You know zebra striping. You've tried bookending. You've coasted with mid-strength. But what if those aren't the moderation techniques that click for you?

Most conversations about alcohol moderation keep circling back to the same handful of techniques. This episode goes further — into 13 lesser-known methods that don't get nearly enough airtime but can make a real difference to the way alcohol shows up in your life.

From If-Then planning and Time Boxing before you even get to the venue, to Wait 20 and Downsizing once you're in the thick of it, to bigger-picture lifestyle approaches like Occasioning, Weekending, and Friendly Friction — there's something here for every personality type and every kind of social situation.

Some of these are structured, some are flexible. Some work on the way to the pub, some work at home when you're staring at the wine rack.

And none of them requires you to immediately quit drinking entirely to make a meaningful change to your alcohol consumption.

By the end of this episode, you'll know...

- What "if-then" planning is, and why it works better than willpower when peer pressure tries to show up

- How time boxing can short-circuit the automation of that habitual evening glass of wine

- Why setting a hard drink limit might not always be the best moderation technique — but why it might still work for you

- How to add "friendly friction" between yourself and the bottle without throwing anything down the drain

- The difference between delay 30 and wait 20, and when to use each one

- Which moderation techniques are best suited to nights out versus drinking at home

- How to start testing these methods without trying to overhaul everything at once

Chapters

0:57 Zebra Striping & Other Common Techniques

3:08 If / Then

5:43 Sequencing

7:44 Time Boxing

10:44 Delay 30

12:44 Filtering

14:43 Wait 20

16:44 Downsizing

18:14 Hard Stop

20:52 Weekending

22:44 Occasioning

24:24 Situation Setting

26:07 Don't Buy It

28:16 Friendly Friction

30:46 Just Try One

Other episodes mentioned:

163. 5 Questions to Ask Yourself About the Pros & Cons of Different Moderation Techniques

173. Alcohol Cravings Don't Last As Long As You Think (And 4 Steps To Take When One Hits)

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🌱 Ready for real change? - https://www.lownodrinker.com/4weekreset

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🗝️ Become a Vault member to get access to the moderation tools that actually help - https://mindfuldrinking.substack.com/s/the-vault

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✏️ Come hang out with me on Substack - https://mindfuldrinking.substack.com/

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❓ Take the Midlife Drinking Triggers Quiz - https://quiz.tryinteract.com/#/68dd33385bb4a20015996a13

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