Coping skill · 10 min
Plan the first drink away
You are going somewhere there will be drinking.
Do this
- Decide what is in your hand before you arrive: soda with lime, anything.
- Have your line ready: "I'm good, thanks." No explanation owed.
- Drive yourself so you can leave.
- Set a check-in text with someone for halfway through.
- Leave the moment it stops being fun.
Why it works
Strong feelings and urges rise, peak and fall, usually within minutes. A skill gives your body something to do while the wave passes, and each time you ride one out, the next one gets a little easier.