The Christmas and New Year period is a great time of year, often with many parties, family gatherings and work functions. It can also be a time of excess, especially when it comes to alcohol (1). Here are some tips to help you play it safe.
If you are entertaining, make sure there are water jugs and non-alcoholic alternatives to alcohol. Keeping your alcohol BAC under 0.05 can be quite a challenge.
Remember: 1) Eat before and while you are drinking, 2) Alternate your drinks with water or a non-alcoholic drink, 3) Keep count of how many standard drinks you have
In planning the workplace Christmas event there are even more things to consider especially if alcohol is to be served. A Fair Work Australia decision in 2015 indicated that the employer was in part to blame for an employee sexually harassing a co-worker and being abusive to managers (2).
Therefore in planning these events careful consideration needs to made about
· Whether alcohol is served at all
· If it is served whether there will be a drink limit imposed
· Whether suitable transport is to be offered
· That there has been clear communication of an appropriate code of behaviour prior
· Whether the event fits within any current workplace drug and alcohol policy
· There is clear communication of the risks involved with drinking alcohol