With more of us working from home, it is increasingly the case that the UK’s population need something to look forward to at the end of the day. In the days of being in the office, this may have been a quick drink on the way home to be sociable with colleagues and unwind. Homeworkers do not have the opportunity for this interaction but nonetheless crave something to look forward to.

Unfortunately, this means that ‘Wine O’Clock’ is the new motivation. Come the time that the computer is switched off, the next activity is the sound of the fridge door opening and that first glass of cool crisp wine is delivered.

This may be at five o’clock or six o’clock – but whenever it starts, the chances are that the (generous) glass won’t last long and another will soon follow along before

If this only happened once a week – a Thursday treat for example – then it’s less of a problem, but for those of us who wake up in the morning looking forward to rosé (or beer) o’clock then it might be time to consider some positive action.

Daily Drinking Bad

Even for those of us who do drink every day, we all know that it’s not good for us. Our body needs a rest from alcohol for as many days as possible in the week.  Guidelines recommend at least two to three days a week off the booze. This is a realistic target and one that can show immediate results.

Take our Drink Less Test to see whether your levels of drinking will cause you a problem.

Just managing a few days off the alcohol, a week should show benefits to the appearance of your skin – alcohol will dry your skin out but having some days off will give it time to recover. Your sleep patterns should improve, and you will wake up in the morning feeling healthier and ready for the day.

Easier Said than Done

How many times have you promised yourself that you won’t have that first glass at white wine o’clock – only to find a reason that overrides that promise? It may have been a bad day at work, problems with the family, even your favourite tv show being aired, but the chilled wine is always there to help.

There are tools available to help with this motivation. A great app that has been funded by the NHS is the ‘Drink Free Days’ app – available on Google Play and Apple Store. This allows you to enter your current levels of alcohol intake and, importantly, set a target for the number of drink free days a week. Using this app gives you an immediate reward when entering a drink free day and follows this up with badges and reminders of your progress.

Chocolate Bar Equivalent

In addition to the amount of money saved by refraining from drinking two or three days a week, the ‘Drink Free Days’ app converts the savings into the equivalent number of chocolate bars NOT consumed. After a month using the app, you may be surprised to learn that your drink free days are the equivalent to not eating DOZENS of chocolate bars.

So, don’t be surprised if the weight also starts to drop off.

The New Buzz?

After a few weeks with some drink free days, instead of looking forward to white wine or rosé o’clock, you may find yourself looking forward to waking up in the morning feeling good and stepping on the bathroom scales.

Is Willpower Enough?

Many of you will read what I have sad and think how wonderful it would be if you could achieve this. No matter what you do, the lure of that cold glass is too strong. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you are an alcohol dependent.

Approaches such as the Drink Less Method and the Sinclair Method offer a medication route. In simple terms, think of it as a fat jab for drinking. In taking a daily pill, one hour before your normal drinking time, you should find that your desire to take the first or the subsequent drinks reduces.