Drink Less

What if the eight glasses of wine you drink every week were not relaxing you - but slowly winding you up?

Most books about drinking come in two flavors: memoir confessions about a "rock bottom" you don't relate to, or twelve-step programs designed for people who can't drink at all. If you're a high-functioning adult who knows the math has crept up - two glasses became three, the Sunday Scaries are no longer about the news cycle, the 3 AM wakeups have become routine - neither of those books was written for you.

Drink Less is the field guide nobody has written yet. Not a memoir. Not a recovery program. Not an argument for giving it up forever. A direct, opinionated, modern handbook for cutting back - without quitting.

In fourteen chapters and fourteen specific practices, Robert Smith walks you through the actual biology of evening drinking, the cultural lie that made "wine o'clock" a punchline instead of a problem, and the structured, rules-based approach that lets you reset your baseline and hold the line afterward. No higher power required. No abstinence pledge. No shame.

What you'll discover:

• The exact math of "moderate" drinking - and what the World Health Organization's 2023 retraction of safe-level claims actually means for your weekly count


• Why your "I drink to relax" eventually becomes "I drink because I can't relax" - the GABA loop explained in plain English


• The 30-day pause that resets your baseline (not 30 days forever - exactly 30, and the day-by-day arc of what to expect)


• Replacement rituals that actually stick, and the non-alcoholic drinks worth keeping on your shelf


• The scripts for social drinking without the pressure - what to actually say at the bar


• The Sunday Test: the single best diagnostic for whether your drinking is working for you


• What to do when you slip - and why the 24-hour rule saves the entire project

For the gray-area drinker who is done managing their drinking and ready to do something about it. The relief of not negotiating with yourself every night is the real product.

Includes appendices: the 30-Day Pause daily worksheet, a curated guide to non-alcoholic drinks that actually taste good, and an opinionated reading list.