Party without Alcohol?!

• By Beth Meirav
• My Blog

When you go to a party or out to dinner do you immediately look for the bar? Is "what alcoholic beverage am I going to have tonight" the first thing on your mind? I admit, I lean in that direction as well. I like a good glass of red wine with dinner. That being said, you can actually go out and enjoy yourself without the alcohol. Trust me, it is possible.

Alcohol =

*Extra calories

*Can "make" you eat things you would not normally consume (bread, chips, pasta, dessert, nuts)

*May cause you to eat more than you normally would

*Could cause you to fall in the pool at the neighborhood bbq!

I am not talking about eliminating it completely, but perhaps a few tweaks could be:

*Only drink alcohol when it's the weekend

*Drink in moderation (one drink for women and two for men)

*Down a glass of water between alcoholic beverages

Limiting alcohol will reduce your waist size, lower your restaurant bill and perhaps encourage you to try other forms of social outings that don't center around food and beverage (ice skating, bowling, escape rooms, boating, movies, walks on the beach...the list is endless).

Do you feel like you need to hold something when you are at an event and everyone else is drinking? Grab a mocktail! They are all the rage right now. I just saw a recipe for this Virgin Mango Margarita that I can't wait to try out! (Swap out the lemon-lime soda for non-flavored club soda and swap out the sugar for raw honey or agave).

Good luck and have fun!