Background: Limiting alcohol consumption is challenging as alcohol often serves as a ‘social lubricant’ in drinking practices. While individuals adopt different behavioral approaches to reduce drinking, it remains unclear how they align their drinking behaviors with moderation goals.

Aim: This study utilizes a unique dataset that captures detailed information about the characteristics of drinking occasions, encompassing key theoretically-informed elements of (social) drinking practices. The aim is to investigate whether drinking occasion characteristics differ: (i) between individuals trying to moderate their drinking and those who are not; (ii) among four subtypes of drinkers using different approaches to moderation: reducing drinking occasions, consuming smaller-sized drinks, limiting the number of drinks, or employing a mixed approach, including alcohol-free drinks.

Method: Data from a large British cross-sectional survey of 101,461 regular drinkers, detailing 307,175 drinking occasions, were analyzed. Participants reported on the context of these occasions and on whether, and how, they attempted to moderate their drinking. Random intercept models examined how the probability of reporting specific occasion characteristics varied across moderation approaches, and between moderators and non-moderators.

Findings: While few differences were found between moderators and non-moderators, substantial heterogeneity emerged when comparing individuals using different moderation approaches. Notably, approaches involving smaller-sized or nonalcoholic drinks were more frequently reported in social settings, suggesting that self-control approaches are particularly useful in managing social pressure.

Conclusions: Different moderation approaches are associated with distinct drinking occasion characteristics. These findings highlight the importance of tailoring moderation guidance to the specific contexts in which individuals typically consume alcohol.