Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Prepare for booze
• Method 2 of 3: Drink responsibly
• Method 3 of 3: Round off the evening properly
• Warnings

There is a right and a wrong way to do something for almost everything. Drinking alcohol is no exception. Here are some tips on the best ways to avoid the ugly pitfalls of alcohol consumption.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Prepare for booze

1. Drink an appropriate amount of water. Alcohol will dehydrate you, so it's important to make sure you've compensated for this adequately. Your system will be less upset about the drink if you have consumed enough fluids before taking your first alcoholic drink of the day.
   • You should already be in the habit of drinking enough water a day for a healthy hydration balance. If not, it is probably best that you start right away. To be clear, soda, juice, and tea don't count as water. They contain a lot of water, but are no substitute for pure H.₂O when it's supposed to be moisturizing. Drink extra water if you know that you will be consuming a lot of alcohol in the near future.
   • Take physical exertion into account when determining the amount of water to drink. If you went to the gym or exercised before going out, drink plenty of water before consuming alcohol. If you plan to drink when you dance, top up your drinks with plenty of water.
2. Be aware of other substances that cause dehydration and be careful not to combine them with too much alcohol. The most common are caffeine, sugar and sodium. Definitely skip dessert if you plan to drink a lot of alcoholic drinks.
   • It was recently discovered that drinking up to four cups of coffee a day won't dry you out as much as originally thought. You still need to be careful with products like energy drinks and caffeinated soft drinks, as these tend to combine sugar and caffeine in unnatural amounts. Also note that sweeteners used in diet soda dry out your body more than natural sugar. If you insist on mixing your drink with something like Red Bull or Coke, make sure to balance it with a glass of water in between drinks.
   • Keep in mind that everyone reacts differently to what they put into their body. Depending on your weight, height, metabolism, and other biological factors, you may need to drink more or less water to counteract the symptoms of dehydration.
   • Be aware of your body's responses to dehydration so you can monitor your fitness throughout the evening and night. Early symptoms are headaches, dizziness and nausea. Be prepared to put down the bottle and start drinking water as soon as you have any of these symptoms.
3. Eat a good meal before drinking alcohol. If you drink on an empty stomach, you will get tipsy much more quickly and the effects will be more intense.
   • Be careful about drinking while you eat. Some drinks, such as wine, go better with food than others. Beer with a meal can make you feel full more quickly. It doesn't hurt to leave at least a full hour between a meal and your first drink.
   • With a nice, solid buffer of food in your system, less alcohol will be sent directly to the bloodstream and you will be able to enjoy the drink more before things get out of hand.
   • Good food for a night out is rich in proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Some examples are burgers, fries, eggs, bread, potatoes, bacon, tacos, etc. Baked foods have other risk factors for overall health, but provide a good base for a night out.
   • Consuming alcohol to or beyond the point of being tipsy puts a lot of strain on your body. You can make it a little easier on yourself if you take a multivitamin regularly. But beware, because multivitamins need a lot of time and water to break down properly. If you plan to drink in the evening, take your vitamins in the morning with plenty of water.
4. Be aware that alcohol does not mix well with most medications. Studies show that a large portion of the population takes prescription medications on a regular basis. If this also applies to you, check the package insert that you received from the pharmacy to see if any alcohol advice is given for your medicine before having a drink.
   • Also, check the warning labels on any over-the-counter medications.
   • Alcohol will decrease the effectiveness of many antibiotics. It can also cause nausea or other side effects when combined with such drugs.
   • Many antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs should never, under any circumstances, be taken with alcohol. Your doctor has probably warned you about this, so you should already know better than to drink while on these medications.
   • Painkillers should never be combined with alcohol. Even over-the-counter acetaminophen and ibuprofen when mixed with alcohol can cause liver damage. If you took a few ibuprofen for cramps or headaches earlier in the day, wait 4-6 hours before drinking anything alcoholic.
   • Medicines generally need a lot of water to be fully absorbed into your system. Some cause dehydration. Even if your medications work well with alcohol, make sure you have drunk enough water to make up for the difference before pimping.
5. Get plenty of rest. Sleep deprivation does not correlate well with the effect of alcohol consumption. Sleep deprivation causes many symptoms similar to those of alcohol intoxication. You will almost certainly pass out faster than usual. Keep this in mind before you start.
   • If you haven't gotten enough sleep last night, you may feel tipsy more quickly.
   • Take a nap before you go out, just to be on the safe side. You can do this in between coming home from work and preparing to go out.
6. Don't drink alone. On top of being risky, it's not nearly as much fun. Drinking alone makes it easier to overdrink and let things get out of hand. You have no fear of embarrassing yourself. There will also be no one to notice if you pass out from alcohol poisoning.
   • Be careful if you go out alone for a drink. Reduced inhibitions can increase the likelihood that you will attract strangers' attention and find yourself in a potentially dangerous situation. Always date at least one trusted friend.
7. Before anyone in your group has a drink, make sure someone is the bob. Otherwise, you run the risk of being stranded with someone who is drunk but driving home, or getting behind the wheel when you shouldn't.
   • If no one wants to stay sober, have some cash on hand for a taxi, and remind your friends to do the same.
   • In the case of people who come to your house for a drink, you need a place for people who cannot drive home. It is your responsibility as a host to ensure that no one in your party gets drunk behind the wheel.

