What does it mean to drink responsibly?
Everyone talks about drinking responsibly but it can be hard to know exactly what that means in practice. It may feel unfair that young people are always in the news for “binging” and being irresponsible with alcohol. This isn’t true – many young women choose not to drink alcohol at all. However, it is true that when you do choose to drink alcohol you’re more likely to be in a car accident, find yourself in situations that make you uncomfortable or are dangerous, do something embarrassing, or damage relationships important to you. Learning about ways to keep your alcohol intake in check is the first step in learning to drink responsibly. Next, there are a number of things you can do to take care of yourself and your friends.
- Eat a full meal containing protein to slow down how fast your body absorbs alcohol.
- Set a limit for the party and stick to it. Remember, it is okay to drink just one or two drinks, or to not drink at all. Decide on a reason in advance -- a big family event, a test, a sports event – to use if anyone challenges your decision.
- Use the buddy system with your friends.
- Arrange a safe ride to the party and back home.
- Or, plan to have a Designated Driver.
- Drink water to counteract dehydration and to reduce feeling hungover the next day.
- Leave with the friends you came with.
- Make sure you have a safe and sober ride home.
- Watch out for your friends. Sometimes being drunk just results in a bad hangover the next day. However, situations where a person is unable to make good decisions, can't speak clearly, or are very sick or passed out, are really dangerous. If any of your friends show even one sign of alcohol poisoning, call 911 and get them the help they need.
- Signs of alcohol poisoning include:
- Mental confusion
- Vomiting
- Seizures/shaking
- Slow or irregular breathing
- Low body temperature, paleness, and blue skin
- Passing out
- Signs of alcohol poisoning include:
- If a friend is too intoxicated:
- Call 911 if they have one or more signs of alcohol poisoning.
- Lay your friend on his or her side to prevent choking.
- Stay with your friend while waiting for help.
- Don't let your friend "sleep it off."
- California law (CA-AB-1999) protects people under age 21 from getting in legal trouble when calling 911 in cases of alcohol poisoning. Learn more about the California "Amnesty Law."
- Keep an eye on your drink and your surroundings. Dump out your drink and get a new one if you suspect it has been tampered with.
- Pace yourself. It takes your liver about an hour to process each alcoholic drink, depending on your size, food eaten, and other factors.
- Alternative your drinks with water or a soft drink. Alcohol is dehydrating, so water or refreshing alternatives make a big difference in how you feel the next day.
- Stick with one kind of alcohol. Alternating types of alcohol can make you sicker because of the different sugar levels between beer, hard alcohol, and wine.
- Avoid drinking from large containers of mixed drinks, such as jungle juice. With these drinks, its difficult to know how much alcohol you have consumed, and can lead to too much drinking
- Don't play drinking games. It's hard to judge how much you are drinking.
- Coffee won't sober you up.
- Look after yourself and your friends. Don't let your friends do anything dangerous or that they will regret.