What is the 20 minute wine rule?
The 20 minute wine rule means waiting 20 minutes after you finish a drink before you pour or order the next one. It slows the pace of an evening and turns the next glass into a decision rather than a habit. (Stylist)
Why 20 minutes?
A drink takes a while to reach its full effect. Alcohol Change UK says alcohol reaches the brain within about five minutes and blood alcohol starts to peak at around 30 minutes. If the next drink arrives sooner, you are drinking ahead of how you feel. (Alcohol Change UK)
The pause also gives habit time to pass. A refill is often prompted by an empty glass, a round being bought or a lull in conversation rather than by wanting another drink. Alcohol Change UK says the average craving lasts about six minutes, and the US National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism describes urges as short-lived and likely to fade if you ride them out. (Alcohol Change UK, NIAAA)
Making the pause easy
- order water or an alcohol-free drink as soon as you finish, so you are never empty-handed
- note the time or set a quiet 20-minute timer on your phone
- use the gap for something else: a proper conversation, something to eat or a few minutes outside
When the 20 minutes are up, decide afresh. Sometimes you will want the next glass and sometimes you won’t, and either answer is fine because you have chosen it. Alcohol Reduction Coach™ calls that moment Choice O’Clock™. Over an evening, the pauses also help keep a session below the binge drinking thresholds.