Here’s How to Drink Less Alcohol—But Enjoy It Even More飲酒：減量增趣

亞歷山德拉·凱 瑪吉·西弗 譯/王晶 審訂/馬士奎

Whatever your reasons， if you’ve decided it’s time to approach alcohol with a newfound quality-over-quantity mindset， these tips—a mix of practical hacks and psychology tips—are a great place to start. You don’t need another stiff drink to be happy and fun， but you also don’t need to give up delicious cocktails and yummy wine forever in order to be happy and healthy. There’s a huge expanse of middle ground in there， and finding it just comes down to1 mindful choices and moderation.

1. Don’t include a glass in your wind-down routine

“After a long day at work or with the kids， wine is a quick， easy way to switch gears， but it’s not the best，” says Traci Dutton， sommelier and the manager of public wine and beverage studies at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena， Calif. “Even for someone who works with wine all day， I’ve come to realize that there are far better ways to de-stress. Personally， I often have a big glass of water and go for a walk. Then， later in the evening when I’m relaxed， I can fully appreciate the flavor and experience of my wine， and I know that I’m drinking for the right reason.”

2. Replace drinking （or a drink） with something else

Doing something you enjoy allows you to focus on action （taking a bike ride， for example） rather than inaction （not drinking）. “One of the real difficulties with the resolutions people make is that they’re negative resolutions，” says Art Markman， PhD， a cognitive scientist and psychology professor at the University of Texas at Austin. Negative here refers to goals around elimination， deprivation， or lack. “Instead， figure out what you can do that’s fun and exciting and also will have the side effect2 of your not drinking，” he says. So if you’re hoping to cut down on drinks， instead of focusing on “I’m not allowed to drink X”， think in terms of how you’re going to replace it： a seltzer with lemon， a big glass of water， or herbal tea; or physically choose to do something else： Get outside to walk the dog or take a hot bath.

3. Try mindful drinking

Mindfulness doesn’t have to mean shutting yourself in a room to meditate. You can actually exercise mindfulness while you’re enjoying cocktails. Mindful drinking helps banish that all-or-nothing mentality that often accompanies alcohol; it lets you fully enjoy and appreciate what you’re sipping on without the temptation to over-indulge. How does it work？ Drink your portion slowly and be fully present： Don’t think about downing it and ordering the next round. Notice what it smells like， tastes like， even feels like on your tongue. Note how it makes you feel physically and specifically. Appreciate its flavors （you might notice a new layer to a wine you rarely give a second thought; or suddenly realize you don’t particularly like it）. Is the glass heavy， delicate， fluted3， cold？ Who are you with—are you really listening to them， or are you thinking about what you’re going to eat later？ （Plus， you can’t be mindful if you’re drunk.） It’s not easy， but with time you’ll find that you end up consuming less the more present you are while drinking.

4. Time yourself

As with food， a little ongoing vigilance goes a long way toward reducing consumption. “Aim to make a single drink last at least 45 minutes， and ideally an hour，” says Michael Levy， PhD， a psychologist and clinical success manager at DynamiCare Health， digital platform targeting substance abuse. As you repeat this process， sipping slowly becomes a reflex， rather than something you can do only with the assistance of a timer on your phone.

5. Use a white-wine glass

You’ll pour roughly 12 percent more in a larger glass than a smaller one without even realizing it， according to a study from Iowa State University and Cornell University. And， yes， it’s OK to serve an everyday Cabernet or Chianti in a Chardonnay glass. “It won’t negatively impact the taste of most red wines，” Dutton confirms.

6. Stop worrying about “wasting” drinks

You don’t have to finish every glass of wine you pour or cocktail you’re served. “It’s so hard to get over this instinct， because no one likes to be wasteful or throw money down the drain. But life is too short to drink more than you want to or a beverage you’re not enjoying，” Dutton says. Nor should you feel that you have to empty a bottle of wine the same day you open it. “Most bottles—and this is true even for many sparkling wines—are fine for a day， and sometimes up to a full week if you use a wine stopper and store them in the fridge，” Dutton says.

