How to drink responsibly this festive season

Published Nov 14, 2017

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With the silly season approaching and that usually means enjoying an after work sundowner or two.

However, most people don't actually know the legal drinking limit when they are having a drink. 

 

The South African government defines moderate alcohol consumption as no more than two standard drinks, 340ml or a half quart of beer per day for women and no more than three standard drinks per day for men.  

The rule of thumb is a maximum of one unit of alcohol per hour, which constitutes 10ml of pure alcohol, based on an adult weighing 68kg. Our bodies can process only one unit of alcohol each hour. Be aware that if you weigh less than 68kg your body will need more time to process the same amount of alcohol.

  

Tips for responsible consumption:

- If you drink beer or wine at home, pour small amounts into your glass.

- If you fill your glass to the rim, you'll drink more than you realise. Opt for a smaller glass.

- Measure your spirits instead of free pouring them. The Drinkaware unit measure cup is an ideal way to measure spirits, as well as wine and beer.

- Try and pour your own drinks. If your partner or host is constantly topping up your half-filled glass, it's hard to keep track of how much alcohol you are drinking.

- Try tracking your alcohol consumption each day using the Drinkaware alcohol tracker. 

- Drink spritzers if you like wine or one half a litre of shandy if you're a lager drinker. You will be consuming the same amount of liquid but one that contains less alcohol.

- Opt for half litres if you prefer higher strength lager or try a lower strength drink option. You really won't notice the difference.

- Alternate alcoholic drinks with soft drinks, water or no alcohol beers (that is beers with a less than 0.05 ABV).

- Ask questions. If you’re still uncertain about how much you’re drinking, ask the bar staff. Do they pour doubles or singles? How big is their large glass of beer/wine?

- It is recommended that women and men should not regularly exceed 14 units of alcohol per week. This should be spread evenly across the week. Units are a way to tell how strong your drink is.

[source: www.drinkaware.co.uk]

“Alcohol significantly slows reaction time and distorts your vision, and the effects of a heavy night of drinking could well affect your driving ability the next morning, and you may still even be over the legal limit,” says Nirishi Trikamjee, corporate affairs director at South African Breweries.

“Once the alcohol is in your system your liver is going to need time to process it, and restricting yourself to only one unit per hour is the only way to stay sober in the eyes of the law.”

 

Any quick-fix solutions to sober up, such as drinking coffee, taking a cold shower or drinking a litre of water before driving are myths.

 

Line your stomach

Having a meal before you drink takes longer for the alcohol to get into your system.

The idea behind eating a meal before having a few drinks has to do with the fact that alcohol is mostly absorbed not while in the stomach but once it reaches the small intestine. If your stomach is full of food alcohol is held up and takes longer to get into your system.

 

Scientific studies have shown that eating food before you drink results in your blood alcohol level peaking at a lower value meaning that you feel the effects of the alcohol to a lesser extent. So lining your stomach is a good idea if you plan to drink.

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