Dealing with Christmas parties.

It’s that time of year again……….Christmas party season.

I know I cant believe I am talking about it, but we need to.

It can be a real test for those of us that have given up something or are struggling to gain control.  Or maybe you’re someone that struggles to regulate your intake of anything.

It depends on what your poison of choice is as to how difficult the Christmas party may be.

Alcohol is probably the top one, it’s pretty much everywhere anyway, but something happens at Christmas that seems to make alcohol multiply like I have never seen before. Or is it just me!!?

Food and sugar is another hard one, the whole thing is about food.  What is it that happens to your place of work on the run up to Christmas. It seems to turn into a junk food feeding ground: pastries, cakes and chocolate you name it its available by the bucket load.

So what can you do if you are alcohol free, on a healthy diet, attempting to reduce or even just want to be healthy.  Or maybe you just like your job, you want to do well and dont want to make a massive twit of yourself and spend the next week worrying about what you did. Let’s face it when people get together and drink too much anything can happen.

Here are my tips for surviving Christmas parties.

1.       Remember this is essentially about work and your career. I know it’s great to have fun with your work colleagues.  But if you drink too much this can easily slip over the line and you could spend the first few months of the year regretting going to the party at all.

2.       If you remember the above point it helps you to be in a different mindset. You act more professional, like a work meeting, but a bit more relaxed.

3.       Suggest a different activity. Rather than it all being about drink and food.  Maybe your company wants to be a bit healthier in its approach? Come one CEO's do something different, be creative.

4.       Have a plan.  If you are alcohol free and you want to remain that way, then make sure people at work know this.  You don’t have to shout it from the roof tops.  It’s ok to be taking a break from alcohol and it’s good to tell people.  If people know, before you go out, it usually makes it easier.

5.       Drink water. This is always a good plan, particularly if you are a drinker. Our body and brain needs water to function at its best.

6.       If you are eating out at a restaurant you usually have to choose your menu in advance.  This is great because you can choose something healthy.  Rather than on the night, when you have had a bad day you might be tempted to go for the chocolate brownie with the double cream.

7.       When you get to the party or the restaurant, wait.  Have a soft drink as your first drink.  Don’t underestimate this one, try it out.  Everyone else will be getting the drinks in and drinking them quickly.  The longer you can wait, the less you will drink.  Also everyone else will be more inebriated which should serve to put you off getting to their level. Being wasted generally isn’t a good look to a sober person. 

8.     Even better get the bar person to make you a lovely grown up alcohol free mocktail, drink.  

9.       If you are practicing moderation, reducing your drinking, or you are just someone that needs to be careful how much you drink.  Drink a lower %drink. Something like Bucks fizz is great it’s only 4% so you won’t get drunk on it. 

10.       Volunteer to be the driver, no one argues with this one.

11.   If you don’t drink too much you are much more in charge of what you are doing. There is less chance you will kiss the wrong person, dance on the tables, have an argument, throw up in the toilets,  the list goes on.  Also, you won’t feel so rough the next day!

12.   And most importantly try and enjoy it.

For more information about alcohol and habits check out my website https://www.ichange21.com/ facebook and twitter pages.

Stephanie is a habit, addiction specialist, teaching you how to change your habits and change your life.