Preparation, Pacing and Recovery
If you know you’re going to be utilizing one of the drinking passes you’ve given yourself, then you may want to do a little preparation. Try to get some rest the night before, hydrate before you begin, and eat some hearty food (this isn’t the time to worry about diet).
With Martinis or Manhattans, you might want to consider getting an “ice back” — drop cubes of ice into the drink to extend it, thereby reducing your chances of rapid over-consumption.
As your event/evening/experience unfolds, try to keep hydrating. If you are in a cocktail environment, you can also get a club soda or tonic (if you are at a bar, then have the bartender make your club soda in a cocktail glass so you aren’t standing out like a sore thumb and dampening the mood). Drinking beer will fill you up and slow you down (but beware, IPAs can have high alcohol content and can move you into no-man’s land quickly).
With drinks like Martinis or Manhattans you might want to consider getting an “ice back” — drop cubes of ice into the drink to extend it, thereby reducing your chances of rapid over-consumption. Some cocktails can often have three shots in one drink. From my point of view, the goal is to maintain that nice buzz for as long as possible, without moving into the drunk zone where things can go awry. Remember, you are processing one drink an hour, so keep that in mind.
As far as recovery is concerned, the impact of alcohol varies greatly among individuals. Here is my advice: drink some water or Gatorade and eat before you go to bed. Eat again when you wake up and don’t overdo it with the coffee, which can further dehydrate you. If you are going to take Tylenol, wait till the next morning as there is some liver damage risk when popping Tylenol with alcohol.
So put some time between when you drank and when you take the pain reliever. Same goes for NSAIDs like Ibuprofen, which has some potential ulcer risk; wait till the morning and don’t exceed the regular dosage.
And if you are drinking excessively frequently, you might want to consider taking something like Prilosec. Alcohol can facilitate acid creation in the stomach, which can damage the lining and cause ulcers (not good). Prilosec reduces or eliminates acid creation (and as a side benefit, if you are Asian and suffer from the “Asian flush,” Prilosec might solve that problem).
Business Drinking
As much fun as you might have in the moment, your client or partner will lose respect for you if you can’t control yourself.If we are talking about building rapport with prospects or partners, then cocktailing can be very effective. The key is knowing not only yourself, but also understanding the inclinations of your business contacts. It can be lucrative to find common ground with clients and, when appropriate, to turn business into pleasure on an expense account. That said, business imbibing should be done with a keen sense of pacing.
As much fun as you might have in the moment, your client or partner will lose respect for you if you can’t control yourself. If you even think you are close to slurring or envision yourself attempting a backflip when you make that birdie putt, you should strongly consider pumping the brakes.
Cocktails with colleagues? This can be a dangerous game, especially if you are a manager and drinking with people of the opposite sex. The key here is to know your audience and, if celebrating with subordinates, it’s best to draw a line in advance (e.g. the happy hour for you will end at x time and you will consume no more than y drinks).
If you are enjoying an evening with peers or celebratory-minded senior leaders, well, there is a little more flexibility. There are many examples of relationships forged over cocktails that lead to the type of rapport development that serves as a foundation for career advancement. Enjoy the time as much as you want without losing control.