Drink Less Coach™: the home of sophisticated moderation
Practical, research-based advice on alcohol moderation from Alastair Cassie, a UK coach with 30 years in the wine trade.
I'm one of the very few moderation coaches in the UK who hasn't stopped drinking alcohol. My personal philosophy is that mindful drinking is a way of life that doesn't have to be mundane; it's about appreciating more without feeling deprived.
Since becoming an alcohol moderation coach, I've also become an accidental pioneer in an unregulated sector. Some of the articles and research I've published have been indexed by Google Scholar, and because there wasn't one, I set up a trade association to establish ethical and operating guidelines.
Start here
Am I drinking too much?
Most people who drink above guidelines are not dependent on alcohol. Their drinking has either drifted upwards or gone onto autopilot (grey area drinking). These are two different patterns, and each needs a different approach.
Find out which pattern fits youFree calculator
What is your drinking really costing you?
Enter a normal week of drinking, at home and out, and see the full cost over a year. Then set your own target and see what you would get back. Your answers stay on your device.
Use the Alcohol Footprint Calculator™Five moderation sites, one philosophy
Drinking habits span a broad spectrum, and so do the moderation techniques and strategies required. Each of my five moderation sites has its own identity and purpose, but they share one philosophy: helping you take control of your drinking and get more enjoyment from the drinks you choose.
- Better sleep
- More energy
- Fewer calories
- Less spending
- Restoring choice
- More enjoyment from the drinks you choose
For drift drinkers: you drink a few times a week, but the amount has crept up
Couch to Control™
Put good drinking habits in place before the drift becomes autopilot.
An extra weeknight glass. Bigger pours. Drinks that happen for no particular reason. You still have nights off without thinking about it, but you've noticed the amount creeping up.
Couch to Control™ helps you spot that drift and put practical strategies in place now, so you stay in control and enjoy the drinks you consciously choose.
Private and personal. Work through the course at your own pace and discuss your drinking directly with me. No group calls or communities to navigate.
What's included
- A practical online course: 17 short lessons across Understand, Strategies and Mindset, with 12 months' access.
- A personal drinking-pattern review: understand where changes will make the most difference.
- A private 30-minute strategy call with me: choose approaches that fit your life.
- Your written strategy summary: a clear reminder of what to put into practice.
£99 for the complete package.
If you decide you'd like more support, purchase an Alcohol Reduction Coach™ programme within three months of buying Couch to Control™ and receive £99 towards your programme.
Explore Couch to Control™For autopilot drinkers: drinking has become an ingrained habit, a way to cope, or harder to control than you'd like
Alcohol Reduction Coach™
Change the drinking patterns that keep taking over, with a personal plan and regular coaching.
You reach for a drink to manage stress, switch off or change how you feel. At home, the evening pour has become automatic. Out with friends, good intentions slip away and you drink more than you planned. You've tried cutting back, but the familiar patterns soon return.
Alcohol Reduction Coach™ helps you understand what alcohol is doing for you, what triggers your drinking and where you lose control. Together, we build practical strategies for those situations, so you can enjoy drinking on your terms.
Personal support throughout. Work directly with me to build your plan, put it into practice and adjust it as you progress.
What's included
- Understand your drinking patterns: a detailed questionnaire, an onboarding interview and trackers help identify your habits, triggers and the situations where you drink more than you intended.
- Your personalised strategy plan: practical ways to handle stress, interrupt automatic drinking and stay in control socially, including your Moderation Mandala™ micro-change system, all housed on your own dashboard.
- Practical guidance between sessions: full access to the BAC (Balance and Control) System™ moderation operating manual, with audio, video and infographic summaries.
- Regular coaching sessions: review what's working, tackle difficulties and stay accountable.
Clients average a 73% reduction in alcohol consumption at three months.
Coached programmes £499–£999. Bespoke VIP packages from £5,000.
If you purchased Couch to Control™ within the previous three months, receive £99 towards your programme.
