Drinking Responsibly
It is possible for many people to use alcohol in a low-risk manner. Keep these guidelines in mind to maintain a healthy relationship with alcohol.
Healthy Drinkers:
- Recognize alcohol as a potent drug that can have serious effects if abused
- Know their family history
- Drink 2 to 3 drinks daily, or less
- Abstain periodically from alcohol use
- Identify healthy role models who use alcohol without having problems
- Drink for positive reasons, rather than to relieve stress, pain, or to overcome fears or problems
It's important to recognize that not everyone drinks. Many people choose to abstain from using alcohol either temporarily (for a night, week, month) or permanently. Respect healthy abstainers and give them support for their decision by not pressuring them to drink.
If you are abstaining, you can be a healthy abstainer if you:
- Make a personal healthy decision to avoid alcohol use
- Respect the choice made by healthy drinkers
- Have techniques to minimize the risks (verbal abuse, ridicule) or pressures that can come from not drinking
- Recognize alcohol as a potent drug
