MANILA, Philippines — In anything that you do, you need to strike a balance and stick to your limit.
This is particularly true when you drink. You cannot just let your appreciation of alcohol take over and get all wasted after succumbing completely to it. You need to stay sober in order to be in control of yourself and what’s going on around you. This means drinking in moderation.
Just how do you do that? Let Nico Bolzico and Diageo Philippines show you with their Stick to Your Limit campaign to raise awareness about responsible drinking by providing important tips and reminders to help everyone stick to their alcohol consumption limits. Diageo has partnered with brothers-in-law Nico Bolzico and Erwan Heussaff to be ambassadors of this campaign.
“We’re thrilled that Nico and Erwan will be working with us in spreading our message of Stick to Your Limit. They have a close relationship with Diageo, with Erwan having served as a collaborator in our brand activations and with Nico having served as an ambassador for Diageo brands in the past,” said Rajesh Joshi, general manager of Diageo Philippines.
“Sticking to you limit means understanding your body and how it reacts to the different activities you do every day. It’s the same with alcohol. To stick to you limit, you have to understand how alcohol affects your body. As someone who enjoys a delicious glass of whisky as a nightcap or to celebrate a significant event, I can control my alcohol consumption just as I can stick to my personal limits in everyday activities,” explained Bolzico.
Bolzico thus shares these five tips to help you stick to your limit so you will be able to have a good time without regretting it in the morning:
1. Establish how much alcohol you need to stick to.
Each person has his own limits, so you just need to discover yours. Sticking to your limit starts with being clear about what your limit really is. A standard unit of alcohol contains about 10 grams of alcohol, which is the amount that the body can process in an hour’s time. It’s important to stick to the recommended amount your body can process because going beyond this amount will increase your risk of accidents, hangovers and even permanent health problems.
2. Always eat before and after consuming alcohol.
Food slows down the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream by keeping it in the stomach longer. “When your stomach is empty, you feel the effects of your drinks faster. I always make sure I eat something before I start dinking. You can also eat something while you’re drinking to counter the effects of the alcohol,” Bolzico explains.
3. Alternate alcohol with water.
Alcohol causes the body to lose fluid, which can lead to dehydration. One practical tip to drink responsibly and ensure that you’re sticking to your limit is to alternate between drinks. Drink a full glass of water after a serving of alcoholic beverage to make sure you aren’t dehydrated.
4. Don’t drink and drive.
You always hear this being said because drinking and driving are a deadly combination. “Driving,” says Bolzico, “may seem like a simple, everyday activity that you’re used to, but driving while under the influence of alcohol is one of the biggest no-nos of drinking.” Drinking impairs your coordination and vision. It impacts your ability to make sound judgment or choices in the moment. So if you intend to drink, make arrangements for your trip back home. Ask a friend or sibling to come along or pick you up or maybe book you a ride back home.
5. Don’t drink if you are struggling with any anxiety or negative emotion.
Alcohol itself is a depressant, so consuming alcohol increases your risk of worsening any feelings of depression, anger or anxiety. If you are experiencing any of these feelings before drinking, you are more likely to consume alcohol beyond the safe limits. So don’t drink when you are disturbed.