Published by Allen Brown
Binge! Binge! Go, Jack! You can do it, that’s what your friends say when cheering you to drink on and what should have ended as a fun-filled night with your drinking buddies turns into a scene of you with your head stuck in the water closet vomiting.
The aftermath of irresponsible drinking can move from 0 to 100, going from your day being ruined to your life collapsing within the blink of an eye. You owe it to yourself and your environment to drink responsibly, for your safety and that is others. And, here are a few tips to achieve a responsible drinking appetite.
Know the alcohol content of your drink
Don’t just gulp that drink down your throat, ensure that you know the percentage of alcohol concentration in your drink, because the higher it is, the riskier it is for you. One beer (12 ounces), one glass of wine (5 ounces) and, one shot of liquor (1.5 ounces of 80-proof) all contain roughly the same amount of alcohol.
So always be observant. Whether the bartender is serving you from a beer tap or whiskey dispenser, or you serve yourself from an open bar, know that three shots into one glass of mixed drink still counts as three drinks.
Eat before or while drinking
Having your stomach filled with these types of food before drinking lessens the absorption rate of alcohol. Dense carbohydrates, protein, and fat have proven to cushion the effects of drinking. Besides, fruits and vegetables also help to absorb the alcohol in your stomach. Fruits contain sugar, which can fulfill the craving for something sweet while not weighing too much on the stomach.
Be wary of shots and drinking games
You are probably out there wanting to do some drinking games with friends, to see who can beat who at taking shots. You want to take over one drink per hour to show off how you handle your alcohol which will lead to overconsumption.
It is hard for the body to keep up with that kind of swift alcohol intake, a shot ingested in a second can take your body the better part of an hour to absorb. Gulping down several shots at a go can slow down the metabolism process and can put you at a high risk, especially if you are not used to it. Don’t do shots, if you don’t want to take your body through a tough process.
Be conscious of your limit
Every human has an alcohol limit, endeavour not to go beyond it. Binge drinking is dangerous and sometimes life-threatening. Help yourself with resources on blood alcohol content (BAC), it gives you a piece of in-depth knowledge on how much you can responsibly drink based on your sex, weight, time, period, and type of drink. Draw a decent drinking plan based on those results and stick to it.
Don’t drink and drive
We cannot emphasize this enough, don’t drink if you know you are going to drive, you don’t want to put yourself and every other passenger at risk. Just because you are below the legal limit for driving (0.08 BAC) doesn’t mean you can safely get behind the wheel.
Even at 0.02, there can be miscalculations, poor loss of judgments, and difficulties in multitasking. It is better to get someone else to take that responsibility if you know that you have had too much drink.
Besides, drinking and driving could land you in jail, no one likes to think about the prospect of ending up in jail, and for most people, it’s hard to swallow. To avoid this, don’t drink and drive.
Always maintain your stance
Just because your friends are gulping down rounds of beer doesn’t mean you have to join them or you can’t have fun when you are out. Be prepared for some social pressure. One way to calmly approach the situation is to let your buddies know you are taking a breather.
Another intelligent move is to be firm in your response when offered a drink, or asked why you are not indulging. You can just say, “I am good with just water, thanks.” Some people are always quick to laugh it off as a joke or beat around the bush for a response but if you are firm, somehow your buddies will come around with your decision.
Take these tips at face value or not but a night of drinking should not be an event you regret in the morning because you failed to drink responsibly. Throwing caution to the wind, taking perilous risks, and acting on impulses can land you into real trouble where booze is involved. Always drink responsibly!