This week ladies we are discussing ways to Drink Right at Night.

The end of the week is here and many of us will be celebrating the conclusion of our workweek and beginning of the weekend with an adult beverage 🙂  There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a glass of wine, champagne, or even a screwdriver, but ladies please I caution you about throwing back that 4^th, 5^th or 6^th drink at home or at the bar.

First: did you know that depending on if it’s that time of the month, you may actually get drunker faster? Yes it’s true! The fluctuating hormones in your body can affect how tipsy you feel after drinking.  So you may be able to handle that 2^nd or 3^rd vodka and soda easily when you aren’t on your period, but may not be quite as sober if Aunt Flo is visiting.

Second: The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has released a new study showing that “23,000 women and girls die from alcohol-related deaths each year. Of those deaths, 12,000 are the result of binge drinking.” What do you ask is binge drinking? Great question, binge drinking for a woman is defined as having more than 4 drinks in 2 hours; for a man it is defined as 5 or more drinks in 2 hours. WHOA! Hold on now ladies, I know what you are thinking. Heck, I have 70 year old patients who have a glass or two or four of wine every night with dinner.  Does that mean your granny is binge drinking too?? Well, NO, not necessarily. Our body size, genetics, and tolerance for alcohol dictates what our physical response may be towards alcohol. And many critics believe that the CDC’s report stating 14 million women binge drink (where they have an average of 6 alcoholic beverages at one sitting) about three times a month is a bit steep. You may feel the same way, but what the study does do is bring attention to the fact that many of us young ladies are consuming alcohol on a regular basis and sometimes in excess.

Most of us don’t go out every weekend and get fall down hold-my hair-while-I-pray to-the-porcelain-god drunk, but may have been in that place perhaps once in our lives. The unfortunate thing is that binge drinking can have serious health concerns in the immediate and long term ranging from drunk driving related injuries to memory loss, breast cancer, liver and heart disease.

Here are a couple safe drinking tips ladies:

Slow and steady wins the race.  As I always say sloppy isn’t sexy. It applies to many things in our lives, and is absolutely applicable to our drinking practices. If you prefer to drink your calories versus eat them make sure to alternate your drinks with a glass of water. That liquor will sneak up on you faster than it will for the sexy many you are pounding shots with at the bar.

Second, eat a little something that will absorb alcohol in your system before you begin your night of drinking. Yes, 4^th meal is popular and a burger and fries sounds yummy after drinking but it’s a bad option to try and chase the alcohol in your stomach with grease. Opt for something starchy (I recognize flour wheat carbs is a dirty four letter word) but starting your night with a high fiber low calorie English muffin is better than a salad in your stomach before a long night of drinking. You can save some of your calories by going light on the juice and mixers instead. Also, if you find that you babysit your drinks and they always end up watered-down try to go light on the ice, or instead of ice try soda water.

Finally, let’s talk about the morning after ladies: If you do happen to have one too many and your head is pounding in the AM, don’t reach for a grande latte or black coffee, that will simply dehydrate you and cause your headache to worsen. Opt instead to hydrate yourself with water or a Gatorade or even Pedialyte.

Have a fabulous weekend and live right tonight!

Dr. V

 

 

 

This week’s focus for the Live RIght at Night Campaign is how to Date Right at Night…

Alright ladies, the end of the week is upon us and it’s time to get ready for DATE NIGHT! But prepping for your date doesn’t end once you have picked out your hot curve hugging dress or fabulous killer heels… that’s just the beginning …

Tonight’s night out may be a first date or the early beginnings of your relationship with this fine young man so you may not want him to know exactly where you live. Consider meeting him at a public location instead of having him pick you up at your house. No judgment if for your first date you are meeting him at his Upper West Side apartment so he can cook you a home-cooked delicious dinner. Let’s just make a date night plan ahead of time in order to ensure your safety and fun! It’s a scary statistic but according to the U.S. Department of Justice every 2 minutes a woman is raped in the United States. And 1 in 4 women are victims of rape or attempted rape, and of those women 84% knew their attacker and 57% happened while on a date. So, please before you step out for a night of dating bliss make sure to tell, text or email at least one girlfriend where you are going and with whom. Hey, these days you can send her his FB pic or twitter handle LOL …

Being too connected to your phone and texting or taking calls is a dating no-no but it may be wise to ask a girlfriend to check in on you during your date to make sure everything is going well and you’re having fun and are safe.  Don’t go overboard and have your bestie check in on you every 15 minutes. But having her check in on you once can serve as a “temperature check” and also a get away plan. I, personally, have the added bonus of a pager that often goes off while I’m out so sometimes that also serves as my get away plan.

Speaking of get away plans, how are you getting to and from this date? Bus, train, cab, driving yourself? Make sure you always carry a little secret stash – THAT YOU DON’T SPEND – like your granny does in her bra … $20 should be enough, and can be used in a pinch for emergencies. Along the same lines make sure you charge up your cell phone in case you need to call someone you have enough juice to make and stay on a call.

Lastly, there’s nothing wrong with pre-funking at the house while you get ready for your date and having a few drinks on your evening out. But in order to have a safe and fun time know your limit. 55% of women involved in a date rape reported drinking or taking drugs before the attack happened. Sadly, some women didn’t even know they were slipped something until it was too late. So, pace yourself, don’t drink too much, never leave your drink unattended, and make sure to have water in between your cocktails. Here’s a useful app Drink Tracker at  http://www.slappme.com that helps you gauge how much alcohol you can have throughout the night so you can make it to the finish line and that goodnight kiss still looking and feeling fabulous .. because we all know sloppy is not sexy.

Wishing you a fabulous night living right!

Dr. V