Life balance ALL ABOUT YOU EASY WAYS TO CUT BACK ON THE BOOZE
YOUR GUIDE TO EMOTIONAL ISSUES AND FAMILY LIFE WITH PSYCHOLOGIST EMMA KENNY More than four in ten of us are trying to drink less. With Dry January upon us, Emma reveals how you can succeed I WOULD LIKE TO MEET Closer’s dating expert, Rebecca Twomey, look
didn’t touch alcohol until I was 26 because I didn’t like the way it made me feel. I’m not sure when it crept into my daily life, but recently I realised that a glass of wine had become a ritual, marking the end of a busy work day, or celebrating the beginning of a weekend. I had become a wine o’clock mum, and I didn’t like it. With lots of people joining in with Dry January, I have some tips. Don’t have alcohol in your home on a daily basis – it’s easy to promise yourself that you won’t drink, but a bad day at the office will see you relent. Instead, buy the amount you intend to drink and, once that has gone, decide on a suitable time frame before buying more alcohol. I also have a drink diary, where I note what I consume at social events. I allow myself five units a week, which is half a bottle of red wine, or three gin and tonics. Recording it makes me feel more accountable and it has reduced my intake dramatically. I also drink more mindfully; I used to gulp down my first glass because I enjoyed the cold refreshment. I now drink a glass of water with ice first and sip my wine, taking in the flavours and enjoying the experience. I also volunteer as the designated driver when I go out, automatically avoiding awkward interactions regarding why you are not drinking. Honesty is another helpful tool; I recently asked a friend why she wasn’t ordering her usual glass of red and she simply said she didn’t want to feel terrible the next day as she had plans. Be clear and confident – it’s your liver!
s an advocate of A the anti-datingapp movement, I can only applaud the arrival of a new movement called Tangle, whose sole purpose is to put singles all together in the same place and let them interact in real life. Yes, I said it. People talking face-to-face to gauge if they fancy each other and possibly even go on a date. How old school. And how exciting!
Heralded as the “anti-dating app” (because there’s now an app for everything), it’s designed to allow users to effectively screen the potential guest list of a singles event before signing up to see if there’s anyone going who they fancy. If you like what you see, you can buy a ticket to the event or, better still, gift a ticket to someone else or receive one from an admirer. The events range from foodie experiences to party nights, live music to tarot readings