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(fā)的重質(zhì)不重量的心態(tài)對(duì)待飲酒，下面這些結(jié)合實(shí)用技巧和心理學(xué)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(yuǎn)放棄美味的雞尾酒和葡萄酒。兩者之間存在一個(gè)巨大的中間地帶，只需要謹(jǐn)慎選擇、適度飲酒就可以了。

1. 莫將飲酒當(dāng)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(jìn)入放松狀態(tài)，但這并非最好的辦法。”加州圣赫勒拿格雷斯通的美國烹飪學(xué)院公共葡萄酒和飲料研究室負(fù)責(zé)人、侍酒師特拉奇·達(dá)頓說道，“我已經(jīng)意識(shí)到，即使對(duì)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(gè)人而言，我經(jīng)常喝上一大杯水，然后出去散步。等到晚上遲些時(shí)候，放松下來，我可以充分領(lǐng)略葡萄酒的風(fēng)味和口感，此時(shí)飲酒也可以心安理得。”

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(dòng)（比如騎自行車），而不是無所作為（不飲酒）。得克薩斯大學(xué)奧斯汀分校的認(rèn)知科學(xué)家和心理學(xué)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(biāo)在于消除、剝奪或者缺乏某些東西。他說：“去發(fā)現(xiàn)哪些事情對(duì)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(yīng)去專注于“我不能喝什么”，而應(yīng)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(dòng)——出去遛狗，或者洗個(gè)熱水澡。

3. 嘗試正念飲酒

正念并不意味著把自己關(guān)在房間里苦思冥想。你其實(shí)可以在喝雞尾酒時(shí)鍛煉正念。正念飲酒有助于驅(qū)散酒精帶來的“要么喝個(gè)痛快要么滴酒不沾”的極端心態(tài);讓你充分享受和品鑒正在啜飲的佳釀，而不會(huì)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(diǎn)一杯。感受酒的氣味、味道甚至舌尖的觸感，關(guān)注酒帶給身體的具體感受，品它的味道（你可能會(huì)注意到之前完全忽視的葡萄酒的新層次;或者突然意識(shí)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(rèn)真聽人講話，還是在想著一會(huì)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(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)，越是意念集中，最后喝下去的酒越少。

4. 給自己設(shè)定時(shí)間

就像對(duì)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(shù)字平臺(tái)DynamiCare Health的心理學(xué)家和臨床應(yīng)用主管邁克爾·利維博士建議，“至少把喝一杯酒的時(shí)間延長至45分鐘，一個(gè)小時(shí)最好”。不斷重復(fù)這個(gè)過程，小口慢飲就會(huì)成為一種本能反射，而不是只能借助手機(jī)上的計(jì)時(shí)器來做的事情。

5. 使用白葡萄酒酒杯

根據(jù)愛荷華州立大學(xué)和康奈爾大學(xué)的一項(xiàng)研究，相比使用小杯子，用大杯子時(shí)會(huì)無意識(shí)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(dá)頓證實(shí)：“對(duì)大多數(shù)紅酒而言，這不會(huì)響口感。”

6. 別再擔(dān)心“浪費(fèi)”美酒

你不必喝完每一杯自己倒的紅酒或?yàn)槟愣松蟻淼碾u尾酒。達(dá)頓說：“要克服這種本能很難，因?yàn)闆]有人喜歡浪費(fèi)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(dāng)天就得喝完。達(dá)頓還告訴人們：“大多數(shù)酒——甚至對(duì)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(shí)可以存放一整周。”

（譯者單位：中央民族大學(xué)外國語學(xué)院）