The holidays tend to be a time of overindulgence, from too many gifts to excessive amounts of food and even alcohol. While the season is all about celebration and enjoying the many festivities, choosing to celebrate the holiday season with moderation, means dry January doesn’t need to be looming on the horizon.

Dr. Danielle Robinson, Director of Alcohol Policy and Corporate Reputation Management at Diageo, one of the world’s largest producer and distributor of spirits such as Johnnie Walker, Ketel One and more, has shared some tips to celebrate safely this season whether at an office holiday party or a family get-together which can be found below.

You can also learn more interesting facts about alcohol and responsible celebrations by taking the DRINKiQ quiz here: www.diageo.com/en/drinkiqquizus

Before you head out

• How are you getting home? Plan ahead and designate a driver or organize a taxi / car share. Remember to never drive impaired.
• Food. Don’t go out with an empty stomach! Always have something to eat before you drink.
• Plan your drinks. Decide how much you will drink before going out and share that with your friends & family – it will help you stick to your plan!

During your night out

• Mix it up. Plan some fun activities that don’t center around alcohol. For example, have fun playing games with your group of friends or warm-up your voice and give a great karaoke performance!
• Hydrate. Drink plenty of water and space your drinks with soft drinks or juice.
• It’s the amount of alcohol you drink, not what you drink. Remember that the alcohol in beer, wine, and spirits affects you in the same way.

  

Taking care of your guests

• Snacks. From a complete meal, or vegetable sticks and dip to popcorn and chips, always have food available for people to snack on.
• Variety is key. Offer water and a range of beverages including non and low-alcoholic alternatives, like soft drinks, Seedlip (the world’s first distilled non-alcoholic spirit), Smirnoff Spiked Sparkling Seltzer, Ketel One Botanicals or Smirnoff Zero Sugar.
• Prepare cocktails ahead. Try pre-mixing drinks for guests to enjoy and make sure you are using standard drink measures – remember, portions are 1.5 ounce of spirits, 12 ounces of beer and 5 ounces of wine.
• No topping off. Help guests keep track of their drinks by letting them finish instead of topping them off.
• Getting home. Have taxi numbers or alternative transportation options available for your guests, and ‘water to go’ as guest depart. Make sure they get home safe!