Method 2 of 3: Drink responsibly

1. Think about your past experiences. These should be a good indicator of what and how much you can drink without having a bad time.
   • Most people have at least one type of drink that doesn't go well. It is good to know which specific cocktails contain this type of drink so that you can successfully avoid them.
   • If this is your first time drinking, start slowly with a beer or glass of wine so you can get a sense of how alcohol is affecting you.
   • Be extra careful when you're experimenting with something new. It can take years before you really become aware of the effect the different types of alcohol have on you.
2. Do not mix too many types of alcohol. Some people respond better to other combinations than others, but it is generally less stressful on your system if you choose one drink and stick with it all night long.
   • Tequila is notoriously incompatible with other types of alcoholic drinks.
   • Cream liqueur such as Irish Crème mixes well with certain cocktails, but is known to have a curdling effect that can upset your stomach more quickly than usual. This should never be consumed too much.
   • Many people also experience problems when pairing beer with spirits. Unfortunately, the best way to know what works and what doesn't in this case is to try it.
   • Some drinks contain many different types of alcohol. Keep in mind that cocktails such as Long Island Iced Tea contain different types of spirits and can make you tipsy more quickly than any other beverage. Be very careful with these types of cocktails and limit your consumption accordingly.
   • Cider is on average stronger than beer. Most have an alcohol content of 4-5 percent, but some go up to 7-8.5 percent. Be careful when choosing a stronger cider. You will get drunk on it much faster than you realize. Strong ciders are not recommended for beginners.
   • Always know what you are drinking. Any good bartender should be able to tell you exactly what's in the cocktails he serves. It helps to watch your drinks being prepared so you can be sure you know what to expect. When mixing your own drinks, always stick to a recipe and use a shot glass to measure.
3. Be on the lookout for sugary mixers and syrups. Beginners, in particular, will try to mask the alarming taste of alcohol with sweet mixers as a way to get the stuff down their throats. As discussed earlier, sugar increases the drying effects of alcohol and is often associated with blackouts and hangovers.
   • Some spirits such as rum, gin, bourbon and fruit syrups already have a fairly high sugar content in their own right. Be especially careful when pairing with sugary mixers.
   • Keep in mind that when you order a drink like whiskey-cola, there is only one shot of whiskey in your glass. The rest of the drink is usually high fructose corn syrup. By the time you've consumed enough of it to feel tipsy, you've also consumed two or three times as much cola as alcohol.
   • Also know that most bars only serve juice with added sugars, so any fruit juice that is mixed into your cocktails will have additional sweeteners.
   • Popular shots like Sex on the Beach contain even less booze than mixed drinks. They are served in shot glasses, but contain less than a full shot of alcohol, as they contain other ingredients as well.
   • Cocktail diet ingredients may not contain sugar, but some sugar substitutes are known to dehydrate you more than regular sugar.
   • If you want to avoid the drying effect of sugar, the best mixers to use are spring water and tonic. Spring water is essentially just carbonated water. Tonic contains quinine, which has mild analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. It also contains sugar, but not as much as soda. Some brands of tonic do not contain any sweeteners at all, so they are especially good to mix with alcohol. These may not do much to mask the alcoholic taste of spirits, but they are less likely to contribute to vomiting, headaches, and other hangover symptoms.
4. Stick to the best brands as much as possible. Cheap drink contains more impurities and often leads to a heavier hangover. You may not be able to afford that many branded drinks every night, but they will taste better. This means you can enjoy the flavor more without adding a bunch of other ingredients.
5. Limit yourself. It can be tempting to pour your drink in, but then it becomes more difficult to keep an eye on how it is affecting you. It is much easier to overdrink if you drink too quickly because it takes a while for the alcohol to take effect before you can decide whether or not to have another drink. A good starting rate for drinking alcohol is about one drink per hour.
   • Make sure your drinks are properly measured so that you can limit yourself accurately. If you drink at a bar, you can be sure that this is already happening. If you're mixing your own drinks or drinking at a party, always measure the amount of alcohol in each drink based on the shot.
   • Listen to your body. Check for dehydration after each drink before taking another drink. As discussed earlier, these are headaches, nausea and dizziness. Stop the drink and switch to water as soon as you feel any of these things. Also pay attention to the condition of your basic motor skills. If you find yourself stumbling or having trouble speaking clearly, it is wise not to have another drink.
   • Listen to your friends. If someone who cares about you tells you to slow down or stop for the evening, they are probably absolutely right.
6. Know when to stop. There are a number of ways to do this, but it all comes down to awareness and self-control. These things often come with maturity and experience, so this is the hardest part for people who are starting to drink alcohol.
   • Set yourself a limit at the beginning of the evening. Three drinks is a good limit for inexperienced drinkers. That should be just enough to experience the euphoria and social lubrication of mild intoxication, without the vomiting, blackouts, or other things getting out of hand.
   • If you think it's hard for you to limit yourself, tell a friend or the bob of the night what your limit is before you start drinking and ask them to remind you.

