A new study released as part of the Martini ‘Stay Beautiful’ campaign suggests an emerging trend amongst women who enjoy a drink but want to be able to maintain their style & sophistication throughout the evening.

This new wave of women say they want to take control of their drinking habits and have rejected the binge drinking culture instead aspiring to embrace a more controlled and confident approach to socialising whether on a night out with the girls or entertaining clients during this year’s Christmas party season.

This noticeable shift in attitude to drinking has also been linked to women’s desire to maintain their looks and their admittance that they’re ‘always conscious’ of their behaviour and appearance on a night out.

The current “Stay Beautiful” campaign seeks to give women who are leading this trend more choice when it comes to lighter alcoholic drinks. Having a wider choice of lighter spirits drinks like Martini Rosato & Pomegranate juice, which has 1 unit per 70ml server compared to a 175ml glass of wine which has 2.1units*, gives women greater control of how much they drink but still allows them to be just as involved in their social scene.

So how can women really embrace this year’s Christmas party season whilst remaining in control and composed throughout the evening?

*sourced from www.drinkaware.co.uk

H: Katy Pullinger
G: Georgia Foster, Author and therapist

H: Hello I'm Katy Pullinger and welcome to the Lifestyle Show. Now the Brits are well known as being a nation of social drinkers who are often seen to take it to excess, however a new study released as part of the Martini 'Stay Beautiful' campaign has discovered that attitudes amongst women are changing when it comes to enjoying a drink or two. Evidence suggests that there is an emerging trend amongst women who want to be able to maintain their style & sophistication throughout the evening. This new wave of women say they want to take control of their drinking habits and have rejected the binge drinking culture instead aspiring to embrace a more controlled and confident approach to socialising. Now joining me now is Georgia Foster, author of "Drink less mind" and therapist who encourages women to think about how they can reduce their levels of drinking which will in turn improve their confidence. Thanks for coming in Georgia. Now let's get stuck straight in with the idea of – has this message got through to women that they need to take a step back from the amount they're drinking?

G: Well I think the media has created a lot of awareness, sometimes a bit too much scare-mongering but I really believe, and Martini have called me in to speak about the fact that we do have the resources from within to drink less. And my book, "the Drink less mind" is exactly about that, is it's about working with people, in particular at the moment, that we have the resources within. You know you can go out and drink less, choose what units you want to drink, make a decision before you go out what you want to drink, for example a long drink like a Martini Rosato with pomegranate juice, or something that's going to take longer to consume

H: And has less – fewer units in it, because –

G: Yes

H: Because I think women forget that a glass of wine isn't one unit just because it's one drink

G: 175ml glass is 2.1 units

H: Which clocks up very, very quickly. What is the limit that women should be drinking each day in terms of units?

G: They say 14 units – a week

H: A week?

G: Sorry yes that's two units a day, yes

H: Right ok, so that is pretty much just one glass of wine, which is scary stuff when if you actually wrote down how many units you're drinking a day you might get a little bit of a shock, which perhaps is what some women need to jump start them into thinking about how much they should really be drinking

G: Well I think it also comes down to the fact that women are much more aware of how they want to be perceived to the world outside, and I think people are much more conscious about being healthier, and you know young women out there working hard, playing hard, it's more like about getting up in the morning and not having that hangover

H: Yes that would be nice –

G: It's very unattractive

H: It is unattractive, but do you think – what do you think the link is between women and drinking and their self-esteem?

G: It's a very – there is always a strong connection for people who drink too much on a regular basis. How it really works is the deeper part of the mind that manages all of the emotional habits, it will see that perhaps if you're socially shy, you will use alcohol as that confidence crutch. It could be that you feel a bit anxious about going out for a drink with your boss, so you might have to have that little sneaky drink before you go out to calm yourself down. And I work with all those sorts of reasons why people drink, because ultimately we want to drink and have fun, but a lot of people don't drink for that reason

H: And perhaps not just to have fun but they want people to perceive them as fun perhaps as well?

