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New Year’s Eve is here! With the champagne toasts only hours away, you can be sure alcohol will be flowing. This can mean trouble for partygoers if they indulge a little too much.
If you chose to have alcohol, drink moderately. More than four drinks a day for men and three drinks a day for women is considered high risk drinking. This can put you in danger of alcohol poisoning, injuries, car crashes or sexual assault.
Make a responsible drinking plan before you head out for the evening. These tips can help get you started:
- Set Limits– Decide how many drinks you’ll have ahead of time, and stick to it.
- Count Your Drinks– Large drinks or “doubles” can be the equivalent of two or more standard drinks. A Long Island Iced Tea, for example, has on average 5 shots of liquor, the equivalent of 5 standard drinks.
- Pace Yourself– Don’t drink more than one standard drink per hour. That’s one 12 oz. beer OR one 1 oz. shot OR a 5 oz. glass of wine.
- Sip Water– Drink a big glass of water in between every alcoholic drink. It will slow you down and keep you hydrated.
- Nibble, Nibble– Food prevents alcohol from entering your bloodstream too quickly.
- Don’t Get Behind The Wheel– Buzzed driving is still drunk driving. Err on the side of caution and hop in the backseat, even if you’ve just had a few.
Law enforcement is stepping up enforcement to stop drunk drivers. Don’t put your life and the lives of others at risk. Have a sober driver or a cab take you home. If a friend has had too much, help arrange a safe way home.
We hope everyone has a great time tonight! For more party tips, visit the Safe Party Planning page.