Maybe you need a drink coach over holidays

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 is one of the coaches on the DrinkCoach website. An alcohol specialist with a degree in drug and alcohol counselling, he describes the drink coach 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 are celebratory cocktails and glasses of fizz.)

Williams drinks and is not remotely judgmental.

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 ( the booze might seem fun, but the fatty liver disease certainly won’t be). 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.”