Explore Alcohol Reduction Coach™
"I went from drinking a bottle of NZ Sauvignon every night to 1.5 bottles per week, and it hasn't been difficult at all."
Louise, 54, Registered Nurse
A box of curiosities for wine drinkers whose mindless drinking days are behind them, or who are working on it.
- Unfiltered reviews: wines picked to help you drink less but better, judged on whether they're worth the units and worth the money.
- Random wine knowledge: explainers, myth-busters and the odd eclectic fact, without a structured course.
- Moderation wisdom: the middle ground between stark health advice and sober evangelism.
We're a bit left field and like to do things a bit differently (like many good winemakers!). There is order to the chaos, though: there's a structure behind each section, and each piece is written two ways: how I'd tell a friend, and how I'd tell a wine geek.
Step into the Wine Fan ZoneI decided to reengineer that Pimm's/Wine O'Clock moment, when people automatically reach for a pour without thinking. If you adopt Choice O'Clock™, you create a cognitive interruption that restores choice by following this protocol.
Pour a glass of water, pause for 5-15 minutes, then choose. The goal isn't to predetermine the outcome, but to ensure it's a real choice, not a reaction. It's grounded in Kahneman's dual-process theory: the pause gives your deliberate, decision-making brain time to catch up with the habit.
Eligo, ergo sum.I choose, therefore I am.
Try Choice O'Clock™A common problem for many people trying to moderate their alcohol consumption is the "round culture" in British pubs. You go with good intentions, but suddenly you're locked into a system that piles on the drinks and drains your bank account if you're not careful.
The Fair Round Protocol™ offers 3 alternatives, each taking the pressure off the need to keep drinking (or spending):
- a fair round kitty system where you contribute what you think you'll drink
- pair up with someone in a buddy system that is drinking similar amounts and value as you
- take advantage of many app to table ordering facilities at many pubs these days
Drink wisely.Alcohol is your sociable friend, not your therapist.
Free resource
BYOB City Guides
Units with benefits.
If you're watching your units, make them worth it. Take a wine you've chosen to a restaurant and enjoy it with good food and company. Upgrade your bottle while still spending less overall than you might on something mediocre from the wine list.
That's where my love of BYOB meets my work in moderation: more enjoyment from the drinks you consciously choose. Far better than another forgettable glass on the sofa.
After more than 30 years in the wine trade, I launched the first BYOB City Guide in 2025. Now relaunched as a free website, it covers over 250 London restaurants, from neighbourhood favourites to Michelin-starred dining.
Browse by area, cuisine or corkage fee, check free-corkage days, or explore the map to find somewhere for your next bottle.
Explore BYOB City GuidesBuilt in the wine trade, backed by science
I spent over 30 years selling, tasting and talking about wine. That gave me an unusual view of drinking: I know exactly how the trade encourages you to drink more, and I've seen first-hand how often "just stop" is the wrong advice for people who simply want more control.
So I built a different approach. No sobriety preaching, no streaks, no shame. You set the target; I help you hit it and stay there. My moderation research is indexed on Google Scholar, and I founded the Alcohol Moderation Coaches Association™ to raise standards in the field.
- 30+ years in the wine trade
- Certified alcohol moderation and ADHD coach
- Trained in behavioural science
- CPD Approved Provider
- Founder, Alcohol Moderation Coaches Association™
- Research indexed on Google Scholar
- Member, ADHD Coaches Organization
- Mental Health First Aider
Let's talk
Whether you want help with your own drinking, an expert comment for a story, a speaker, or to talk about moderation coaching and the standards behind it, I'm happy to hear from you.
Book a callOr email me at hello@drinklesscoach.com
Website design: To keep my neurodivergent brain firing on all cylinders, I also build websites from scratch using code, and my own copywriting skills ensure there is no AI slop content. Everything is optimised for AI visibility and Google ranking, visit aireadywebdesigns.com for more details.