days with your friends our housemates.
- If you are drinking to cope with stress, try some creative ways to cope, without alcohol.
- Find other fun things to do that don’t involve alcohol – you can start with our Get Together, Apart events programme.
- When you buy alcohol, try to buy it in small, measured amounts.
- Try other drinks to mix it up – mocktails are a good option and something you can do with your housemates. Not going out at the moment means you have an incredible amount of choice of alcohol-free drinks, so start experimenting and find some things you really enjoy.
- Have dinner or eat together with friends before drinking. Eating carbohydrate-rich food in particular may help slow the rate your body absorbs alcohol.
- Agree with your housemates or friends on a time to stop drinking – this can be even more important at home.
- Measure your drinks – if you don’t have a shot glass or measure, one shot (25ml) is about 3 tablespoons.
Top ‘Be A Mate’ tips:
- Don’t let a friend overdo it. Speak to your friend if they seem to be getting ahead of the pace, away from others if you can.
- Encourage your friends to drink water or soft drinks if they seem like they need it.
- Let your friends know your ‘drinking limits’ - tell them how much you want to drink, or when you don’t want to drink any more.
- You should never feel pressured - or pressure others – to drink. You could end up drinking more than you wanted. Keep to your own pace.
Visit our alcohol support page for further advice or if you want to talk to someone, you can contact our Student Welfare team.