Managing to get through the Holidays Without Alcohol

​I have repeatedly posted warning here against drinking and driving, but I realized the other day that I have only given my readers a scant amount of information that can help them decrease their alcohol consumption.  So, as we are in the midst of the “drinking season”—a time of the year when going out with friends for a drink or two (or three of four,) always seems like a more inviting idea than during the rest of the year, or maybe dealing with the stress of force family interaction causes us to act out a bit—I thought I would share a post aimed at helping us all manage to get through the holidays without alcohol. Here are a few suggestions: 

• Use this time of year to branch out: find a new non-alcoholic drink to be you go-to this holiday season.[1]
• Identify those holiday stressors in your life. Hate battling the mall crowd? Shop online. Hate dealing with the line at the post office?  Pay a little more for that custom wrapping job and then direct ship your gifts to their recipients. Is your family as kooky as mine?  Set limits for how long you are planning on staying over (or spring for a hotel so you have a place to get away from the family during longer trips.)
• Give the gift of allowing others to drink and be the designated driver when you and your friends or family go out. 
• Start new family traditions.  You’re never too old for a snowman building contest? Or baking more cookies than anyone in your household will ever be able to eat. Look for nearby hikes. Volunteer. Go out to see that newly released movie. 

 
I realize that I may be asking too much of you to have an entirely sober holiday season, so here are a few more tips to keep you safe if you decide to go the less-than-sober route. 

• Plan ahead and figure out how you’re going to get home before you leave home. 
• Make sure your account info on your Uber or Lyft app is up to date.
• Designate a designated driver.
• Stick to a limit for yourself on how many drinks you’ll allow yourself to have.
• EAT! 
• Make sure you are WELL under the legal limit before you drive. Those pocket BAC machines can be handy, but they are not always accurate, so ensure you give yourself plenty of room for error if you are relying on one to test yourself. Also check out apps such as DrinkTracker(an app that estimates the user’s blood alcohol content based on the number of drinks consumed and other personal details) or Intoxicheck(which gives users six challenges to gauge their reaction time, memory, judgment and dexterity. Note: you have to first perform the tests sober before you can use it to gauge your level of impairment after drinking.) Or for you real DUI nerds, there’s BreathalEyes(which tests the user’s eye’s involuntary movement, mimicking the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus, one of the standard feidl sobriety tests.) 
• Obey the traffic laws. The chance of accident (and being pulled over,) increases with your speed. 

 
Be safe out there! 
 


[1]Want to drink at home? Look no further than this site.  Or this one.  Or this one. And for you Pinterest fans, I give you this.