G: Correct and that is also another problem, people assume that they're actually more fun to hang around with, they're more interesting or stimulating or sexy or whatever it is, but that's just a perception that is never the truth

H: But peer pressure can be a problem sometimes, when you've got that perhaps one friend in the group that's going come on just one more, you can do it, you know and let's get a round of shots in, and it usually ends up in a pretty messy place doesn't it?

G: I think that we all know who that person is, or they could be the person you are.  It's really to do with if somebody's driving, you feel, to drink too much, usually it means they have an issue with alcohol and they kind of need a drinking buddy with them

H: Right

G: So I say in my book, you know there are some great tips like little white lies, and one is you know I've got a big day tomorrow

H: Yes

G: Or do you know I've got such a terrible hangover, I couldn't fathom another drink. And in a way it's sad that sometimes you have to say those things because people just don't believe look I just want to cut back on my drinking. Oh do that tomorrow, that's absolutely fine. And then you lose a sense of self-worth, you feel like you know you're trying to be assertive, you're trying to say I want to change my lifestyle, but often colleagues and friends don't really want you to

H: No. Holly's actually written a question in which is along this line. She says "I'm in my late 20s and work in a very social office environment where I really feel the pressure to have a drink after work virtually every day. Aside from the fact it's expensive, I'm beginning to find that I don't have enough time for friends and families. How can I resist work drinks without offending my peers?" It's exactly what we were touching on there. 

G: Exactly. You need to -  I always say plan a strategy in advance so that you always know you've got a – you know – a pull-out clause. It could be I've got to go and visit my great aunt in dadada or it could be oh I've got to go home, I've got a friend coming to stay the night. Sometimes it is good to say to this person look actually, I really don't want to drink tonight, I want to go home. If it causes a friction in the work relationship, it's going to have to be

H: Yes

G: Because ultimately you have to look after your own health. That's what's important

H: And surely your boss at least is going to respect you, rather than thinking you're the -

G: Unless it's your boss

H: Unless it's your boss – yes your boss is the one making you come out for a drink. But I think even then they should still respect you and think great, my office workers are coming in fresh each day rather than coming in, you know with booze breath and a hangover

G: Well I do genuinely think people do want to drink less, and they have the opportunity to, and I think long, light alcoholic drinks are important, and that's why the Martini project is fantastic because it's igniting a sense of, you know women going out and being able to drink, and feel naturally confident, and my motto is, it's important that alcohol – you're managing it rather than it manages you, and it's about building self-worth, it's about building self-confidence

H: Which is perfect timing for Michelle's question, she says "I'm a typical binge drinker, I know it's unhealthy but I sometimes lack the confidence to approach men if I've not had a drink or two." Now how do you deal with that, if you feel like you can only talk to men after three glasses of whatever – you know what tips can Michelle take?

G: I think she really needs to look at her self-esteem, she needs to do some rehearsal before she goes out. I always say practice with a male friend, you know practice conversing with the opposite sex, so that your mind learns how to converse sober, and that is the thing, is I think this is the problem, is that we are shy, a lot of us are very shy, and if you are drinking your date beautiful or you're doing things that you would regret in the morning, it's really about saying well you know I can attract somebody who I am as a person. So I always say top tip is you know, drink lots of water, you know do good things for yourself, have one, you know light alcoholic drink and then have a glass of water next to it

H: Pace yourself

G: Yes pacing's great and you can still have fun

H: And you know, don't be on a mission to get drunk

G: Yes

H: I think a lot of girls – a lot of women, especially now, do go out thinking come on, let's go out, let's get drunk. I don't – I don't personally understand that mentality but yes if you pace yourself at least you give yourself a fighting chance of not rolling home looking like an absolute – well an absolute mess

G: And nobody wants to do that. We've been talking about you know how much the social media is involved with Facebook and Twitter, and what are you doing and everything, and I think we're much more aware in a microscopic way of what everyone's doing in their lives and I don't' think people really want to have an image of being you know a person who binge drinks, or drinking too much

