The holiday season is called the most wonderful time of the year, but don’t be making so merry that you neglect to be responsible about alcohol consumption. That’s a fast way to make it the least wonderful time of the year!
Unfortunately, this seems to be a common problem for most people during the month of December, particularly when it comes to celebrations. Consider these statistics:
1. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) reports that the percentage of traffic fatalities involving a drunk driver increases from 28 percent during most of December to 40 percent on holidays. 2. According to the American Addiction Centers Resource, 23 percent of men and 18 percent of women binge drink over winter holidays. 3. It’s not just Christmas or Hanukkah. The NIAAA further reports that violations for driving under the influence increase by 155 percent on New Year’s Eve. The American Addiction Centers Resource cites New Year’s Eve as second only to Mardi Gras as the biggest drinking holiday, and that 47 percent of men and 40 percent of women engage in binge drinking.
“That’s all right,” most people innocently think. “I know how to drink responsibly.”
But define “responsibly.” After all, there are a lot of misconceptions out there about what it means to drink in a safe and healthy way.
Let’s take a look at some of the more common ones:
How many drinks can you have and still legally drive?
Probably fewer than you think. And even if you’re still legally able to drink, that doesn’t mean it’s a safe idea.
A person who has a blood-alcohol concentration (also known as BAC, a percentage of grams of alcohol per deciliter of blood) of 0.08 is considered legally intoxicated and unable to drive. At this stage of drunkenness, a person usually suffers poor muscle coordination, resulting in difficulty maintaining balance, reduced vision and hearing, and slower reaction time. People with this BAC also have a reduced ability to process information.
But even at a lesser BAC, people have reduced abilities. At 0.02—what most people would described as relaxed, when they are in a good mood and feeling only slight loss of inhibition and judgement—people still have a lessened ability to perform two tasks simultaneously and have lost some visual function.
Most experts, such as those at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, discourage anyone from driving at a BAC of 0.05.
The amount of alcohol your body can handle will vary by weight, but not by that much. A 180-pound man can have three drinks before being legally intoxicated, whereas a 220-pound man can safely have four drinks—a fifth one, however, will make him legally intoxicated. Women should have even less to drink, even if they are the same weight as men. A 140-pound woman and a 180-pound woman would both only be able to have two drinks before they are legally intoxicated.
Is it all right to drink more if you’re consuming food?
While food won’t stop your body from absorbing alcohol, having something in your stomach will help slow the absorption. That’s because the speed at which alcohol is absorbed depends on how quickly the alcohol leaves the stomach and makes its way into your intestines—and if there’s food in your stomach that digests more slowly than liquids, you won’t have alcohol going into your intestines all at once. This is especially effective if you’ve eaten something containing fat or fiber, both of which digest very slowly.
It’s important to remember, however, that this applies only to food that is consumed before you start drinking. Eating a big meal after the alcohol has already emptied into your bloodstream won’t prevent you from being drunk—you’ll simply have to wait for your body to process the alcohol.
Food can also be helpful for people who are drinking heavily because it replaces water-soluble vitamins that are lost by alcohol’s diuretic effect (i.e. it makes you urinate more frequently) and provides you with nutrients your body needs to fight the toxins alcohol produces as it breaks down. While some drunk people might crave low-nutrient foods like pizza or French fries, you’re much better off opting for fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein if they are available.
Can you sober up with coffee or a cold shower?
If only there were really a way to reverse drunkenness very quickly! Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Not even commonly regarded “cures” can actually make you suddenly sober. All coffee or a cold shower does is make you feel more alert. This is because caffeine and cold water stimulate your nervous system, not because your body has metabolized the alcohol quickly. The only way to sober up is to wait it out: It will usually take your body one hour to process one drink (in this case, one drink is defined as 1 ounce of liquor, 12 ounces of normal-strength beer or 5 ounces of wine).
What should you do if you’re going out drinking?
Don’t risk it. If you’re planning to drink, have a place to stay or a safe ride home. You can opt to use a rideshare service or taxi, or you could get a ride with a friend who is completely abstaining from alcohol for the night. If you’re a host, offer nonalcoholic drink options and be diligent to make sure all your guests leave with a designated driver.
