Enjoying the moment means enjoying being with the people around you and having a good time – regardless of how the amount you drink (or if you drink at all).
When you’re enjoying the moment, you’re focused on the people you’re with and the activity you’re doing – not on alcohol.
This sounds pretty simple – and it is!
You can really enjoy what’s going on right here, right now. You’re having a great time, and you remember the fun when it’s all over, because you didn’t overdo it.
You’re actually doing things you like to do. Young people said that when they weren’t actually having a good time, they’d sometimes end up drinking more than they wanted to. Maybe they didn’t know the people at a party very well, or were in a club for Fresher’s Week when they hate dance music. To stay in their Sweet Spot, they’d skip the club. Or go for a couple of hours, stick to lemonade, and focus on dancing and messing about – so they still go to meet new people and have a quick dance, but not stick around a place they don’t like.
“I’ve enjoyed being with my friends, like dancing and spending time with them. It’s quite funny when they drink, in some ways, and I’m happy for them. But I don’t feel like I need it.”
You have lots of things you enjoy that aren’t focused around alcohol. You do lots of things where alcohol doesn’t even come up. And on the occasions when alcohol is around, it’s not the point of what’s going on. You go for cake or chips on a Friday. You check out that nature reserve a few miles away. You go biking, try out for the school panto, practice guitar, read your favourite series back to front, go shopping, play in a five-a-side, hang out playing video games.
What does it feel like when you stop enjoying yourself?
Maybe you started out thinking you weren’t going to have drink, and it turns out you’re not having such a great time. So you think, maybe if you have a drink, you’ll loosen up, or enjoy the game more, or think the music at this place isn’t so rank.
Or maybe you’ve had a bit to drink, and after a while you think, “if I have another drink, I’ll enjoy this even more” or “I’ll keep feeling great if I have another.”
But that’s usually when it’s time to stop drinking and stay in your Sweet Spot of feeling good.
Alcohol can make you feel like it’s a good idea to drink more, but that can mean you end up getting too drunk to enjoy yourself – getting messy, feeling sick or missing out on what’s going on.
Just get on with having a good time
“I’ve enjoyed being with my friends, like dancing and spending time with them. It’s quite funny when they drink, in some ways, and I’m happy for them. But I don’t feel like I need it.”
Have a range of friends and interests