It’s that time of year again where many of us have grand designs to give up booze.

Drinking less is one of the most common New Year’s Resolutions, with 4.2million people pledging to Dry January this year.

Yet putting the breaks on our alcohol habits is hard to do in a culture where we’re culturally conditioned to see drinking as fun.

Even the word “abstaining” suggests an element of missing out by not having a drink.

And that “FOMA” (fear of missing alcohol) is often what people struggle with most, when looking to control their inner booze-hound.

In her new book Sober Curious, journalist Ruby Warrington suggests a clever mental tool for overcoming this fear, to help see not drinking in a positive light (rather than something joyous we “have” to give up).

Warrington points out that the one situation in life where people get to experience the benefits of being alcohol-free, often without even questioning it, is “ladies with babies”.

“I’ve always been amazed how even the most dedicated drinkers seem to get Sober Curious overnight as soon as they become pregnant… whether to keep pumping it with lady petrol becomes a no-brainer,” she writes.

This simple tool can help change the way you think about giving up alcohol