Why the drink you pour to keep the buzz may be ending it Posted by: Alastair Cassie | Alcohol Reduction Coach™ TL;DR   Alcohol does not produce one steady experience across an evening. On the way up, effects are stimulant-like: warmth, sociability, and a reduction in the friction of the day. On the way down, sedation takes over. Most people

Zebra striping: what it is, when it works, and what it does not touch Posted by: Alastair Cassie | Alcohol Reduction Coach™  TL;DR   Zebra striping is not new. The French bistro carafe d’eau has been doing the same job for generations. What is new is the name, and the name matters because a rule made in advance beats willpower

Choice O’Clock: reclaiming the moment before the pour Posted by: Alastair Cassie | Alcohol Reduction Coach™   It started with a catchphrase. If you were in your late twenties or early thirties in the early 2000s, you almost certainly remember Alexander Armstrong wandering into improbably awkward social situations and announcing, with perfect upper-class serenity, that it was Pimms O’Clock. The

How alcohol moderation actually works when willpower has failed Posted by: Alastair Cassie | Alcohol Reduction Coach™   TL;DR   Willpower-based moderation fails structurally, not personally. By the time determination is most needed, the part of the brain enforcing the limit is already being suppressed by what has been consumed The same person can manage well one evening and completely

Can you actually moderate your drinking? The evidence sober influencers need to read Posted by: Alastair Cassie | Alcohol Reduction Coach™   TL;DR   The “moderation is impossible” claim dominates online abstinence coaching content. It is not supported by the evidence it claims to rest on NICE CG115 distinguishes hazardous, harmful and dependent drinking. Only 0.9% of adults meet the

Grey area drinking: a fuzzy term for a real problem   TL;DR   Most people who drink more than they should do not recognise themselves in the language of alcohol problems. Grey area drinking sits between genuinely low-risk use and clinical dependence, and it is where the majority of people who struggle with their drinking actually are The alcoholic-or-fine binary

How I answer the 10 questions to ask any coach before you cut back or cut out alcohol In my previous post, I outlined the ten questions anyone should ask a coach before committing their time, money, and health to a programme. Here is exactly how I answer those same questions.   1. Do you screen for physical dependence before

You’ve done Dry January. Then Binge February. Are you ready for Moderation March? Author: Alastair Cassie | Alcohol Reduction Coach™   TL;DR   Dry January works on willpower. Willpower depletes. The habit loops that drove your drinking in December did not disappear in January. They waited, and came back in February with interest The Dry January to Binge February cycle