From the past to the present. People all around the world, even from different cultures, languages, lifestyles and foods will gather for social purposes to drink and enjoy many kinds of alcoholic beverages together. In fact, gathering to drink is very popular around the world and this kind of social lubricant can be seen at almost multiple majors of events such as, sport event, wedding event, party, camping and more. Even though drinking alcohol will bring people together in a social community, there are also some drawbacks of alcohol. Drinking too much of an alcoholic beverage can lead us to disastrous consequences, especially for one’s health in bad condition. As a result of such consequences, it is significant for people to learn how to control their alcohol intake and their awareness as well as their overall alcohol level.

This blog is aiming to provide a thorough, well-researched insight with tips and techniques on how you can start controlling your alcohol at an effective level today. 

As anything else that we humans consume in this world, the approach to alcoholic drinks and more should be taken in the same way, which is that not everything needs to be consumed in excess.

For starters, KNOW YOUR LIMITS:

1. One reason why many people struggle with controlling and maintaining their alcohol levels and intakes is because they simply don’t know their limits, in particular their tolerance or the limits their bodies have. Not every human being is built the same way, one person might be able to down 5-6 glasses of beer easily while another person feels the effects after just 1 glass. It is very important to know your limits by factoring in your age, weight, and sex. There is a general understanding all over the world that men tend to have a higher tolerance than women, although this isn’t always the case. Therefore, when you’re aware of what it is your body can handle and can’t, you’ll be able to better control and regulate the amount of alcohol intake into your body, thus ensuring that you aren’t putting your body in harm’s way from overconsumption.

Secondly, PACE YOURSELF

2. This is a common occurrence in any social gathering, especially when one is trying to fit in with their friends, colleagues and people, which is that some people rush and drink as many drinks as possible in one sitting because they would like to keep up the relationships with their friends, colleagues and people. This is not the right approach to know how to manage and control your alcohol level. The key advice and tip here is to pace yourself walking out from this thing, which means to stagger and reduce the number of drinks you are consuming in one sitting. If you are planning to be at a social gathering for a couple of hours, make sure you are pacing the number of drinks so that by the end of the gathering, you are still conscious and knowing your limits. You should not listen to anyone pressuring you to drink again, not everyone in this world has the same tolerance and limitation as yours as mentioned in the first tip. The other important thing to remember with pacing yourself is that you should make sure to stay hydrated, just because alcohol is a liquid doesn’t mean your body is getting the necessary hydration. Make sure to drink water in between drinks throughout the course of the time you will be consuming alcoholic drinks.

Thirdly, CHOOSE YOUR DRINKS WISELY:

3. Just like how different people around the world have different tolerances. Each alcoholic drinks have different alcohol percentages. There are some alcoholic drinks that have very high alcohol content and level while the other alcohol drink types are more suitable for long social gatherings. For starters, beverages such as beer and wine are the two kinds of alcoholic drinks that have an overall lower alcohol content. Unlike spirits like vodka and whiskey which need to be diluted with sodas or water, which have higher alcohol contents. When you choose to drink you should have lower alcohol contents which give you the feeling that you are ensuring you are on the right path to control and manage the amount of alcohol your body intakes effectively. Whereas, if you choose spirits and have them as shots, the amount of alcohol that is being consumed by your body will be much higher, and thus, you will more likely feel the effects quicker. 

Fourthly, AVOID DRINKING ON AN EMPTY STOMACH:

4. You might think that no eating much will give you room to drink more but this is the wrong way of thinking about drinking some alcohol in a responsible manner. The less food you eat will result in more alcohol getting absorbed into your bloodstream which would cause the result in your feeling, the effects of the drink too much are faster than if you were about to have a full meal before drinking some alcoholic beverages. It is much better to consume foods that have a high carb content because this will slow down the process in which alcohol metabolizes and gets absorbed in your bloodstream, which as a result would slow down the overall process of getting you intoxicated. Moreover, drinking on an empty stomach is not good for those who have pre-existing health conditions such as issues to do with acidity because the alcohol content in beverages can also lead to you feeling the severe effects of acid reflux and other gastrin issues. 

 While the four tips are mentioned above are the key ways in which you can reduce your alcohol intake today, or learn how to properly manage it, so that you will not be a victim of bad choices, there is also one tip that should be considered the golden rule for anyone who consumes alcoholic beverages. This golden rule is that no matter how much you’re drinking or the kind of alcoholic beverage you’re consuming, always make sure that you’re staying hydrated. The more hydrated you are, the less likely you will feel the consequences of drinking such as a hangover because your body will have enough water to be able to cope with the feeling of being intoxicated. 

Whether you’re a social drinker, or you just enjoy consuming an occasional drink or two, nonetheless, it is very important to learn how to control and manage your alcohol level. The older you get, the more time your body needs to recover after a heavy night of drinking to avoid such repercussions, learn how much your body can tolerate, what drinks suit you, and learn to stay hydrated. It’s better to avoid putting yourself in a situation where because you don’t know how to control your alcohol level, you end up going to the hospital or other such disastrous consequences end up happening. As a last measure, if you are going to consume alcohol, then make sure you are staying safe by ensuring that you’re not putting yourself or anyone else in harm’s way by not driving home from a night out. Either take public transportation home or have a designated driver for the night. Just because you want to enjoy your night drinking doesn’t mean others have to suffer such as getting killed simply because you couldn’t control your alcohol level, got inebriated, and ended up driving under the influence. Moreover, don’t put your own life at risk just for a single night of drinking. 

Overall, the key takeaway from this is that you should always drink responsibly and carefully, and this is not because you have to follow a desire to impress someone else or it is because you would like to fit in with social norms, pressures and community. You can drink when you feel like it and drink alcoholic beverages in the suitable amount according to how much and what your body allows you to drink such as according to your weight, your height, your health and your budgets. Moreover, you should make sure that you’re not drinking alcoholic beverages for some wrong reasons such as to silence whatever inner demons or issues you’re facing because in this case, you will see alcohol beverages as being an escape from reality and may lead you to unreal imagination.

CTA: If you or anyone of you know that you are pushing your life into the struggle of  alcohol drinking addiction. Please do no = kindly hesitate to seek some professors who are expert in this thing to help you recover from this bad condition. Those professors can be, such as a therapist or an alcohol anonymous group. There are many such resources available that have been established for the purpose of helping you and others overcome alcohol addiction, and will put you on the right path of living a healthier, and safer life. Your life is very important. Before drinking too much you should think a lot about yourself, your lover, your family and your parents. Thinking about people who you love may be one of the best solutions for bringing you out from the alcohol addiction.