Beer is part of celebrating life throughout the world. As Uganda’s market leader, we want every experience with beer to be a positive one and a big part of that is helping people make smart choices while enjoying our products. Because it’s a lower alcohol beverage, beer can also be part of the solution to reduce the harmful consumption of alcohol. It provides consumers with more choice for moderation and responsible consumption — what we call smart drinking.

At NBL we embed smart drinking across our business, and over the years we have had various initiatives, to support our Smart drinking goals such as guidance labelling on our beers, bars activations, awareness campaigns in traditional media and social media, social behavioural change campaigns such as No Excuse, road safety programs and most recently the interuniversity smart drinking challenge. We commit nearly Shs250M every year towards these initiatives.

Another way we can make a difference is by shifting social norms when it comes to drinking alcohol. To help, we’ve introduced the art of drinking – four simple things that anyone (of legal drinking age) can do to practice smart drinking and moderation and experience life’s moments with more cheers. Share the art of drinking tips with your family and friends, and start mastering the art of drinking together!

1. Alternate with a non-alcoholic drink every other round
2. Drinking a glass of water between beers

After you drink a beer, drink a glass of water. Staying hydrated while drinking can be as easy as that. Water will dilute the alcohol in your stomach and slow absorption.

3. Eating Food while you drink

Eating while drinking is another way to practice moderation and pairing beer with food can be fun! Eating food before as well as while drinking slows down the rate of absorption – that’s why alcohol affects people more quickly on an empty stomach.

4. Pre-ordering a taxi to take you home

Simply put, don’t drive after drinking. Think ahead and secure a safe ride to make sure you get home safely. But it’s important to keep in mind that while the rate of absorption may change depending on what you eat and what else you drink, you cannot stop the alcohol from entering your system.

Smart drinking Tips

1. Make sure you’re of legal drinking age. Legal drinking ages vary by jurisdiction. Never purchase or serve alcohol to those who are underage.
2. Make a plan to go out and get home safely. Choose a designated driver or make plans to take public transportation, a taxi, or a ridesharing service. Encourage your friends and family to do the same.
3. Enjoy a meal with your beer, and if you’re hosting, make sure you have food available for your guests.
4. Pace yourself by alternating your beer with water or a non-alcoholic beverage, or by not drinking too fast.
5. Make sure you have non-alcoholic beverages available anytime you’re hosting or serving beer or other alcoholic beverages.
6. The decision whether to drink and, if so, how much to drink is a personal one. Never give your friends and guests a hard time if they choose not to drink.