Drink & Be Wary

Got this from RedEye the author is Hearst Newspapers. If the first couple of weeks of your year were anything like mine (BUSY!), you might need to head out for a drink this weekend. Here are some tips they had for NYE that I think are pretty timeless. I'm getting too old to be the obnoxiously drunk girl title, so I'll try to incorporate these tips into my drinking - if I haven't alreay. (Side note: I'm still fine with the drunk girl who can hold her liquor well title. That's perfectly ok.)

Do
- Have a designated driver (or take a cab)
- Bear in mind that drinking whisky can result in a worse hangover than drinking vodka.
- Or water. Alternating alcoholic drinks with glasses of water makes sense on several levels. You'll stay hydrated, important because alcohol tends to dehydrate you and creates a hangover; you'll satisfy the desire to have a beverage without loading up on alcohol.
- Avoid topping off your drinks. Get a refill only when you've finished so you can keep track of how much you're drinking, something that's easy to forget in the hustle & bustle of a party.

Don't
- Don't drink and drive.
- Don't "do" shots. Spirits are not for "doing." They are for slow enjoying. The only reasons to do shots is to get drunk. (I know, I know, I'm just re-writing what the article says)
- Don't assume mixed cocktails are much less potent than straight whiskeys, rums or vodkas. Many mixers have a significant alcohol content on their own, so drinking too many cocktails made with them still lets the effect mount.
- Don't be fooled by how easy a drink goes down. Fruit juices and liqueurs add color and flavor, but they also temporarily mask how much alcohol you're ingesting.
- Don't use diet sodas as mixers. You need sugar in cocktails since it helps metabolize alcohol

*all parenthetical emphasis is mine.