The holidays are here, and with them come company parties, family gatherings and free-flowing booze: a recipe for disaster if not handled correctly. Avoiding the top bad behavior this holiday can save everyone from embarrassment, expenses and even additional pounds.
Don't Drink Too Much
There is nothing wrong with enjoying "spirits" during the holidays. However since drinking can impair a person's judgment, it is not uncommon to over imbibe once the drinking starts. Unlike getting drunk at a local bar, drinking too much at company parties or family gatherings can ruin your reputation, be fodder for stories for years to come and possibly ruin your chances for career advacement. With this in mind, moderation is key.
Tips to Avoid Dinking Too Much
To avoid drinking too much, set a limit of one or two drinks during company or extended family parties. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a standard alocholic drink is one of the following:
- 12-ounces of beer.
- 8-ounces of malt liquor.
- 5-ounces of wine.
- 1.5-ounces or a “shot” of 80-proof distilled spirits or liquor (e.g., gin, rum, vodka, or whiskey)
While that is the "standard alcoholic drink," the truth is many popular drinks vary greatly in alcoholic content. For example, depending on the glass, one vodka or gin martini can contain 3oz of alcohol, the equivalent of 2 drinks. Similarly, popular mixed drinks like the Long Island Ice Tea contain 4 different types of liquor and between 2-3 oz of alcohol per drink. So to play it safe during the holidays, stick to standard mixed drinks- e.g. rum and coke, voka and tonic- or single servings of beer and wine.
Don't Drink and Drive
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, from 2001-2005, "An average of 36 fatalities occurred per day on America’s roadways as a result of crashes involving an alcohol impaired driver. That number increases to 45 per day during the Christmas period and jumps to 54 per day over the New Year’s holiday."
Aside from causing an accident, drinking any alcohol and driving is ground for a DUI. The MSN Money article "DUI: The $10,000 ride home" by Christopher Solomon estimates, "A typical DUI costs about $10,000 by the time you pay bail, fines, fees and insurance, even if you didn't hit anything or hurt anybody." Solomon cites the more than 17,000 annual drinking and driving related deaths as one reason all states have lowered the threshold to .08% blood-alcohol content.
Tips to Avoid Drinking and Driving
Knowing how many drinks have been consumed is a start to avoid driving under the influence. The Princeton University Health Services website states, "Depending on gender, your liver can process about one ounce of alcohol each hour." So allowing the body 2 hours after each drink to process alcohol is the minimum that should be planned. However, there is no guarantee that all alcohol will be processed out of the body, so the safest route it to simply not drive after drinking. After all, taking a taxi will be much less costly than paying the DUI fines.
Don't Ruin Your Diet
Most people pack on a couple of pounds during the holiday season. And why not? With enormous holiday feasts, workplace goodies and home-baked gifts, the temptation to overindulge can be overwhelming. Diet conscious people may promise to pass up the second slice of pumpkin pie but then drink the equivalent amount of calories in beverages: alcoholic and not. To combat this, keep high-caloric drinking too a minimum.
Tips to Avoid Ruining Your Diet
Eliminating unnecessary drinking can help stave off extra pounds this holiday season. For example drinking water, tea or diet soda adds 0 calories to a meal. On the other hand a regular soda adds 140 calories, a cup of apple cider adds 120 calories and a cup of egg nogg adds a whopping 343 calories to a meal. Regularly drinking these high-caloric drinks over the course of the holiday season can translate to additional unwanted pounds, but eliminating them will make a difference.
Following the holiday drinking etiquette of not drinking too much, driving intoxicated, or consuming unnecessay calories is a smart way for everyone to better navigate the holiday season.
Alessandra Harris - Alessandra Harris is a freelance writer living in the San Francisco Bay Area. She earned a BA in Comparative Religious Studies and Minor ...
