Here’s what we know about our favorite drinks: they taste good! They taste good because they have sugar (moonshine, frankly, isn’t that tasty), and sugar sure helps the medicine go down. Plus they feelgood, which leads to more alcohol, major snacking, poorly played pool games, loudly voiced opinions, and . . . more snacking.

Nevertheless, there are ways to fend off poor alcohol (and related) choices. My tips:

Go skinny. You can get light varieties of vodka, champagne, red wine, and beer.

Avoid the mixers. Use muddled fresh fruit and seltzer to dilute alcohol instead, and try a wine spritzer instead of straight wine.

Avoid frozen. Frozen daiquiris, margaritas, and piña coladas have way too many food additives and sugar. Plus you’ll have to consume more to get the buzz you’re looking for!

Water before wine! Always rotate in a glass of water for every glass of alcohol. Not only will you consume less alcohol, you’ll stay hydrated for a proactive metabolism.

Drink slowly. Slowwwwwwly.

This is an excerpt from The Right Fit Formula