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subject: 8 Ways to Stay Sober at Social Events [print this page]

One of the worst things a host or guest can do at an event is to drink too

much. In addition to my 8 tips, I've added the definition of what it means

to be a drunk, and how to tell if you or someone you know may be an alcoholic

and how to help the person.

1. DON'T DRINK IF IT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SUCCESS AND FAILURE. I

enjoy drinking alcohol in moderation, so I am not talking about giving it up

all together. Rather, practice abstinence when the risk is too high. For

example, if you have a major client meeting in the morning, why chance

drinking the night before? Or if you have a major presentation to make in the

afternoon, why have a drink at lunch?

It's best to have an overall "no drinking policy" for business lunches.

Make an exception for a special celebratory situation where one glass of wine

might be allowed.

2. KNOW YOUR LIMIT. Maintaining your own self-control is the key to keeping

yourself from becoming drunk. The goal is always to keep your blood alcohol

content (BAC) below the legal limit and to be able to drive safely, not to

mention avoiding embarrassing behavior at events.

One way to learn your own constitution is to keep a drinking diary for at

least one to three months, depending on how often you drink. Write down each

time you have a drink, listing when, where, how much you drank, and the

results. Make note of the patterns shown and what you must do to achieve the

best results every time you drink, such as:

Date # of drinks Type of drinks Place consumed/type of event

Results

If you drink at home, add the days of the week to the journal, so you can see

how often you are drinking at home and the effects.

3. EAT PLENTY OF FOOD. Eating solid food is the best way to soak up alcohol

in your stomach. It slows the rate of alcohol absorption in your body.

Throughout the event, snack and munch on what's available while drinking.

High protein and high fat foods like cheese are especially good at keeping

your blood alcohol content low. Avoid items with lots of salt---like salted

nuts---as they will dehydrate you.

4. KEEP YOURSELF HYDRATED. Alcohol is a dehydrator, so always drink one or

two glasses of water, juice or other non-alcoholic beverages between each

alcoholic drink to keep properly hydrated. Add a squeeze of lime or lemon to

mimic an alcoholic beverage to stay more social. Drinks that work

particularly well are:

--- Tomato juice with a squeeze of lime and celery stick

--- Lemonade over ice

--- Iced tea

--- Water with ice cubes

--- Club soda with orange juice

--- Tonic water with a twist or wedge of lime, and

--- Either orange juice or 7-Up with grenadine.

My favorites are grapefruit juice or plain water with lime, over ice.

5. SIP YOUR DRINK SLOWLY. It's easy to feel nervous at social events, and

you might end up guzzling your drink instead of sipping. Pay attention. Enjoy

the taste rather than the effect.

6. NEVER DRINK ON AN EMPTY STOMACH. Make a point to eat before attending

any event where alcohol is served. Even at the last minute, while driving to

the event, make a pit stop somewhere to get a fast sandwich. That's better

than showing up on an empty stomach, where the alcohol takes effect faster.

Upon arrival, make the buffet table your first stop, before having a drink.

7. USE THE ONE-DRINK-PER-HOUR GUIDELINE: Especially at business related

events, where the focus should be on mingling, meeting and greeting, have

only one drink per hour, or a at most two drinks when accompanied with lots

of food.

8. JUST SAY "NO." Learn to say "no" when you don't want a drink. In most

instances you don't have to take a drink just because it has been offered.

If it would be considered impolite to refuse, take the drink, but then

quietly and discreetly place it on a table and walk away. Saying "no" becomes

easier the more you practice it. Here are a few phrases to keep in mind:

--- No thanks, I don't need or want any more

--- Thanks, but I must be alert tomorrow for an early meeting with our

biggest client

--- Or simply say, "No, thank you."

If people keep trying to force drinks on you, I would avoid them in the

future. Also avoid hanging around people who drink more than you and the

places and situations that encourage this kind of behavior.

BONUSES:

1. MISPERCEPTION AND MYTH: Beware of drinking coffee to help sober up. A

blog posted two years ago by "MackTheKnife" submitted an interesting

observation: "Coffee can make some people feel more awake, but it is a

common misconception that giving a drunk person coffee will make them sober.

In fact, coffee is probably one of the worst things that a drunk person can

drink. Not only will it make them feel more awake (which might encourage them

to do things they shouldn't - like drive) it will probably make their

hangover worse. Alcohol causes the body to dehydrate, and that contributes

to the headache and bad feeling of a hangover. Coffee is a diuretic (ie it

stimulates the body to get rid of liquids) so it should be avoided if you

want to keep your hangover to a minimum." I also read some place that

although you feel alert, your reflex time is still dimished due to the

alcohol. Conclusion: You truly aren't in a better position by drinking

coffee. My opinion is to avoid and forget drinking coffee as a remedy.

2. DEFINITION OF A DRUNK. When a person is called a drunk it implies the

person suffers from alcoholism. It means the person overindulges and becomes

inebriated on a regular basis. Often the person doesn't even know he or

she is a drunk, which also means they have a dependency on alcohol. Be

careful when you call someone a drunk.

Do you know someone who drinks too much? Here's a link for lots of great

information. To view the entire article, please see www.alcoholscreening.org.

In it you will see:

--- Take a quick test to learn if you (or someone you know) drink too much

and are at risk of alcoholism.

--- Why drink less Writing down the reasons for drinking less and keeping

that list visible at all times.

--- How to

cut back on drinking

Set drinking goals for yourself

keep a drinking diary

get the support you or your friend needs

foretell-tail signs you or a friend has a drinking problem

Dos and don't to helping yourself and a friend

Tons of additional resources to get the help you need

Changing behavior is never easy. Be understanding and patient. Don't accept

any responsibility or guilt for the behavior of another person. You are

responsible only for your own behavior. Whether you decide to help a friend

or for yourself to cut down or to abstain entirely from alcohol, DON'T GIVE

UP!

More resources on alcoholism:

www.soberforever.net - The Jude Thaddeus Program.

www.moderation.org - Moderation Management stresses balance, moderation,

self-management, and personal responsibility.

www.med.umich.edu/drinkwise - Drink Wise is a brief, confidential educational

program for people with mild to moderate alcohol problems who want to

eliminate the negative consequences of their drinking.

www.habitsmart.com - Habit Smart promotes the reduction of harmful behaviors

and harm through habit change and wise choices.

www.alcoholics-anonytmous.org (212-817-3400 or consult your local telephone

directory) - The oldest and best-known "twelve-step" program of self-help for

alcoholics.

www.al-anon.org (888-4AL-ANON) - Al-anon's purpose is to help families and

friends of alcoholics recover from the effects of living with a problem

drinker. Alateen is the recovery program for young people sponsored by

Al-anon members.

www.rational.org/recovery (1-800-303-2873) - Established as an alternative to

the spiritual nature of AA.

www.secularhumanism.org/sos (310-821-8430) - Secular Organizations For

Sobriety (SOS), also known as Save Our Selves.

http://smartrecovery.org (216-292-0220) - Self-Management and Recovery

Training (SMART Recovery).

www.womenforsobriety.org (1-800-333-1606) - The mutual support groups of

Women for Sobriety

QUESTION: Do you have remedies to staying sober you would like to share or

situations that will be helpful to other viewers? Please let us hear from

you.

Happy practicing!

8 Ways to Stay Sober at Social Events

By: beth rite

welcome to loan (http://www.yloan.com/)