The holidays are here! The stores in the City are beautifully decorated, carpets are being beaten almost to a pulp to make them clean and houses are stocking up on drinks to entertain friends when they come over.
This time of merriment can easily turn to tragedy when someone with too much to drink gets behind the wheel of a car, injuring or killing themselves and/or others. Let’s make this holiday season a safer one where alcohol is concerned and make a pledge not to overdo it.
Those of you who will be hosting “get togethers” and parties over the holidays should take some responsibility for your guests’ safety by first of all designating someone to work the bar. This ensures that your guests don’t become intoxicated and serves as a monitoring system for when a particular guest has had enough to drink.
The barman would have some idea of the number of times that a particular guest was served alcohol and you, as the host, would insist that he/she not drink and drive. And if your guest tells you that “the car knows its way home”, you should in turn insist that that guest sleep over or have a sober friend drive them home. Failure to do so might lead both car and the driver to the cemetery – not home. And forget those so-called “remedies” that claim to sober up an intoxicated persons. Cold showers and coffee do not work – they only make the individual wide-awake instead of sleepy, clean instead of sweaty - and still drunk. Only time can sober a person up!
A good idea would be to stop serving alcoholic beverages at least 90 minutes before the end of your party. That way, by the time your guests are ready to leave, the effects of the alcohol should be wearing off. Make your party fun without the focus being on alcohol. Find out what your friends have been up to, slam some dominoes or if you are feeling particularly Christmassy, sing carols! You don’t need alcohol to have fun.
Following are a few tips for hosts:
Never serve alcohol to anyone under the age of 18, for whom it is an illegal drug.
Alcohol related car accidents are an unnecessary waste of life. The car does not know its way home! But the sober driver does.
Provide your guest with nutritious foods. Eating will slow down alcohol’s effects.
If you do decide to prepare an alcoholic punch, use a non-carbonated base such as fruit juice. Alcohol is absorbed faster into the blood stream with a carbonated base.
Have plenty of food available so that your guests don’t have to drink on an empty stomach. Avoid too many salty foods, as this tends to make people thirstier.
Set a good example. Don’t let yourself overindulge, and don’t force alcoholic drinks on friends.
For those of you who receive an invitation to a party or “get-together”, it is your responsibility to stay sober and safe. If you are on medication, a recovering alcoholic, pregnant, trying to conceive or will be driving home after the party, one drink is too many. Decide who will be the designated driver for the evening and do not fall victim to the “you cahn hold nuh liquor” challenge by drinking too much alcohol.
Above all, have fun, stay safe and remember to think responsibly this holiday season. (NCSA)
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