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What’s your Drink IQ?

What's your Drink IQ? What's your Drink IQ?

Summer is here, and that means we are in one of the two major party seasons in the year – the other being the Yuletide season. It’s a time when people find time to have fun and frolic with loved ones, which may include a little indulging in alcoholic beverages. But, while you may want to go of your frustrations and inhibitions while having a glass of wine or pint of beer, it is never too much to remember the old adage “everything in moderation”. To hit more closely to home, local brewery Red Stripe would encourage one to “Think Responsibly, Drink Responsibly”.

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So as you take selfies and post to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr or Snapchat; as you move and a shake to your favourite dance selection; as you spend time with family, colleagues and your significant other – wherever you go and whatever you do – as long as you plan on drinking alcohol, it is imperative to know your ‘Drink IQ’. Put another way, imbibing in your favourite brew or fermented drink can still be done both responsibly and intelligently. In fact, even for that drink in your hand there is an app for that.

Following on the launch of its recent ‘iPledge to Drink Right’ campaign, Red Stripe also unveiled a smartphone app with a similar moniker. It’s the Drink Right app, and it can give you the details about the drink you are having, whether or not you’ve had enough, and what you can do if you have overindulged. The app can also help you to get a taxi from whichever location you may find yourself.

However, should in case you decide to ditch your phone, or you may have misplaced it somewhere, you can still maintain your ‘Drink IQ’ by following a few simple rules, as suggested by Dianne Ashton-Smith, corporate relations manager at Red Stripe.

• Understand your limit, which may mean not consuming alcohol any at all, as some people’s lifestyle may not accommodate that they do so. Excessive alcoholic intake can lead to devastating diseases.

• Know what is in your drink and watch for people topping up your drink. As long as there is the chemical compound ethanol glass, the substance is alcoholic. Be aware of the alcoholic percentage and watch for unknown substances being placed in your drink.

• Eat before you drink. While eating does not help you to be sober, it slows down the absorption of alcohol in your blood stream.

• Drink water! Space how often you drink water and ‘mocktails’ in between your alcoholic.

• Dance fast and drink slowly. This another way of controlling the impact of alcohol on your cognitive faculties.

• Try to have a designated driver if you plan to consume alcohol.

• Don’t drink if you are taking medication or pregnant.

Purchase issue #8 Vol. 7, to continue reading.