avoid excessive drinking

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "avoid excessive drinking" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it in contexts discussing health, lifestyle choices, or social behavior. For example: "To maintain good health, it is important to avoid excessive drinking." Alternative expressions include "limit heavy drinking" and "reduce alcohol consumption."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Wiki

Science

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

4 human-written examples

The suggestion that women avoid excessive drinking is not meant to suggest that drinking excessively will get a girl raped, or that a drunk woman is more responsible for her own rape than a sober one.

Huffington Post

But there are several tools women can use to keep as much bone mass as possible – adequate calcium intake and vitamin D, avoiding smoking, avoid excessive drinking, and do weight-bearing activity.

HuffPost

5. Avoid excessive drinking.

HuffPost

Avoid excessive drinking.

WikiHow

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

and avoid excessive movement.

WikiHow

Wear sunscreen and avoid excessive sun exposure.

WikiHow

Coat lens quickly and avoid excessive wiping.

WikiHow

Also avoid excessive exercise when possible.

WikiHow

Getting women to avoid smoking, excessive drinking and being obese is also crucial, he said.

The New York Times - Health

Avoid excessive social drinking.

WikiHow

Avoid smoking, excessive drinking, and get enough sleep.

WikiHow

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Pair this phrase with specific metrics (e.g. units per week) to make the advice more actionable and less subjective for the reader.

Common error

Avoid using this phrase in contexts that require strict medical compliance without defining what 'excessive' means. For some medical conditions, any amount of alcohol is harmful; in these cases, the instruction should be to avoid alcohol entirely rather than just avoiding excess.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "avoid excessive drinking" functions as a verb phrase used primarily in the imperative or infinitive mood to provide behavioral guidance. According to Ludwig, it follows standard English patterns where the verb avoid is paired with a gerund phrase (drinking) modified by an adjective (excessive).

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Wiki

63%

News & Media

24%

Science

7%

Less common in

Academia

4%

Formal & Business

1%

Reference

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "avoid excessive drinking" is a grammatically sound and widely accepted phrase for delivering health-conscious advice. According to Ludwig AI, while its frequency is technically classified as rare based on exact matches, its constituent parts and variants are common across high-authority sources like The New York Times and BBC. It is most effective in Wiki and News & Media contexts where the goal is to communicate moderate lifestyle changes rather than strict medical abstinence. Writers should ensure they define what constitutes 'excessive' to avoid ambiguity, especially in scientific or clinical communications.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

avoid drinking to excess

A very close synonym using a slightly different prepositional structure

limit alcohol consumption

Provides a more formal tone suitable for medical or policy documents

refrain from excessive alcohol use

Increases the formal register by using the verb refrain

drink in moderation

Focuses on the positive action of being moderate rather than the negative action of avoiding excess

prevent overconsumption of alcohol

Emphasizes the preventative aspect in a clinical or academic tone

moderate your alcohol intake

Directly addresses the reader with an imperative verb focused on volume

reduce heavy alcohol use

Implies a decrease in current behavior rather than an advisory to prevent it

curb heavy drinking

Uses more evocative language to suggest active control or reduction

stay away from excessive alcohol

More informal and colloquial phrasing often used in casual advice

abstain from binge drinking

Specifically targets high-intensity episodes rather than general chronic excess

FAQs

What is another way to say "avoid excessive drinking" in a formal report?

In formal contexts, you can use more clinical alternatives such as "limit alcohol consumption" or "refrain from heavy drinking".

Which is correct: "avoid excessive drinking" or "avoid to drink excessively"?

The phrase "avoid excessive drinking" is correct because the verb avoid is followed by a gerund or a noun. The alternative "avoid to drink" is grammatically incorrect; instead, use "avoid drinking excessively" if you prefer using an adverb.

What is the difference between "avoid excessive drinking" and "drink in moderation"?

The main difference is focus: "avoid excessive drinking" highlights the behavior to be prevented, whereas "drink in moderation" emphasizes the balanced behavior to be adopted.

Can I use "abstain from alcohol" as a synonym?

Not exactly. While "avoid excessive drinking" suggests one should stay below a certain threshold, "abstain from alcohol" implies not drinking any alcohol at all.