A GLIMPSE INTO YOUR FRIDAY NIGHT ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION:
5:30pm- Get ready to go out on the town. Crank up your favorite tunes, dance around with your friends, and sip on some vodka and crystal-lite to get yourself into party mode
1.5 oz or 1 shot of vodka + crystal-lite: 110 calories
6:30pm- Meet your friends for margaritas and queso at your favorite Mexican restaurant to relax and unwind before heading out to the party scene
1 Jumbo Frozen Margarita: 700 calories, 500mg sodium, 150mg sugar
8:00pm- Return to campus and congregate everyone into one location to pre-game the fraternity parties. Sip on some vodka and sprite or take a few shots of vodka along with your friends
Vodka/Sprite with Two shots of Vodka: 300 calories
10:30pm- Arrive at Fraternity parties and head straight to the punch bowl or keg…
Alcohol consumed: 500 calories
1:00am- Arrive back to campus starving from all of the alcohol. Head to Taco Bell, CK’s, Alex’s or one of your favorite spots for some late night grub
10:30am- Wake up hung-over and hungry. Go off campus with your friends for a big pancake breakfast.
NOW DO THE MATH
Drinks + Chips and queso and late night Taco Bell run = Disaster
Alcohol not only has calories, but it also has the ability to:
*Spike your blood sugar
*Dehydrate you
*Strike up the late night “munchies”
*Ruin your physique if consumed in excess amounts
Learn the smart and safe tricks of the trade to keep up with the social scene and enjoy your night rather than weigh yourself down with empty calories.
What to Drink:
“Lite” Beer (Michelob Ultra, Bud Lite, Amstel Lite, etc.)
Vodka Soda (Vodka + Seltzer/Club Soda)
Rum & Diet Coke (While I’m against soda and artificial sweeteners, sometimes this is your only option)
White wine
Champagne
What to Ditch:
Punch at parties
Sugary mixers (fruit juice, soda, etc.)
Margaritas, Daiquiris, any kind of fancy cocktail
Regular Beer
Drinking Wisely- Tips
Always have a DD “Designated Driver”– Never drink and drive. Designate one of your friends to stay sober for the night and create a game plan. Store the number for a taxi company into your phone in case you are stranded somewhere.
Fuel your body with a healthy and hearty meal before drinking. The majority of college students will fill up on pizza or another starchy and greasy meal before drinking to build a solid “base”. If you want to stay fuller for longer and avoid a hangover, then you should be filling up on protein and healthy carbohydrates rather than French fries and onion rings.
Pace yourself. Ditch the shots, drink a glass of water in between each drink to slow yourself down and keep your energy levels in check for the rest of the night. It takes 60-90 minutes for the body to feel the full effects of alcohol on a full stomach. Just because the buzz doesn’t kick in instantaneously doesn’t mean you should drink more.
Ditch the energy drinks. The combination of caffeine and alcohol is dangerous and a major dehydration drink. Alcohol and caffeine dehydrate the body. If you don’t want a hangover the next day then do not drink this.
Know generic alcohol measurements. 12oz of beer is not the same as 12oz of wine. Measure out your drinks. Use a shot glass to make mixed drinks and stop “guesstimating”!
One standard drink: 12oz beer, 4oz wine, 1.5oz hard liquor
Avoid the drinking games. Games such as beer pong and flip cup are designed to get you drunk. While they may be fun to play, too many rounds will intoxicate you fast.
Don’t share cups. Sharing cups spreads germs. If you don’t want to get mono or a cold, then do not share with others to protect yourself from getting sick.
Make your own drinks. If you’re at a bar, keep an eye on your drink and watch the bartender make it. If you’re at a fraternity or off campus party, make your own drink. Never set your drink down and walk away from it because a) someone else may have sipped on it while you were gone and b) it’s better to be safe rather than sorry.
DRINK RESPONSIBLY COLLEGIATES!