The Balance and Control Moderation System
The BAC System™
Drink less without quitting, guessing, or starting again every Monday
A structured alcohol moderation system for people who have drifted into autopilot drinking and want control back without giving up the parts of drinking culture they still value.
What BAC is
An operating manual for alcohol moderation
The BAC System™ is built for people who have drifted into autopilot drinking and want control back, not abstinence. You diagnose your specific pattern, then apply matched strategies. You learn to operate a real-time navigation protocol.
This is not a course you complete. It is a system you learn to run.
BAC is not designed for total abstinence or physiological alcohol dependence. It is for people who want structured moderation, not medical detox or recovery support. Not sure which category applies to you? Read: Autopilot drinking or alcohol dependence.
You were not weak. You were using the wrong tool.
Most people try to moderate by making a rule:
- "I'll just have two tonight."
- "I won't drink midweek."
- "I'll be sensible this weekend."
But drinking habits do not run on good intentions alone. They run on cues, routines, rewards and repetition. The BAC System works earlier in the loop. Read: How alcohol moderation actually works when willpower has failed.
Why most moderation attempts fail
The real problem is misdiagnosis
Most moderation failures are not motivation failures. They are misdiagnosis failures. You try tactics designed for someone else's pattern.
A routine drinker gets tools designed for emotional drinking. An emotional drinker gets advice built for social contexts. The tactics fail. You assume moderation does not work for you. You give up.
The actual problem: you never identified your pattern in the first place.
What most programmes get wrong
Most programmes skip proper diagnosis entirely. They give everyone the same generic tactics and hope something sticks. When it does not, they blame willpower or suggest abstinence. No one checks whether the tactics actually match your drinking pattern.
What the BAC System™ does instead
Diagnosis first. Then tactics matched to your pattern. Then recalibration when life gets messy. The system adapts to your circumstances instead of demanding perfect execution. When tactics fail, you extract the data, adjust your approach, and continue.
How the system works
Baseline. Analysis. Control.
Understanding and tracking
You learn why willpower fails against automated behaviour, then track your drinking for 2 to 4 weeks. The tracking data shows when you drink, how much, what precedes it, and what happens after.
Your pattern diagnosis
Your data reveals whether you are a Time and Routine, Emotionally Driven, or Social Context drinker. This diagnosis determines which strategies will work. You can analyse this yourself using the framework provided, or Alastair can interpret it and suggest matched strategies.
Your operating system
You deploy the ARC NAV™ protocol: Notice triggers, Adjust with matched strategies, Verify outcomes. The Choice O'Clock™ tool sits at the heart of this phase. When tactics fail, the recalibration system shows you how to extract the data, update your approach, and continue without restarting.
What the BAC System™ contains
Ten chapters. Three phases. Four formats per chapter.
Each chapter can be worked through in any order, or returned to as your circumstances change. The system is available as a live flipbook, always showing the current version, or as a fully downloadable PDF.
Format 1
Written manual
Format 2
Infographic
Format 3
Audio companion
Format 4
Video explainer
Also included
Two diagnostic trackers: the Reality Check (three-point snapshot at baseline, six weeks, and three months) and the Alcohol and Mood Tracker (daily pattern data for a minimum of four weeks).
An epilogue: Why We Drink: a note on the deeper context behind the system, and why the goal was never to stop drinking.
Available as a live flipbook (always the current version) or fully downloadable for offline use. 109 pages.
Why onboarding takes at least 2 weeks
Because accurate data gives you the right tools for lasting change
Many assessment quizzes in this space are sophisticated funnels to upsell additional coaching. At Alcohol Reduction Coach, the approach is more pragmatic. The system is designed to operate autonomously, but if your learning style requires coaching, packages are available with all costs laid out clearly.
Your drinking patterns have often been established over decades, and capturing all the circumstances takes a minimum of 2 weeks. People are usually more honest when they record patterns over time than when they complete a quick assessment from memory. BAC uses tracking because your real drinking pattern is often clearer in the data than in the story you tell yourself.
What BAC fixes that generic moderation advice misses
You are buying a system, not a course
Most online courses are consumed passively, if they are completed at all. The BAC System is different. It lives and adapts through your life.
What you are buying
- Diagnostic framework matched to your pattern
- Strategy library organised by pattern type
- ARC NAV™ real-time navigation protocol
- Recalibration method for when tactics fail
- A system that runs continuously, not in 30-day blocks
Why previous attempts may not have worked
- Books and courses with generic advice
- Tactics that did not fit your pattern
- 30-day challenges that reset
- Willpower-based approaches that fail by design
- Apps that track without diagnosing
What you will save on
- Lower alcohol spend
- Fewer coffees and snacks the next day
- Fewer taxis, takeaways and next-day repairs
- Lost productivity and slow mornings
- The hidden costs the Alcohol Footprint Calculator™ will show you
Tactics matched to your pattern
Advice that works for your friend does not work for you. Your drinking pattern is different, but most tactics stay the same. The BAC System matches tactics to your diagnosed pattern. Routine drinkers get disruption strategies. Emotional drinkers get regulation tools. Social drinkers get preparation protocols.
