When I was a teenager, my friend’s mother told me that in order to stop herself from drinking too much at a party, she’d roll her sleeve up once every time she had a drink. By the time her sleeves were rolled up to mid-forearm, she knew that it was time to dip out. I thought that it was the most ingenious thing I’d ever heard. But honestly, my arms are too short for that – and besides, my internal brakes are a little rusty when it comes to anything even slightly fun or hedonistic. I’d be rolling my sleeves up to my shoulders in the club.
No, the hack that has actually helped me, the hack that I swear by when I do drink, is something called “zebra striping”. It’s a newish and buzzy-sounding term for an old and well-worn concept, which is what it sounds like: drinking one non-alcoholic drink for every alcoholic one. That way, you’re basically drinking half the amount that it feels like you are. And you’re spacing out the alcoholic drinks as you go. Perfect for people such as myself who need to always have something to do with their hands, and can’t help but sip quickly without thinking.
This isn’t just a me thing. According to a 2024 research report from KAM produced in partnership with alcohol-free beer brand Lucky Saint, around a quarter of UK drinkers are zebra striping at the pub. Which is quite a lot, when you think about it. This is a country that was once famous for its drinking, that was nicknamed “Binge Drink Britain” by the tabloid press for the majority of the 2000s and 2010s. And now, we’re managing to still drink the same volume of liquid, but lowering our alcohol intake. Which is quite a smart get-around, really. It’s like having a cheeseburger every other week rather than every week – not exactly healthy, but better than before.
Besides, it can be hard to moderate during party season. Office parties, friendsmas dinners, little after-work soirees… it’s a lot. I’m personally not someone who can muster the energy to party for longer than an hour stone-cold sober – I’d rather just stay at home – so zebra striping can be a good way to make sure I’m still being sociable without having a total blow-out. It makes a huge difference. Rather than having four or five cocktails – the sort of amount that’ll have me sending risky texts and replying “gorge!!!” to former colleague’s Insta stories at 1am – I’ll have two plus some mocktails or sparkling water. It’s the difference between waking up feeling just fine, and waking up with a sense of ambient doom and a face like a slightly deflated water balloon.
There are plenty of other hacks that people tend to swear by. My wife drinks alcohol-free beer these days because she says it basically feels the same as the real thing, but without the tipsiness and inexplicable desire to chain-smoke. Another friend of mine will have her gin and tonics or vodka and lemonades in pint glasses, so as to have a greater liquid to shot ratio. Another friend of mine upholds a three-drink rule, because she’s “never had a good time after more than that”. Me, though? If I’m drinking on a night out, you’ll only ever catch me zebra striping.
