TUESDAY, Dec. 31, 2002 (HealthDayNews) -- When it comes to responsible drinking, few holidays challenge a person's judgment more than New Year's Eve.
That's because festivities, friends, and abundant alcohol can make it easy to lose track of just how much of that champagne you drink.
According to experts at the A.R.E.B.A. Casriel Institute, a private alcohol and substance abuse treatment center in New York, there are a number of important measures you can take to keep your drinking under control tonight:
- Pay attention to your feelings. Call on all your stress-reducing coping skills during the evening.
- Choose a designated driver before traveling to any party.
- Eat first at a party. Turn down that first drink.
- Stay conscious of the amount of alcohol you are drinking.
- Do not drink more than one drink every one and one-half-hours.
- Remember that one can of beer, six ounces of wine, and one ounce of hard liquor all contain the same amount of alcohol.
- Carbonated alcoholic drinks will enter the blood stream faster than non-carbonated drinks, so limit your use.
- Slow down your consumption of alcohol by alternating with soft drinks.
- If you are on any medication, check the label for instructions before any alcohol consumption.
- If you are in recovery, do not miss twelve-step meetings.
Most experts agree that the point of New Year's festivities should be to make the holiday memorable --- not one that you can't remember.
More information
Here's more information from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism on alcohol consumption.
