Alcohol Abuse Advice

8 Ways to Stay Sober at Social Events

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!