‘DRINK COACH’ SHARES WISDOM.

ASK FOR ICE — EVERY TIME THE ICE HITS YOUR TEETH, THAT’S ME REMINDING YOU TO SLOW DOWN.

The alcohol isn’t necessarily the problem. The problem might be the hangovers. To avoid them this holiday season, a “drink coach” has some ideas.

Stephen Williams, an alcohol specialist with seven years’ experience and a degree in drug and alcohol counselling, he describes the drink coach’s role thus: “Think of me as a personal trainer to report back to, or your wingman at parties.” (Except the unsuitable suitors he’ll be batting away will be celebratory cocktails and glasses of fizz.)

Williams drinks, himself, and is not remotely judgmental. But first, some math:

One bottle of wine delivers the same carcinogenic impact as 10 cigarettes (if you’re a woman; five if you’re a man).

A single gin and tonic is one unit; a small 125ml glass of wine is 1.5 units.

Most women start to lose track after three to four units drunk within three to four hours. For men, it’s usually four to five units. Williams suggests treating the next party as a kind of experiment to figure out your tipping point. “Observe when and why and how much you drink.”

You may need to work on your “drink refusal skills,” which basically means telling white lies: “I’ve got a meeting first thing and can’t smell of booze/ I’m on antibiotics/ I’m driving.” With close friends he suggests honesty. Try a drink curfew, a point at which you’ll stop — say, 11 p.m.

Williams suggests doing what he calls “an importance and confidence ruler,” which means scoring out of 10 how important it is for you to stick to your goal. And then look at how to build your ability to stick with it. For instance, you might not like the ruinous health effects of alcohol. And keep track of your units.

“Ask for ice in your drink. Every time the ice hits your teeth, that’s me reminding you to slow down,” he says.

Williams suggests making each drink last an hour (yes, an hour) and to refuse top-ups, as it’s harder to keep track. “Finish one glass before you start the next.”

Log your units on an app like Drinkcoach. And note that a pre-party drink is a red flag. “A study found that those who pre-drank were more likely to suffer blackouts, hangovers,” he says.