Staying Safe on New Year’s Eve
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyer. New Year’s Eve is one of the most exciting nights of the year, but it does not come without risks. Each year party goers and revelers wait for the clock to strike midnight, often toasting the occasion with champagne. It might not come as a surprise to find that nearly half of accidents on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day involve driving under the influence of alcohol. The following are some tips that can help you stay safe on New Year’s Eve and avoid being deposed by a personal injury lawyer in Sacramento.
Save a Life, Don’t Drink and Drive
January first has the dark distinction of the day of the year with the highest percentage of alcohol related deaths according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. As revelers consume more and more alcohol, drinkers experience decreased brain, heart, and lung function. Nearly everyone already knows that drinking and driving isn’t a good idea, but chances are drunk driving accidents will still happen this New Year’s. Plan ahead with a designated driver or take a cab or Uber. Even if you make responsible choices, be weary of the risk of another driver being under the influence; always wear your seatbelt while traveling in a motor vehicle.
Pace Yourself
If you plan on boozing it up, keep in mind that alcohol is a toxin and can poison your body if consumed to excess. The average human liver can metabolize about one alcoholic drink per hour. One 12 ounce beer, a 4-5 ounce glass of wine, or one and a half ounces of hard liquor each represent “one drink” for all intents and purposes. Additionally, try not to consume your drink too quickly- sipping a drink will allow your body more time to digest the alcohol- you can also order your drinks “on the rocks” and benefit from the ice slowly melting in your drink.
Stay Hydrated
Staying hydrated can help you avoid a nasty hangover. Experts usually advise party goers to try to drink one large glass of water for each alcoholic drink consumed. Drinking water can also help moderate your drinking and keep you from getting too drunk.
Avoid Potent Cocktails
Mixing different kinds of alcohol can result in potent cocktails. These drinks can lead to over imbibement, the worst sorts of hangovers, or even alcohol poisoning. Alcoholic drinks mixed with soda and other carbonated mixers also warrant care as the carbonation will speed the absorption rate of alcohol into a person’s blood stream. Diet mixers can also create issues as the lack of sugar and calories mean the alcohol will go directly to the blood stream.
Also worth noting is the danger of mixing alcohol with prescription medication and other narcotics. In the wrong combination, these concoctions can prove lethal.
Eat, Drink, and be Merry
Never drink on an empty stomach. Having food in your belly will slow the absorption of alcohol while you drink, giving your body more time to metabolize the toxins. Fatty foods and foods with high protein content like cheese, nuts, meats, and even fatty carbs are excellent when paired with a night of heavy drinking.
The Morning After
Even if you followed all of my tips, you might still wake up with a headache. Depending on how long you’ve slept, you might even still be intoxicated. The only cure for being drunk is time- if you need to go home and cant wait to sober up, get a ride from a sober driver. Coffee isn’t going to make you less drunk.
Related Content from Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyer, Ed Smith
- Pot And Pills Can Get You a DUI
- Too High to Drive – Impaired by Marijuana
- Too Drunk to Drive
- Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors While Driving
- Changes to the CA Vehicle Code for 2018
Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyers
I’m Ed Smith, a Personal Injury Lawyer in Sacramento. The consequences of an accident can be devastating. If you or your loved one has been injured in a crash, I can help, contact me for free and friendly advice at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400. Alternatively, I can also be found online by visiting AutoAccident.com.
I have served the Northern California and Sacramento communities since 1982, championing the rights of injured people and their families. Find out what my clients are saying about me on: Avvo, Yelp and Google.
The Million Dollar Forum is an association for trial attorneys with million-dollar winnings for their clients. You can review some of my past Settlements and Verdicts by visiting my website.
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