Living with a liver condition

Thinking about

cutting down on alcohol?

If you’re thinking about cutting down on alcohol, then you’re not alone. Every year, lots of people tell Liver UK that drinking less is the key change they want to make to love their liver.

The information on this page is for:

Adults who want to improve their liver health

Download the factsheet

Change can be hard, even when you really want to make it happen. Being clear in your mind about what you will change makes it easier to do.

You could aim to cut down to a specific amount. Or you could stop drinking on certain days.

It can help to think about when and where you drink alcohol and who you drink it with. Which drinks could you cutout? If you aren’t sure what to change, that’s okay too. Try some of these ideas and see what works for you.

If you slip up, don’t let it stop you. What might you do differently in future?

How low can you go?

Choose a lower strength drink or go for a low or no alcohol version. Beer, wine or a cocktail, there’s lots of choice. The key number is the ABV. Find out more below.

Know your numbers

Tracking your drinks helps you see the progress you’re making and can help you cut down too. You can download a drinks tracker for free from:
alcoholchange.org.uk

Stay out of rounds and in control

Don’t let other people set the pace. It’s easy to drink more than you meant to when you’re keeping up with the group.

Set yourself a budget

You might be surprised at how much you spend on alcohol. Cut down by giving yourself a budget – and save up the extra money for a treat, like a family day out or some new clothes.

Go half and half

Have a shandy or a spritzer. Or make every other drink a soft one, starting with your first.

Don’t top up your glass

Topping up your drinks makes it easy to lose track of how much alcohol you’ve really had. Measuring the glasses you use at home, so you know how much you’re drinking.

How much alcohol is too much?

Stick within the safer drinking limits – these are the same for men and women. Drink no more than 14 units of alcohol a week. Spread your drinking out over several days. Have 2 to 3 days without alcohol every week, it’s best if they’re next to each other.

Speak to your doctor if you’d like some support to cut down, they can recommend local services who can help. Lots of people need some extra help, so don’t be embarrassed.

If you’re worried that alcohol has damaged your liver, ask your doctor for a fibrosis test

Know your limits

The amount of alcohol in a drink is measured in units. It depends on both how big the drink is and how strong it is.

So the number of units can vary from drink to drink. Strength is measured in Alcohol By Volume (ABV) and it tells you how much of your drink is pure alcohol – the lower the number, the less alcohol there is.

Use our guide to work out how many units are in your drink.