Responsible Entertaining: Planning the Perfect Holiday Party
’Tis the season for planning the perfect holiday celebrations with family, friends and coworkers, and many hosts are thinking ahead to decide what food to serve, what music to play and what decorations to hang. If you’re inviting guests over for a party, follow these simple tips to promote responsible holiday revelry and help everyone have a safe, enjoyable time:
* When serving alcohol beverages, serve food.
Offer a variety of good foods with your alcohol beverages.
* Offer non-alcohol beverages.
Have something for everyone: soft drinks, coffee and other non-alcohol beverages, such as O’Doul’s and 180 Energy Drink brands.
* Serve each guest one drink at a time.
Spacing drinks throughout a party can help your guests stay within their personal limits. Never force drinks on anyone. If serving wine, do not keep refreshing unfinished glasses as this makes it difficult for guests to keep track of how much they’re drinking.
* Serve “measured” drinks.
Beer and flavored malt beverages contain 4.2 to 6 percent alcohol by volume and come in standard-size packages, so it’s easy to keep track of how much you are drinking. Hard liquor drinks can have dramatically different amounts of alcohol, as well as calories and carbohydrates. Many factors contribute to these wide variances: brands of liquor used, alcohol by volume in brands chosen, drink recipe, mixers and bartender’s pouring preferences. If you choose to serve hard liquor, use a shot glass or jigger to avoid making drinks too strong. If serving wine, remember not to use oversized glasses.
* Consider how different types of alcohol are consumed.
The amount of time during which an alcohol beverage is consumed greatly impacts how alcohol is absorbed into the body. Beer is widely recognized as a beverage of moderation. Even though a 12 ounce beer may contain the same amount of alcohol as a 1 1/2 ounce shot of 80-proof liquor, a beer is enjoyed leisurely, while a shot is usually consumed in one swallow.
* Stop serving alcohol at least one hour before the party ends.
Serve desserts and other foods, coffee and soft drinks. But remember: none of these eliminate alcohol from the body – only the passage of time will do that.
* Help your friends get home safely.
Encourage your guests to designate a driver before they arrive. And don’t ever hesitate to call a cab or ask someone to spend the night if he or she may have had too much to drink.
Just as hosts do, party-goers also should plan ahead to help ensure the holiday season is fun and safe by designating a driver before the festivities begin. According to a recent survey conducted by TNS Custom Research, more than 137 million American adults have been or have used a designated driver. Thanks to designated drivers and increased law enforcement, drunk-driving fatalities nationwide continue to decline. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drunk-driving fatalities have declined 38 percent since 1982.
To learn more about celebrating responsibly this holiday season, visit www.DesignatedDriver.com.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
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