You may be like many other Tennessee residents and look forward to the holidays. You may have already had a few get-togethers in the last month, and with December already here, you may have many other festivities to attend before the end of the year. Whether you host the party or attend, you look forward to being with friends and family this time of year.

You may not be a stranger to the occasional alcoholic beverage, and you may even plan to imbibe during at least some of your holiday parties. Of course, you do not intend for anything to get out of hand or even to have more than a couple of drinks at any one event. Still, it pays to remain conscious of your alcohol consumption in the moment.

Holidays mean more drinking

It is common for people to drink more during the holidays because they go to more parties and simply have more opportunities to consume alcohol in a social setting. Though you do consume alcohol on occasion, you do not consider yourself a heavy drinker. As a result, you may have a lower tolerance level than some of your friends or family members. Even if they encourage you, do not feel the need to keep up with their level of drinking. Doing so may only cause problems for you.

Avoiding problems

Some people may feel peer pressure to consume alcohol or to consume more alcohol than usual when they are at a party. Though you do not believe you would give in to such pressures, willpower can wane after a while, especially if you have already had a drink or two. Therefore, before you go to a party, you may want to set yourself up with these responsible drinking tips:

• Designate a driver before you get to the party. Though you may not plan to drink much, it pays to have a sober person in charge of driving.
• Do not make alcohol the focus of the party. You want to have a good time with friends and family and not end up suffering ill-effects of too much alcohol consumption.
• Decide on a number of drinks before you get to the party. Rather than just winging it, give yourself a maximum limit and stick to it.
• Say no if others pressure you to drink or to drink more. You have control over your actions and do not have to drink to please others.

These tips can help you feel more comfortable at the party itself and, hopefully, help you avoid any negative repercussions after the party, like facing a DUI charge. Of course, if you do wind up in such a scenario, remember that you have legal options.