When I started at university, I hadn’t drank much yet in high school. The university I went to was technically a religious institution but it was super low-key, basically a normal college, just that it had a chapel and some funding from the church of England.
Anyway, during the opening week of school, the chaplain gave a short, relatively nonreligious speech to the students. He mentioned at one point an acronym: SALT - Sad Angry Lonely Tired. If you feel like you are any of those things you probably shouldn’t drink. And I really liked that acronym so I have mostly adhered to it ever since. I think it’s a good rule of thumb to avoid the worst aspects of alcohol use. So I personally never drink if I’m feeling depressed. Even if I think it would make me feel better, I simply don’t allow myself to do it.
Glad to have helped. It’s a good rule of thumb and at this point it’s not even conscious for me. It’s just muscle memory for me that if I’m feeling any of those things I don’t drink. I avoid drinking alone unless I’m doing something fun, I never drink if I’m dealing with personal shit, etc.
Basically if I don’t already have something fun going on, I don’t drink. My mindset is that drinking should complement something fun that’s already happening, not that it should be a source of fun on its own.
