The holiday season is here: a time when many individuals find themselves at home or vacationing. It is also a time, very likely, to drink more alcoholic beverages than one normally would. The holiday season can therefore mark the beginning of alcohol addiction for some, or worsen the addiction process for others. For those who drink, here are tips for responsible drinking, likely to reduce the chances of getting drunk:

1. Avoid drinking on an empty stomach – having food in your stomach slows the absorption of alcohol into your blood stream. Avoid the temptation of eating salty snacks like pretzels, chips and salty nuts while consuming alcohol. Salty snacks make you thirstier and likely to drink more.
2. Judge the surrounding – consuming a few drinks in a bar with much activities and loud music, has a stronger effect on the body, than drinking the same amount in a quiet home.
3. Drink slowly – sip and do not gulp alcohol, it takes about one hour for your liver to metabolize or breakdown a single drink (an 1½ ounce of spirit, {vodka, gin, whiskey, etc.} a 5-ounce glass of wine, or a 12-ounce bottle of beer). The more you exceed your liver’s capacity to break down alcohol, the drunker you become. Women metabolize alcohol at a slower rate than men, about 20% slower.
4. Space your drinks. Let time pass before you order another drink. Skip a round if you feel your blood alcohol level is beginning to rise, or order non-alcoholic beverages between drinks. Note: alcohol is slowly broken down in people who are infrequent drinkers, hence infrequent drinkers need to widely space their drinks.
5. Keep account of the number of drinks you have consumed, the length of time between drinks, and try to limit the drinking to one drink in an hour. Women and those with smaller body sizes need to drink more slowly because alcohol intoxicates them quicker. Signs of intoxication include: poor body coordination or balance, slurring of speech, or a slowing down of mental processes. Stop drinking when these signs are noticed.
6. Choose lower-proof alcoholic beverages – Note: you will need to consume more than three times as much wine, and eight times as much beer to equal the alcoholic content in a typically distilled spirit like whisky, vodka, rum or gin. This does not mean that beer and wine should be consumed recklessly; they still increase blood alcohol level and equally intoxicate.
7. Dilute or mix spirits with plenty of crushed ice, tomato or orange juice. Avoid mixing spirits with carbonated drinks because they speed the absorption of alcohol in the blood stream and drunken you sooner.
8. Stick to your limit – do not let the host or drinking friends pressure you to exceed your limit. Learn to politely say “no” to more alcohol, once you’ve reached your limit.
9. If you are taking medications, either prescription or over-the-counter, beware that combining alcohol with medications can either reduce the effect of the medication or result in effects with serious consequences. Check with your doctor, healthcare provider, or pharmacist about the effect that alcohol might have when combined with your medications. For over the counter products, read the label carefully.
10. Black or brown coffee does not help the drunken body. Though the caffeine in coffee is a central nervous stimulant, it does not increase the break down, or elimination of alcohol from your body, and does not reduce intoxication. Plunging into the pool or ocean does not sober you up either, and can have disastrous consequences. Swimming and drinking never mix.

If you need help for yourself or a loved one please call: Full Spectrum Recovery for a private confidential consultation in Santa Barbara 805.966-5100.