Tips For First-Time Drinkers & How To Avoid Drinking IRRESPONSIBLY

Who OUT HERE JUST TURNED 21 OR STARTED CONSUMING "ADULT BEVERAGES?"

Are you a first-time drinker? We’ll show you how to pick the right drink for you, pace yourself, and maintain a positive attitude without losing the respect of friends, colleagues, or complete strangers. Having your first drink might be a watershed moment in your life—an experience you’ll remember for the rest of your life. We all have that seminal moment when we look in the bathroom mirror and see our buzzed-self for the first time.

If you’re actually reading this, you just smiled with nostalgic remembrance. Now, alcohol should never be a necessary component to have a good time, but with that said…please read on so you don’t find yourself being scraped off of the bathroom floor surrounded by a cacophony of laughter, finger-pointing, and social media mockery the next day.

Just the right amount of booze can make any ride MORE ENJOYABLE! It’s social lubrication and allows all the right or wrong words to slide right out of your mouth. And from time to time, a properly planned alcoholic intake can be safe, sloppy, and delightfully unforgettable. But what if you’ve never had an alcoholic beverage before?

Here's how to drink and have a good time without Embarrassing Yourself

Before you drink your way into a night you’ll likely never remember, here are a few recommendations from Maggie’s to make your first bar experience a success you will remember! Even though beer belly is a myth, rather than gulping, does sipping sound good?

1. Make The Right Choice, Even Under Pressure

Don’t feel obligated to chug a drink simply because everyone else is! Self-preservation above all else, remember?

Begin with drinks that have a low Alcohol-By-Volume, which indicates the percentage of alcohol in a particular drink’s volume. Cocktails could be a nice place to begin. If you prefer tall, bubbly, slightly sweet drinks in which the alcohol is hidden by a variety of syrups or juices… a cocktail might be the drink for you! Make sense?

However, be aware that sweeter cocktails mask the presence of alcohol, causing you to consume it more quickly. And you don’t want to do that the first time you try something!

2. The First Page Of The Manual Says, Eat Before You Drink

If you’re first-time drinkers and start drinking on an empty stomach, the alcohol will reach your system quicker. This is why it’s a good idea to eat something before and during your first drink. To get the most out of combining food with drink, do the following:

Alcohol should not be mixed with sweets or energy beverages.
Salty snacks will make you thirsty and cause you to drink more.

So “no” to that! Swigging Long Island iced teas to assuage your thirst is a good way to become a bathroom floor omelet.

Take a moment to consider the contents of your stomach before downing your first drink. You’re already in trouble if there’s nothing there! Food slows the flow of alcohol, giving it more time to break down. Therefore, avoid drinking on an empty stomach. Use creative visualization if you can. Visualize the aftermath of pasta primavera after 6 Jack and Cokes. You get the picture?

3. Set A Tracker In Motion

It’s practically effortless to consume more alcohol than you realize.

So basically, a can or bottle of beer, 100ml of wine, or a 30ml shot of spirits is considered a typical drink. In pubs and restaurants, drinks frequently contain more than one standard “shot” and sometimes bartenders can be a tad too generous with their pour.

Set a drink limit for yourself and stick to it as tight as the lid on a pickle jar (pickle juice cures hangovers). Drinking in rounds is not recommended & rather than topping your glass, try to finish one drink before starting another. Let’s take it slow, shall we?

4. Don’t Drink ONLY Alcohol

To stay safe, limit yourself to one drink each hour. Now, this can be accomplished by: consuming both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages

Before you start drinking alcohol, sip some water to satiate your thirst.

Choose low-alcohol beverages

Rather than gulping, does sipping sound good?

Make sure to drink a glass of water every few sips, regardless of what you’re drinking.

Even if you aren’t thirsty, alcohol dehydrates you, so drink more water to compensate. Capice?

5. Let’s Take It Slow Guys

Don’t feel obligated to pound drinks simply because your neighbors are. Don’t drink more alcohol than you’re comfortable with. The key to staying sober is to sip your drink slowly and be seen with it throughout the evening. We don’t want you falling off of your chairs!

Drinks with low alcohol content are preferable. You can avoid being inebriated by spacing out your drinks. It also allows you to get more bang for your buck and enjoy your drink.

6. Feel Like Saying No? Go Right Ahead!

Pregnant, planning a pregnancy, breastfeeding, on medication? Drinking is a BIG NO for you!

Peer pressure is difficult to resist, and a few drinks can quickly develop into too many.

However, regardless of what your friends are doing, you do not have to drink to excess. So, before the room spins out of control, come to a halt!

But…

What IF you have a POUNDING hangover? Aspirin and orange juice before bed should help reduce the risk of an infamous “morning after”. Ask yourself, did I remember to have a bite to eat at the start of my inaugural foray into alcoholic beverages? If this is not the case, attempt to eat something before going to bed & don’t forget to have LOTS of water! Alcohol absorption is slowed by heavy, fatty diets. We don’t want to come across as a nagging parent, but you need to eat! Granted, post drunk food consumption can end very badly. Soldier, keep your chin up—you’ve got this!

And Lastly…

Enjoy yourself!! Even if you don’t drink much, you can still have a great time. Pay attention to the people you’re having the time of your life with! One of the best things about not getting drunk is that you’ll have fewer regrets the next day. Haha!

Tips For First-Time Drinkers & How To Avoid Getting Drunk