Method 3 of 3: Round off the evening properly

1. Eat something. Avoid sugar in this case. You will thank yourself the next morning.
   • On the way home, stop at an all-night eatery and order breakfast. Think absorbent, fatty foods rich in carbohydrates. These types of foods are bad to eat all the time, but as mentioned before, they are really good for moving alcohol through your system without getting too much of it into your bloodstream.
   • At the very least, nibble on something absorbent like crackers, popcorn, or pretzels before going to bed.
2. Drink at least one glass of water before going to bed. If you can, drink more.
   • In addition, empty your bladder before going to sleep.
3. If necessary, take a single 200 mg ibuprofen tablet. This can serve as a hangover preventative.
   • Do this only after consuming a meal and plenty of water. Drinking large amounts of alcohol may have temporarily damaged the stomach lining. Food, water, and a few hours of time should have improved this condition so that a standard over-the-counter ibuprofen pill won't hurt.
   • Do not take more than one pill.
   • Do not take acetaminophen, as it increases the risk of liver damage.
4. Understand that you often sleep faster after drinking. You will sleep faster, although the quality of your sleep will be less good. Try to compensate for this as much as possible.
   • If you have to get up around a certain time, set your alarm earlier than usual. It will probably take you some time to return to the land of the living.

Warnings

• Alcohol is illegal in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bangladesh, and drinking alcohol in any of these countries can result in severe penalties.
• Don't get on the wheel with a glass. Drinking alcohol and driving is together extremely dangerous and against the law - it can cause accidents and is likely to put you in prison, especially in countries like Malaysia and Singapore.
• In the Netherlands you have to be 18 years old to buy alcohol.
• Be aware of the laws of the country where you reside or reside and check the legal age limit. Do not drink if you are still a minor.
• Know your limits. Do not exceed them.
• Alcoholic units are 2-3 for women and 3-4 for men. Be careful if you drink more than those units. Women usually get drunk faster than men due to their smaller body build. Men take longer to get drunk, again depending on their build.