Unlike smoking and recreational drugs that have no benefits at all consuming a limited amount of alcohol is not considered harmful, and is in fact considered good for you. However, what is of utmost importance is that drinking should be done responsibly so that no harm should come to you or to those who are accompanying you, let alone those who are not associated with you at all.

Drinking responsibly can take away a lot of the negatives associated with the habit. It is only when the daily drink becomes an addiction that the problems arise. In addition to that, occasional overindulgence can also cause issues since a significant proportion of accidents that take place are drinking and driving cases. Some steps that you can take to ensure that you drink responsibly are discussed below.

• Know your limit. The first rule of responsible drinking is to know when to stop. This is something that you may not be aware of when you drink for the first time. So be careful and concentrate on how much you are consuming so that you are aware the next time. You should know when to stop and avoid any more drinks if you start to feel drunk. If you are at a party for a long period of time, take a drink in your hand and drink at a slow pace.

• Consume alcohol slowly. It is always a good idea to drink slowly and enjoy the drink that you have chosen. Gulping down the entire drink in your hand may not give you time to assess your own physical state, not to mention how tacky that looks if you are in a formal setting. It is fine to let the glass be empty for a while so that it allows you to assess how drunk you are and the pace at which you want to take things. Be sure to drink water while you are drinking alcohol too.

• Be aware of what you are consuming. Often people tend to forget about the alcohol content in a cocktail since it is masked with various tantalizing flavors. Make sure that you remind yourself that you have not poured yourself a glass of juice but rather an alcoholic beverage.

• Avoid mixing drinks. Consuming wine and then shifting to vodka shots or tequila may not be the best of things to do. Undesirable effects of such mixing can be extremely embarrassing too.

• Do not drink on an empty stomach. The stomach lining absorbs the alcohol much faster when you are on an empty stomach. There is also the added probability of getting sick. In fact you should always drink with a meal to reduce the kind of effect that it has.

• Driving. If you are drinking in a club or a pub or a friend’s place where you do not intend to sleep over, make sure that you have a designated driver who is not allowed to drink at all.

• Never leave your drink alone at a party. It is extremely mischievous of some people to drug another person’s drink and then watch the fun as they lose themselves. Some people will also drug drinks in order to take advantage of you. If you have to leave to go to the restroom, have a friend watch the drink.

• Never push a drink on to someone. Much as you would want your friends to continue drinking when you are, pushing a drink onto someone is not a good idea. Additionally, if you are the host at a party never double up drinks lest people underestimate what they have been consuming.

• Quality not quantity. Choose quality over quantity and look for fine or interesting wines, single malts and unusual beers. Discovering new tastes is part of the fun of drinking in moderation. It is also a good idea to understand what kind of alcohol goes well with what kind of food.

• Never drink when you are emotional. Drinking to drown your sorrows does not work too well and this is especially true if you start to drink alone. These are times when you are likely to overindulge and make things worse.

While it is perfectly normal for you to drink if you are not underage, you may still want to use an alcohol test for your teens or to ensure that the designated driver has not had a drink too many. Take an alcohol test to ensure that the driver can escort you home safely and will not be caught in a police conducted breathalyzer test.