H: No. And I think appealing to some women's vanity is not a bad thing, you know because let's face it, it ages you, you're going to look worse for it, I was – just before we started this chat I was talking about an article I saw where they did a twins study, they had one twin drink for two weeks every day and one twin that didn't, and the result was really quite shocking. It was subtle, you know the skin was grey, the hair was lank, there was dark rings under the eyes, and I think you know sometimes we do have to appeal to our vanity if we're not going to be sensible

G: Well the Martini "Stay Beautiful" campaign is really about it's not about aesthetics, it's about actually pacing your drinking, moderation is really the top tip and so that you actually if you're drinking lots of water and a long, low alcohol drink then actually your body is hydrating itself while alcohol is dehydrating

H: Yes

G: So you have that counter-balance and that's really great, and so I say to people you know let's have fun, but let's really think about the consumption level

H: And of course, you've got to see – the other silver lining is you're not going to be spending as much, you are going to be, you know, up for more things during the day because you'll get up in the morning and go great, let's do something with my day rather than hitting the sofa or having that fry-up that you need to get you over the night before

G: Yes, yes. I do think it's – it's about waking up and thinking I've got a whole day left, you know let's get on with life, let's enjoy life, and I think that people are starting to realise that. Young women in particular, this Martini survey has shown that women actually are much more conscious about feeling good from the inside, not about what they can put inside themselves

H: And talking about what you're putting into yourself, fewer calories as well

G: Yes. Alcohol is very high in calories, yes, and they're empty calories as well, they don't actually fill you up

H: No they don't and you probably end up having to go for that late night burger or kebab

G: Which is the most famous English thing that goes on

H: I know, it's terrible isn't it? We do have a question from Sarah who says "I've noticed I've put on weight since taking on a new job with a very lively social scene. What drinks should I go for when I'm worried about my waistline?"  Well this is exactly what we're suggesting here

G: Yes exactly, long drink like Martini Rosato with apple juice. Drinking alcohol that is low in alcohol content, and that means that you will have less calories which is fabulous, and I think that that is a really good way to start the day, because your beers and your wines are very high in calories

H: Very high sugar content aren't they so –

G: Yes, yes. And you've got to talk about the consumption as well

H: Consumption actually, here's a good one from Lydia – "I find it difficult to avoid drinking a whole bottle of wine once it's opened" as it doesn't last long, does it – it's very easy to just keep topping it up and topping it up.  What can you do?

G: Yes I think – I think for a lot of people that bottle of wine – first glass is medicinal

H: Yes

G: Doesn't even touch the sides. Where did that go? And I say to people what I love you to be able to do is, and that's obviously what the book is about, is it trains people to be more conscious of what they're drinking in all lovely ways, like to pick up the glass and have a taste, and to savour it, and I always say drink one, water one – have one glass of water with you, and it slows the drinking down by half which is fabulous

H: Yes

G: Don't walk around the house with a glass of wine in your hand. This stays here or here, on the table, and that arm's attached to it the whole time. The only time it goes anywhere is in here, or this other arm comes in to help. It's about actually putting the glass down, and then picking up the water and changing the activity

H: There we go, good tip. Now we have a question from Jules here, and again this is slightly appealing I guess to female vanity. "Hi Georgia and Katy. Sometimes alcohol makes my face go really red. Is this normal?" It can make you quite flushed can't it?

G: Yes that's right, that's a skin condition called rosacea and rosacea is where your skin blood vessels basically expand, and it's just the heat of the alcohol.  Top tip is to actually drink low alcohol - a light alcohol beverage, and that will slow your system will cope with the alcohol better and will digest it much more easily so you won't get such a red face

H: Now Jessica's sent in a question – "If I have a martini with some juice, does that count as one of my five a day?" That's a good question

G: It would yes. If it was a proper, real juice, yes

H: Right so a freshly squeezed juiced. And I bet that would be

G: delicious

H: A really gorgeous drink as well. That's like a proper healthy – well as healthy as you can get with an alcoholic drink, but you know

