Easy ways to avoid after work drinks embarrassment

“We’re going for a swift one after work; we’ll be home by seven o’clock.”

Fast forward four or five hours and you’re still in the pub, slurring “I love you” in your boss’s ear. You’re looking a bit dishevelled because you haven’t changed out of your work clothes, and you haven’t eaten since lunchtime so the booze has gone straight to your head.

Sound familiar? Every week, often on a Thursday or Friday, thousands of workmates head out for drinks that start off small but blow up into huge hangover-inducing sessions. Whilst good for team building, these nights can become so ingrained in the culture of some work place environments that they could be having long term effects on your health and wellbeing.

“Most people from my office go to the pub next door for a drink on Friday evenings,” says Callum Lumsden, 31, an accountant from Glasgow. “Some only stay for one or two, but there’s always a hardcore group out all night. It’s fun but I did once ask my boss for a pay rise when I was drunk, which didn’t go down too well. I was mortified on Monday morning.”

It needn’t be that way. You can go out after work and have a great time without making alcohol the focus of the occasion. Not only might it be better for you in the long run, it might avoid those “oh-my-god-what-did-I-do-last-night” moments the following day. Here’s how:

1. Keep track of what you’re drinking

If you decide you are going to drink alcohol, why not set a limit for what you’re going to drink before you go out? Then keep a mental note of what you have as the night wears on so you stick to it. It’s important to remember the government's daily unit guidelines are for men not to regularly drink more than 3-4 units a day (equivalent to a pint and a half of 4% beer) and women 2-3 units (equivalent to a 175ml glass of 13% wine). Our unit calculator will tell you the exact number of units in different types and brands of drinks.

2. Alternate alcoholic drinks with soft drinks

If you decide to drink alcohol and don't want to drink too much, pace yourself by having a soft drink or two after every alcoholic drink. It’ll help stop you getting dehydrated too. If you start out early, and you know it’s going to be a long night, try sticking to soft drinks for the first couple of hours before you start on the alcohol.
Remember, if you drink when you leave the office at five and power through until 11, it’s the equivalent of going out at eight and staying out until two in the morning – a big night out by any standards.

3. Eat before you go out

Missing dinner after going out straight from work is one of the main reasons after work drinks can get so messy. Drinking alcohol on an empty stomach means the alcohol is absorbed straight into your system, rather than going in gradually when it’s mixed with food. So try to eat before you go out. Having a main meal at lunchtime and then a sandwich before you head to the pub is a good idea. Eating before drinking alcohol should help stop any cravings for a greasy kebab at the end of the night too...

4. Go to a bar that serves food

Why not incorporate a meal into your night out? Going to a pub that serves food means those who want to eat can. Even if you don’t want a meal, you could plan to go to a bar that serves nice bar snacks like tapas or even the less healthy option of plain old chips. Eating throughout the night will help to slow down the effects of alcohol.

5. Go home before you go out

If you know it’s going to be a late night, you might want to consider going home for an hour or two to get changed and then meeting your workmates. That way, you won’t be drinking for as long and you’ll look a bit fresher too – sweaty work clothes are not the best look!

6. Avoid rounds

Getting involved in rounds means you normally end up drinking at the fastest drinker’s pace. Not only might you end up drinking more than you would have if you were buying your own drinks, you’ll spend more too.  

7. Go alcohol free for the night

There’s nothing wrong with going out with your workmates and giving alcohol a miss. Stick to the soft drinks and you’ll stay on top of all the conversations as well as make it into work the next morning.

Page last updated by

Unknown, 10 May 2012.

Page checked on

02 Oct 2009