Safe Holiday Drinking

The holiday season is a wonderful time to reconnect with your family and friends, and celebrate what truly matters most. Many of these celebrations involve alcohol, and more people are likely to drink beyond their limits during these celebrations. Drinking beyond your limits could have serious consequences ranging from fights to falls to traffic crashes to fatalities. Here are some ways to have a safe holiday season.

Know the effects of alcohol
Alcohol initially acts as a stimulant, and this causes people to feel upbeat and excited.  However, alcohol will also decrease inhibitions and judgement which can lead to poor decision making. Alcohol can also affect people’s reaction time and balance which can lead to accidents. Some people may become aggressive. Alcohol primarily act as a depressant, hindering signals in the brain that control automatic responses such as the gag reflex. Continuing to drink despite clear signs of significant impairments can result in a potentially deadly type of overdose called alcohol poisoning (NIAA). Symptoms of alcohol poisoning are mental confusion, inability to wake up, vomiting changes in breathing, seizures and hypothermia. Blackouts can occur when someone is severely intoxicated. Blackouts cause a person to have periods of amnesia and they do not remember what happened while they were drinking.

Know your limit
Everyone can tolerate a different amount of alcohol. With that being said, there are some standards put in place by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The standard for women is no more than 3 drinks on any day and no more than 7 drinks per week. The standard for men is no more than 4 drinks on any day and no more than 14 drinks per week (NIAAA).

Have “drink spacer” and pace yourself
Having a non-alcoholic drink between each alcoholic one has a couple of benefits. You are not getting impaired as quickly, and you are controlling what you are drinking. You are also more likely to keep to the 3 or 4 drink limit depending.

Always have plans to get home safe 
According to recent studies, the holiday season is one of the most dangerous time of the year for drunk driving and alcohol-related fatalities (Alcohol Monitoring Systems). Have a designated driver or a taxi take you home if you will be drinking.

Have a safe and happy holiday!