G: Well it doesn't matter which way it goes in as long as it's fresh, yes

H: So we're getting lots of good tips here. If you are watching live right now, you can submit your questions directly to us, if you just put that question into the little box, we will try and get to it before the end of the show.  Now we are running up of course to the festive season, and what kind of tips can we take for all those office parties, because there's often one after the other isn't there? Plus your family parties as well and friends

G: I mean it's full-on – you're talking about 3 weeks of fairly regular drinking, and if it does end up being every night, then so be it, but it's really about making that decision before you go out what you want to drink. Don't go in rounds. Decide what you're going to drink in advance so you always know you're staying on-track.  Don't get someone to fill your glass up.  You fill your own glass up when it's empty, and you know lovely little practice things to say before you go out – practice saying no, and it's a big issue for a lot of people and I call it that pleaser personality that thinks they have to say yes to their boss to have another drink before, you know their friend or their sister of their cousin – it's really about saying I don't want to wake up and not feel good about myself in the morning. I want to wake up feeling, like a sense I enjoyed myself, and that's one of the things, is just – one of the things I do with my work is I train people in their mind to naturally relax, so that before they go into a social event where they might feel a bit anxious, or even if they're worried that they're going to drink too much, is that they work with their breath, and working with your breath, when you take one really deep breath and hold for five, then release, then breathe in for 5 and release, and do that 3 times, you actually calm yourself down

H: Right

G: You're actually producing the endorphins, and then when you find you go to have that drink you don't need to have that – quick have a drink, you actually are feeling calmer. So I say you know go into the toilet, sit in the car before you go in or in the office, or whatever it is you need to do, and to start to do that deep breathing, then you will find you won't need that got to have that drink moment

H: And also to remind yourself that one glass here, as we said earlier is not one unit. We have got – it's just over two units isn't it, a glass like this?

G: 2.1 yes

H: And if you mentally start doing the maths while you're out, perhaps that might also help just to remind you to just slow down a little bit

G: Take a crash course in mathematics

H: Yes exactly. That smell's starting to get to me! The waft of wine which is often, like you said, that one glass suddenly disappears very quickly, so just remind yourself it's more than one unit in there. Now we do have a question from Catherine, she says "I found not buying in rounds put me in better control of my drinking habits."  That can be a good tip, because once the rounds start, you know you're stuck in that round and there's always somebody going come on, it's your turn, get to the bar. And that's not a good thing

G: And that's really not what it's about at all, it's standing your ground and I think this is important, you know you've got to bring sometimes those little white lies and say look I'm on a bit of a budget, you know say things –

H: The white lies like you said

G: You have to because it's unfortunate that you need to bring in the empatheticness so that people say oh ok, I understand, you know so keep yourself shielded, keep yourself protected

H: Yes

G: And the only way to do that is to say certain things, with certain people of course. Other people will go great, no problems at all, you know, and I think it's about building your sense of who you are

H: Yes

G: So that you are able to go out and be sociable and still enjoy drinking.  I mean obviously we're Australian, we're into drinking, but living in Britain for nearly 16 years, you know I've seen that culturally yes I do think younger girls, and this is what the Martini statistics have shown, is that we are actually coming around to, like the Europeans, we do want to feel good, we want to look good

H: Embracing a more healthy lifestyle. Well Georgia thank you so much for joining us today, we'll be taking all your top tips and if you would like m ore information on the Martini Stay Beautiful campaign then visit martinistaybeautiful.com, thank you so much for joining us and we'll see you on the next Lifestyle Show

Video footage

"I'm Thandie, we're shooting the new Martini Rosato campaign. Had a lot of fun today, didn't really feel like we've been working. The theme throughout the day for the shoot has been about living a beautiful life. It's about people who are at a point in their life where they're, you know the childish years are over, and it's more about you know sophistication and knowing who you are. We had one set-up with a group of girlfriends having dinner, which is one of the things I like doing. What they really want to do is get away from the kind of, where alcohol is part of escapism and have it be much more about genuine celebration where you're still in control, you still know who you are and you appreciate yourself. The best kinds of pictures are the ones where you actually manage to capture genuine spirit and all the people involved have been just beautiful and lovely people, and it's been a really – it's be na really warm environment."