Setbacks become data, not failure
Most programmes treat lapses as failure. The BAC System treats them as data. The recalibration system turns setbacks into system improvements. You extract what went wrong, adjust your approach, and keep going. You do not reset. You recalibrate.
Moderation without hidden agendas
Most programmes are designed by people who believe abstinence is the real goal. The advice carries that bias. The BAC System assumes moderation is valid and builds everything accordingly. No hidden agenda. The creator still works in the wine trade. About Alastair.
Continuous recalibration, not weekly resets
30-day challenges assume everyone operates on the same schedule. When you slip on day 12, you restart from day 1. The BAC System runs continuously. The system adapts to changing circumstances instead of demanding perfect execution.
What success looks like in 3 months
Built in the harshest environment. Realistic in its expectations.
This system was conceived whilst surrounded by wine all day. It had to work in demanding professional environments, yet remain realistic in its expectations. The strategy that keeps people in wine and hospitality long-term is the ability to recalibrate when original plans do not work out. That is at the core of BAC.
What you will have built
What clients often report
What our clients say
Results from real people
What you get
Everything in the BAC System™
The manual and learning
- 10-chapter operating manual (109 pages) delivered as interactive flipbook and PDF
- Each chapter stands alone. Operate what you need when you need it
- Every chapter includes video explainer, podcast deep dive, and infographic summary
Diagnostics and strategy
- Reality Check tracker (baseline, 6 weeks, 3 months)
- Alcohol and Mood Tracker (daily pattern data, Excel and PDF)
- Pattern identification framework
- Strategy library organised by pattern type
Execution and support
- ARC NAV™ protocol guide for real-time decisions
- Recalibration system for when tactics fail
- 30-minute onboarding call
- Optional personalised data interpretation
- 30-day email support (extended with coaching packages)
Choose your BAC option
Your moderation options
£299
- 109-page BAC System™ with audio and video per chapter
- 30-minute onboarding call
- 3-page data summary and strategy suggestions after data tracking
- 30-day email support
£499
- 109-page BAC System™ with audio and video per chapter
- 60+ question in-depth assessment
- 15+ page personalised strategy document for immediate start
- 2 x 45-minute live coaching
- 60-day email support
£699
- 109-page BAC System™ with audio and video per chapter
- 60+ question in-depth assessment
- 15+ page personalised strategy document for immediate start
- 6 x 45-minute live coaching
- 90-day email support
£999
- 109-page BAC System™ with audio and video per chapter
- 60+ question in-depth assessment
- 15+ page personalised strategy document for immediate start
- 12 x 45-minute live coaching
- 120-day email support
£5,000
3 months
- 100-question comprehensive assessment
- 12 x 1-hour weekly 1:1 coaching
- Daily WhatsApp access
- Personalised strategy document
- Weekly updated strategy plan
Other durations available on application
£7,500
3 months
- 100-question assessment for each partner
- 12 x 90-minute sessions over 3 months
- Individual strategy for each partner
- Joint strategy for the couple
- Daily WhatsApp access
- Weekly updated strategy plan
Other durations available on application
For corporate and professional programmes, visit our dedicated corporate page. The BAC System is designed to be operated self-sufficiently, with foundational guidance included. Additional 1:1 support is available for those who learn better in that environment.
Payments processed via Stripe, PayPal or bank transfer. Additional ad hoc coaching available at £85 per 45 minutes.
Support and boundaries
Who this works for and who it does not
Not sure where you sit? Take the assessment: Am I drinking too much?
This works for
- People who have drifted into autopilot drinking
- You still enjoy alcohol but want control back
- You have tried moderation before and it has not stuck
- You are willing to track honestly and apply matched tactics
This is not suitable for
- Heavy daily drinkers experiencing withdrawal symptoms
- People with physiological alcohol dependence
- Anyone seeking total abstinence
- If you may be physically dependent on alcohol, speak to your GP before reducing your intake. See also: professional referrals
What happens if it does not work
Contact Alastair directly if you have tracked for 4 or more weeks, identified your pattern, applied matched strategies, and the system genuinely is not working.
There is no interest in taking money from people the system cannot help. "Not working" means you have genuinely operated the system, not simply opened it, skimmed it, and stopped after a few days.