This week’s post is short and sweet. But there’s a useful point here and a trick that could help you to gain a bit more control over how much you’re drinking. Take a read and let me know what you think.
What is the 20-minute rule?
The 20-minute rule is exactly what it sounds. Each time you fancy having a drink, you have to wait 20 minutes before you take a sip. The rule is there at any time, at the start, when you first think about drinking, as well as the second, third and fourth. It’s simple: as soon as you think about pouring or ordering anything alcoholic, the rule kicks in and you have must stop for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, if you still want to have that drink, you go ahead and have one. But the hope is that taking time to think and possibly re-assess whether that next drink really is a wise move, will prevent you from drinking more than you should. It stops you from being on that boozy conveyor belt that you can find yourself trapped on when you go out socialising or when you’re drinking to drown your sorrows. Plus, if you’re trying to go sober, that 20-minute rule will act as a warning sign and encourage you to choose a non-alcoholic alternative. It might sound obvious to stop and think before having a drink, but having a time target might help you to focus. And you could find it harder to put into practice than you think – in which case, that suggests there is more going on for you than you realised. Maybe those cravings are bigger than you realised, maybe you really struggle to distract yourself. Maybe you’ve got caught up in an unhealthy habit without you knowing.
How does it work?
The rule should help you to avoid succumbing to your cravings. We know that the average craving for alcohol lasts about six minutes, so if you give yourself 20 minutes, that should be enough time to let that craving pass. Effectively, you’re teaching yourself to recognise that urge to drink, to step back from it and think it through. If you can work out what’s going on, what’s causing you to have that urge, you will start to understand your relationship with alcohol better. You may be drinking because you’re bored or stressed or upset. Make a note of any patterns you identify. Are you wanting a drink at a specific time of day or when you’re doing something? Are you turning to drink to reward yourself for working hard or doing something well. You need to break the link between the feeling you have and the act of pouring yourself a drink. That way, you’ll start to gain some control over what you drink and when. And you’ll probably find you drink less.