[bizi]

Holiday Drinking: Keep It Safe
by Drew W. Edwards, MS
November 4, 2006
Every holiday season, people have to deal with the increased pressures and stress that the holidays place upon most of us. Whether we’re traveling to be with family or doing our last-minute gift buying, most people feel under pressure during the holidays.

As you might suspect, the holiday season then becomes one of the most dangerous times of the year for alcohol-related accidents and death. There are several reasons for this:

More people drink during the holidays due to numerous parties and other festivities.

Many holiday drinkers don’t drink often, so they have a lower alcohol tolerance. These people often underestimate their level of impairment and sometimes even drive when they shouldn’t. When arrested for drunk driving, these people often show a relatively low blood alcohol content yet they are very intoxicated.
Problem drinkers and alcoholics love the holidays because there are more social occasions to drink. They say they feel more “normal” because the occasional drinkers are also more likely to abuse alcohol during this time of year. Consequently, people with alcoholism drink and drive more frequently. Unlike occasional drinkers, they have a high tolerance for alcohol and can consume large amounts before showing effects.
The holidays are busy and stressful. People are hurrying more than normal and winter road conditions make driving more dangerous. Add alcohol to this scenario and you have a recipe for disaster.
Avoiding Alcohol-Related Problems
You can make your holidays happier and safer by following these five simple tips for consuming alcohol in moderation throughout the season:

Just say no.
Resist the pressure to drink or serve alcohol at every social event. Just because it’s there does not require that you drink it. There is no law stating that alcohol is a necessary ingredient for holiday cheer. Don’t feel like you have to drink just because your host offers — it’s not rude to choose a non-alcoholic beverage instead.
Offer nonalcoholic beverages.
If you want to serve alcohol to your guests, offer nonalcoholic beverages as well. Make your guest feel as comfortable choosing a nonalcoholic beverage as he would choosing alcohol. You can do this by putting nonalcoholic drinks in a prominent, easily accessible place and by asking guests what they would like to drink, instead of pointing them to the bar or handing them an alcoholic drink when they arrive.
Designate a driver before the party begins.
If you or your friends are going to a party and plan to use alcohol, decide in advance who will be the designated driver. Decide that drinking and driving is not an option.
Choose your number ahead of time.
If you are going to drink, do what responsible drinkers do. Decide ahead of time how many drinks you will have and stick to it. A blood alcohol content chart can help you understand the relationship between the amount of drinks, blood alcohol content and level of impairment.
Remember that alcohol is a complement, not the purpose.
Sometimes we lose sight of a holiday celebration or party and see it as a chance or opportunity to drink socially. While it is such an opportunity, the main purpose of a party is to have fun with people you know. Drinking is always an option and optional, and it is as much as a choice as it is a responsibility. Keep this in mind throughout the night. If you find yourself going overboard, find a friend or loved one, and explain you’d like to go home. You can stop yourself before you go too far, you just need to choose to do so.
You can ensure your holiday season is a relaxing, enjoyable and peaceful one as long as you remember to drink in moderation, and encourage your loved ones to do the same. Don’t become another drunk driving statistic, and try to remember the reasons people celebrate at this time of the year

[Curious]

thank you for posting this bizi!

hubby and i don't drink. or i guess you could say very very rarely. and never ever if we go out.

one little issue came up at thanksgiving. my X came which was nice, but he brought beer for himself to drink all day. he also brought a nice bottle of wine to have with dinner. this was one of the first times grandmonkey had ever been around him. still kept calling him bubba's dad instead of grandpa. at one point grandmonkey asked me what kind of soda it was cuz he had never seen that bottle.

since this was a nervous situation, i mean really...how many husbands invite thier wives x husband for the holidays... i felt wierd about asking him not to drink. we do not ever drink around the kids. the rare times we will have something might be a shot of hazelnut or choccy liquerer in our decaff after the monkeys go to bed.

has anyone ever been put in this situation? or what would you do? he will be back for christmas, since our daughter will be home from new jersey. yippee!

we have had HUGE parties here. i always make note on the invitaions about caring for the safety of our guests is very important. no alcohol will be served. i did make light of ot on our first house warming party. aboutit being a biggr house, butnot bog enough for everyone to sleepover.

[Nikko]

There are DUI Task Forces set up all around here during the Holiday season.

So, I don't plan on doing any drinking and driving, not that I have anywhere to go anyway. LOL

Nikko

[DiMarie]

From when I worked in Law enforcement it was always so difficult managing the scene of DUI accidents. Especially of young people that do not make it.

So many do have task forces set up now for the holiday, help people modifying the amount they drink. Many cab services and associations offer a free ride home, or make room accomadations for their customers. That is a great help.

On several occasions I would go pick up family from a party so they did not need to worry about the holiday cheer and driving.

Several of my fatal accdients investagations were alcohol related.
Thanks Bizi,
Di

[bizi]

in reference to going out to party at night
.....
......I agree with the others the Nightlife is fun but you need to be realistic, and you need to take care of your mental health, and you need to do things in a more positive manner for yourself to stay safe with your mental health. Unfortunately having a mental healoth issue is like having a career, if you do things in the correct manner, you reap the rewards of doing things correctly. Maybe you should find things to do in the afternoon and early evening, that make you feel that you are getting something out of life, earlier in the day. There are support groups NAMI, and DBSA that are usually over early evening. You may possibly want to get involved in school, or volunteering in the community, and help yourself to feel more useful, helping others. I hope the best for you in your recovery, I wlso want to leave a hotline number for you to call if you would like to talk to someone in person. 1-800-273-TALK.

[Curious]

i know they have free cabs on new years eve here. when they list the phone numbers...i;ll post it.

[nuttybuddy]

Just say no, its not worth the hangover. With our meds, drinking in excess, makes it suck royally in the AM. I just don't do a holiday with the drinkers anymore, and if I do I show up after their happy hour as dinner starts. If put in a situation where I have to be around drinkers getting drunk I get really irritated, because they keep repeating themselves over and over, and their personality is different