Everyone enjoys going out occasionally to get a drink with your friends. Whether this is a party, happy hour, or mixed drinks at a friend’s place – you need to ensure that you’re drinking safely, as well as staying healthy while you’re doing it. Even if you’re planning to drink more heavily, there are ways to ensure that you’re not too hungover the next day, so you don’t kill any possibility of productivity. Even if it’s going to be a weekend – no one likes wasting a day nursing a hangover.
And if you’re planning to drive, you need to be extra careful to ensure that you – and your passengers – will be safe with you behind the wheel. So make sure you choose to drink responsibly and double-check that you’re good to drive before getting behind the wheel.
Eat Before and During
Everyone has heard this before – don’t drink on an empty stomach. It seems fairly harmless – until you do it. If you drink when you’re hungry, or haven’t eaten recently, you’ll find not only does the alcohol sit less well, but it hits you harder and faster than it normally would. So if you want to make sure that you’re healthy in your drinking habits, and aren’t feeling the effects the next day – make sure you eat something healthy before you start drinking.
Food that are heavy in nutrients and proteins will help absorb the alcohol you’ve consumed, leaving less to affect your body. Of course – really any food will do, as long as it’s heavy enough to help block the alcohol.
Drink Plenty of Water
Drinking water is not only a good way to make sure that your body is regulated as it’s processing the alcohol you’ve consumed – it will help you curb a hangover if you drink too heavily. Drinking water won’t completely stop a hangover – nor will it cure one the next day all on its own. But it will make it so that your hangover isn’t as bad, so that you can still function the next day. If you need a little boost, try this hangover cure drink as well.
If you’re drinking lightly or heavily, a good rule of thumb is to match whatever you’re drinking with a glass of water. You’ve had one beer? Drink a water. A glass of wine? Water. Whiskey? Follow it with water. This ensures that you stay hydrated while you’re drinking, and means that you won’t drink too much alcohol, too fast.
Don’t Drink Too Fast
The most crucial step to ensuring that you’re drinking responsibly is to moderate how much you’re drinking – and how fast you’re consuming it. Make sure you know how much you can drink without it being too much, and make sure you’re not drinking too fast.
The same trick that we previously mentioned works well here. Every time you finish an alcoholic drink, make sure you drink a glass of water before starting a new one. This not only keeps you hydrated, as we mentioned, but it also ensures that enough time passes between your drinks for your body to begin to process what you’ve consumed. This keeps your head out of the clouds and gives your body a break.
Know Your Limits
The most important thing to keep in mind when you’re drinking at all is that you need to know your limit. Some people can hold more alcohol than others without being drunk – this is generally due to muscle mass, but not always. Some people process alcohol faster than others. You simply need to know how much you can drink before it affects you too much.
If you’re driving, you need to be even more careful. Because even if you’re over the legal limit, as Los Angele DUI Attorney points out, you can still behave erratically enough to be pulled over and arrested for DUI. It all depends on your tolerance for alcohol. So make sure that you know your limit before you drink too heavily, or get behind the wheel of your car.