How to Drink Responsibly:
Alcoholism has a negative impact on your life and also unfairly impacts your friends and family. For those who enjoy drinking, it's essential to understand how to drink responsibly and stay within your alcohol tolerance level. Maintaining a level of self-control and staying responsible while drinking alcohol is within everyone's ability, whether at a party, at the bar, or anywhere else. Drinking responsibly is about enjoying alcohol rather than letting it take control of you.
Steps
1.Use the Buddy System.
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Make sure you know at least two people wherever you are when drinking. If you don't have friends along with you, the bar staff of a respectable establishment may be of service here, especially if they know you and you know them. Having people look out for you is vital, particularly if you have a tendency to drink enough to dull your reaction time and common sense. A friend can take the measures needed to prevent you from getting robbed, raped, or worse. Always make sure one of those two friends is actively watching your drink if you leave it for a bathroom break, to dance or any other reason, to avoid the potential for it be spiked (drugged). In turn, return the favor and watch their drink for them if they leave it unattended.
2.Know your limits
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Before all else, know yourself and your own limits. It doesn't take long to learn how little or how much alcohol you can tolerate and every body is unique in its ability to tolerate alcohol. Listen to your body and respond in a way that nurtures it rather than abuses it.
- Always remember that you're drinking to enjoy and have fun, not to show off. The whole point of drinking is to enjoy the drink, enjoy the company and feel free. You don't need to "keep up," or engage in stupid competitions that could ruin the night and even friendships.
- If it's your first time out drinking, it's important to adopt a steady and slow pace, so that you can come to learn your alcohol tolerance.
3.Take along a friend with you who knows his or her own limit, or even better, does not drink.
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Make a decision that this person has the ability to "put their foot down" and regulate the amount that you (and anyone else in your friendship group) drink. If you have a problem knowing when to stop, ask this friend to be a guide or monitor. Some of the things you might consider asking of them include:
- Ask them to watch your drinking and to warn you when you've had enough.
- Ask them to take away your car keys if you're proving stubborn and difficult and appear to be making rash choices.
- Ask them to be prepared to take you home when they think you've overdone things.
4.Choose a designated driver
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If you decide to go out to the bar with your friends, it's imperative that you have someone that will forgo drinking any alcohol that night. This ensures that you all get home safely. Alternatively, take the public transportation timetable with you (or look it up on your phone) and catch the last bus, train or subway home – the last ride home can serve as the boundary time by which you have to stop drinking.
- If you don't drive or have access to a car, regardless of the circumstance, never get into a car driven by someone else who has had too much to drink.
- Never get into a car with a stranger if you're intoxicated. Alcohol affects your senses and judgment. Get his or her number and wait until you are sober before you decide to pursue him or her further.
5.Staying Hydrated
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Alcohol dehydrates and draws vitamins and minerals out of your body. Drink water, soda or water with added vitamins to restore your lost vitamins.Drinking a 1 to 1 ratio of non-alcoholic to alcoholic beverages is a good policy – that's one serving of water for every serving of alcohol. It's always preferable to have a greater ratio of non-alcohol to alcohol.
6.Buy a drink with ingredients that you're familiar with
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While it's good to try something out for the first time, like a "White Russian" shot or a beer you've never had before, be aware of what its alcohol content is before stocking up on more than one. You may not always be able to detect the strength of the alcohol in your drink owing to sweeteners, milk or cream or other fillers that cover the alcohol. Moreover, your own personal reaction to an unfamiliar drink may be faster inebriation than with your usual drinks.Some contents of mixed drinks can bring up your Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) more quickly than others, depending on your weight. Alcohol tolerance, like many believe, will not result in a lower BAC compared to a person who doesn't have tolerance built up.
7.Remember what you are drinking.
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It can be very easy to drink too many flavored and/or fruity alcoholic drinks because the taste of the alcohol is masked by the sweetness of the additives. When you don't notice how many you are drinking for this reason, getting drunk happens quickly and not necessarily with realization until it's too late. In other words, be responsible at the beginning and ask what the alcohol content is and limit your intake to just a few. Alternatively, prefer neat alcohol over alcohol with fillers and that way you'll know you're drinking alcohol and pace yourself a lot better.
8.Know where you are
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- If you're at a house party, get acquainted with the people who own the house and its facilities. Know where the bathroom is. Find a secluded place and choose to keep your shoes or coat there (but never your purse or wallet). If you find that you are losing control, quickly make an excuse ("I left my phone in my coat pocket!") and go to that secluded place to calm down and/or to dump drinks. If you need to get home, find the house owners and ask them to call a taxi or to arrange for a sober person to take you home.
- If you're in a public place, make note of all of the exits upon your arrival. You should do this instinctively in case of an emergency such as a fire outbreak so that you know in advance the closest point of exit. It is also helpful to know where the nearest cab rank or public transportation stop is located to the place you're at. Don't make things harder for yourself; always have an exit strategy.
- Make sure you know how to get home by heart. If you get drunk to the point of losing your memory, your self-preservation will be as impaired as your inhibitions and you may become easily lost. If you don't know how to get home, you probably shouldn't go out drinking.
9.Drink slowly
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It's important to keep a steady pace when you're drinking. It can take time for alcohol to take its effect. You might feel okay for another shot after a couple of minutes, but keep in mind that you probably haven't felt its effects just yet. Nibble on some food or drink some water in the meantime, to allow the alcohol to diffuse through your body.
10.Don't drink on an empty stomach
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You will feel the effects of alcohol a lot faster if you drink on an empty stomach and increase the likelihood of feeling sick. Most food is better than none at all but some easily obtained and good foods are bread and fruit. Have a meal before going out and you will feel less like chugging alcohol at a crazy rate of knots.
11.Stop drinking if you start to feel drunk.
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Symptoms of intoxication include feeling a loss of control over your thoughts, blurry vision, slurred speech, and difficulty with maintaining your balance.
- If you are drunk, switch to drinking water for a while. This will also help to ease the pain of hangover the next day. Generally, one hour per drink is a good rule of thumb.
- Stop drinking if you vomit. While this is generally a given, it's important that you don't attempt to drink any more alcohol, even if you do start to feel much better after doing so. Vomiting is a signal that your body can't take the amount of alcohol that you have consumed and the rejection is your body's last line of defense coming into play. At this stage, you have truly overdone it and it's now time to care about your health rather than your partying.
12.Have somewhere to chill
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If you feel dizzy or tipsy it is good to have a couch or bed to crash on so you can't injure yourself or others. Even if the couch or bed is in a dangerous area driving whilst under the influence is never a safer option. Also, keep a bucket next to the bed if you are feeling sick, it saves a lot of clean up the next morning.