不管以何理由，如果你決定以一種新萌發的重質不重量的心態對待飲酒，下面這些結合實用技巧和心理學小竅門的忠告都是很好的開端。你既不需要貪杯烈酒來獲取愉悅和樂趣，也不需要為了幸福和健康永遠放棄美味的雞尾酒和葡萄酒。兩者之間存在一個巨大的中間地帶，只需要謹慎選擇、適度飲酒就可以了。

1. 莫將飲酒當作放松方法

“如果一整天都在工作或照顧孩子，小酌一杯可以讓你迅速又輕易地進入放松狀態，但這并非最好的辦法?！奔又菔ズ绽漳酶窭姿雇ǖ拿绹腼儗W院公共葡萄酒和飲料研究室負責人、侍酒師特拉奇·達頓說道，“我已經意識到，即使對終日跟酒打交道的人來說，也有比飲酒好得多的減壓方法。就個人而言，我經常喝上一大杯水，然后出去散步。等到晚上遲些時候，放松下來，我可以充分領略葡萄酒的風味和口感，此時飲酒也可以心安理得?！?/p>

2. 用其他事情代替飲酒

做自己喜歡的事情可以讓人專注于有所行動（比如騎自行車），而不是無所作為（不飲酒）。得克薩斯大學奧斯汀分校的認知科學家和心理學教授阿特·馬爾克曼博士指出，“人們做出的這些決定本身是消極的，這是真正的困難之一”。這里說的“消極”是指那些行為的目標在于消除、剝奪或者缺乏某些東西。他說：“去發現哪些事情對于自己來說既有趣又振奮，還有讓你不喝酒的附帶作用。”因此，如果你打算少喝酒，不應去專注于“我不能喝什么”，而應該考慮可以用什么東西替代它——檸檬蘇打水、一大杯水或是花草茶;或者選擇其他體力活動——出去遛狗，或者洗個熱水澡。

3. 嘗試正念飲酒

正念并不意味著把自己關在房間里苦思冥想。你其實可以在喝雞尾酒時鍛煉正念。正念飲酒有助于驅散酒精帶來的“要么喝個痛快要么滴酒不沾”的極端心態;讓你充分享受和品鑒正在啜飲的佳釀，而不會使你飲酒過度。如何做到？緩緩品味杯中酒，做到全神貫注：不要想著一飲而盡，然后再點一杯。感受酒的氣味、味道甚至舌尖的觸感，關注酒帶給身體的具體感受，品它的味道（你可能會注意到之前完全忽視的葡萄酒的新層次;或者突然意識到你并不是特別喜歡這種酒）。酒杯分量如何、精致與否、有無溝紋、觸感是否冰涼？你與誰共酌——你是否在認真聽人講話，還是在想著一會兒要吃什么？（另外，喝醉的人是做不到正念的。）這并不容易，但逐漸地，你會發現，越是意念集中，最后喝下去的酒越少。

4. 給自己設定時間

就像對待食物一樣，保持一定的警惕能有效減少攝入量。專注于治療成癮流行病的數字平臺DynamiCare Health的心理學家和臨床應用主管邁克爾·利維博士建議，“至少把喝一杯酒的時間延長至45分鐘，一個小時最好”。不斷重復這個過程，小口慢飲就會成為一種本能反射，而不是只能借助手機上的計時器來做的事情。

5. 使用白葡萄酒酒杯

根據愛荷華州立大學和康奈爾大學的一項研究，相比使用小杯子，用大杯子時會無意識地多倒約12%的酒。所以，可以用霞多麗白葡萄酒酒杯盛日常喝的解百納紅酒或基安蒂紅酒。達頓證實：“對大多數紅酒而言，這不會響口感。”

6. 別再擔心“浪費”美酒

你不必喝完每一杯自己倒的紅酒或為你端上來的雞尾酒。達頓說：“要克服這種本能很難，因為沒有人喜歡浪費或把錢白白扔掉。但人生苦短，無須喝太多你不想喝或不喜歡的酒。”你也不用覺得酒開了之后當天就得喝完。達頓還告訴人們：“大多數酒——甚至對于許多起泡酒也是如此——存放一天并無大礙。如果用酒塞塞好放入冰箱，有時可以存放一整周?！?/p>

（譯者單位：中央民族大學外國語學院）