Tips for Alcohol Consumption during Festive Seasons

During festive seasons such as Christmas and the New Year, some of us may enjoy a drink or two with friends or family to celebrate these festive occasions. However, overdrinking, on the contrary, will ruin these enjoyable occasions and adversely affect our health. Before making the choice whether to drink alcohol, please be informed of its health effect.

The Effects of alcohol

Alcohol causes obesity and a wide range of illnesses including impotence, high blood pressure, liver diseases, heart diseases, stroke, brain damage, different kinds of cancers, etc.

Excessive amount of alcohol consumed on a single occasion can put you at risk of traffic accidents, accidental injury and poisoning, interpersonal violence and assaults, etc. Acute alcohol poisoning can also cause coma and death.

If You Drink, Drink Sensibly

In fact, many people are having a great time with de-alcoholised wines or non-alcoholic beverages (e.g. alcohol-free punches, juices, teas and coffees).  However, if you choose to drink alcohol, do so sensibly. Here are a few helpful tips for those of you who may drink during the festive seasons.

Choice of alcohol

??         Know your drink and its alcohol level. Many regular beers are about 5% alcohol by volume (ABV), red/white wine 10-15% ABV, and whisky 30-40% ABV.

??         Choose lower strength drinks, or mix wine with ice or water.

??         Fizzy drinks like champagne are absorbed more quickly than non-fizzy alcoholic beverage.

Drinking behaviour

??         Do not drink on an empty stomach. Take alcohol with meals to slow down absorption.

??         Always make your first drink a non-alcoholic one.

??         Sip your drink slowly and do not gulp.

??         Space your drinks with a non-alcoholic drink in between.

??         Don?¡Ât get into rounds.

??         Set yourself a maximum limit, say two alcoholic beverages.

Situations when you should not drink at all:

??         Before or when driving.

??         Before or when taking medicines.

Please visit the "Make Informed Choice on Drinking" section of our website for more information on sensible drinking.

(Last Updated on 10-12-2010)