Tips for an embarrassment free Christmas

Christmas time can turn even the most shy and retiring types into dedicated socialites. With family get-togethers, festive catch-ups with friends and the annual work do to attend, December can quickly turn into a serious social whirl.

Regularly drinking too much alcohol is likely to  have a serious impact on your future health, One of the short term effects of excessive drinking, however might be waking up the morning after some festive fun feeling a little embarrassed about the events of the night before.

Drunken arguments

Elaine, 33, has worked in HR at a major London-based banking group for nine years. During her time in the job, she’s seen how Christmas clichés – like drunken arguments with the boss and illicit snogging in the store cupboard – can have serious consequences in real life.

“At office parties people put themselves in drunken situations they’d never even think of when sober,” she says.

“One of the worst things I’ve seen was when one of our staff hit the bar heavily during the afternoon and then started abusing one of our overseas clients who had been invited along for the evening party. Eventually the office manager had to intervene, drag the staff member away virtually kicking and screaming, and take him home.”

Stay in control

Of course, office parties are meant to be fun and not all end on a negative note but drinking too much on these occasions can lead to embarrassing scenes that might make you cringe the next day. This is because alcohol lowers inhibitions, so you might be more likely to say or do something completely out of character. (1)

Although you can never guarantee an embarrassment-free evening, one sure fire way to reduce the odds is to keep in control by watching what you drink.

Start by ensuring you keep your alcohol intake within the Government’s daily guidelines. The guidelines recommend that women should not regularly exceed 2-3 units daily and men should not regularly exceed 3-4 units daily. Keeping track of your units can be tough during party season, so why not use our units calculator and drink diary to give you a helping hand? 

Try making sure that food comes first. Even if you do stick to the guidelines, there's still a danger that you could feel drunk after a single glass of wine at an evening bash if you haven’t eaten properly since breakfast. Eating slows down the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream, which will help you  avoid getting drunk . So, remember to eat a  meal before the event itself and get stuck into the nut ‘n nibbles that are laid on.

Make a positive impression

“Last year one of my big clients invited me to their Christmas do at a local hotel,” says Chris, a freelance designer. “I knew I had to make a good impression so I could get more business from them in the year ahead, so I made the decision to watch what I drank.”By alternating alcoholic drinks with non-alcoholic ‘spacers’, Chris reckons he was able to stay within the recommended limits and avoid any drunken blunders.

“I managed to talk to everyone in the team and make some new contacts,” he says. “And best of all, while the disco got into full swing at 11pm, I could walk home with a clear conscience!”

Christmas Party tips

• Don't drink too much - remember having fun does not have too mean drinking too much!
• Pace yourself. If you don’t want to get embarrassing in front of your boss, or your boyfriend’s Dad, space out alcoholic drinks with plenty of soft options like juice or mineral water. They’ll help keep you hydrated and more in control of what you say and do.
• Look out for others. If you see one of your colleagues getting out of control, why not take them a glass of water and some snacks? They’ll thank you for it in the morning.
• Get creative with the drinks menu. If you’re in charge of booking a Christmas bash, choose somewhere with a great selection of non-alcoholic cocktails so guests have a tempting alternative to alcohol.
• Make room for more food. Thanks to the upmarket options now available, party food doesn’t have to be about stale crisps and beer nuts. Still, tucking into any kind of food will help slow the absorption of alcohol into your body.
• Get home safely. Whether you plan to drink or not, ensure that you know how you’re getting home from the party before you set out. When you leave, see if anyone else wants to share your cab.

Footnotes

(1) Faeroes-Gonzalez, R 2002 ‘High risk behaviours in a sample of Mexican-American College Students’. Psychological Reports vol 90, no. 1, pp 117-130.

Page last updated by

Root User, 19 Apr 2010.

Page checked on

11 Dec 2009