It’s Not The Amount You Drink, But How It Affects You

In the grey area of drinking, it can be easy to dismiss the consequences of “just one drink”, but for many, that one drink can carry consequences. Whether it’s a headache the next day, empty calories adding up, or money that could’ve gone toward something else.

If you double the drinks, you double the calories, and double the cost.

There’s also the question ~ how often are you having one drink? The NHS guidelines recommend no more than 14 units of alcohol a week, spread over three or more days.

But maybe, instead of asking how much we’re drinking, we should ask ourselves, is what we’re drinking worth it?

Alcohol affects everyone differently. Some people can have three drinks and rise the next morning feeling fine. Others struggle with hangxiety, feeling regretful and drained after just one drink. That’s why following a blanket guideline doesn’t always work.

How often do we hear, “I only had one or two drinks and feel terrible this morning. I may as well have had more”?

With fitness and nutrition, we often neglect government guidelines. We tend to self-educate, follow an influencer, or hire a PT. When it comes to alcohol, we need to look deeper than the standard recommendations. This is not a one-size-fits-all.

Every level of drinking comes with trade-offs. Whether it’s the consequences of one or two drinks, or the more obvious consequences of a binge ~ these can all stack up.

At Arclett, we remind people that any level of drinking can have consequences, wherever we fall on the alcohol use spectrum.

While guidelines have their place, I’ve found it can be more helpful to ask ~ Can you drink without consequences, and if the answer is no, are the consequences worth it?

For some, the consequences are worth it, but for others, they’re not. And drinking within government guidelines doesn’t mean we are free from those consequences.

It’s important to be mindful that even when consequences aren’t immediate, they can still build up over time.

This #SoberOctober, we promote being more intentional with alcohol to make decisions that align with our own needs, rather than following blanket guidelines, that may only work for others. 🙏