As the old year draws to a close, the new one can begin. Once again this year, most people will look back on the past year on December 31 and welcome the new year more or less cheerfully. Not everyone will be in a celebratory mood, but when there is a party, alcohol is usually involved. Sparkling wine at the turn of the year is a tradition in many countries. Mineral water or drinking water can provide a good balance.

Celebrate yes, but with caution

There is an old saying that goes “you should celebrate the festivals as they fall“. And New Year’s Eve always falls on December 31. If you are healthy, you can of course celebrate the turn of the year with alcohol. Nevertheless, the celebrations should not end in senseless drunkenness, especially if the New Year is to be greeted with firecrackers and rockets. The higher the alcohol content in your blood, the greater the risk of accidents involving fireworks. From a nutritional-physiological point of view, there is no guideline value as a threshold value for alcohol above which really harmful effects occur. Every body reacts very individually. The German Nutrition Society (DGE ) advises women to limit their daily alcohol consumption to a maximum of 10 grams. For men, the tolerable level is described as 20 grams of alcohol per day. This is in no way an invitation to drink, but is only intended to provide guidance in the event of alcohol consumption. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should avoid alcohol completely. A sparkling glass of mineral water, possibly with a shot of fruit juice, is a great alternative for your own health and that of your child.

Driving after drinking champagne: men have an advantage

If you toast with a glass of sparkling wine (12% alcohol by volume), a classic 150 ml glass will contain 18 ml of pure alcohol. A man weighing 80 kg would have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of around 0.25 per mille after drinking the sparkling wine. For a man weighing 100 kg, it would only be around 0.2 per mille. With a BAC of less than 0.3 per mille, both persons could still drive relatively safely. According to scientific studies, driving errors caused by alcohol do not generally occur up to a BAC of 0.29 per mille. However, if alcohol is drunk quickly or on an empty stomach, the blood alcohol level can be more extreme. People who are not healthy and take tablets should also be very careful.

For women: higher BAC with the same alcohol intake

For a woman with a body weight of 65 kg, champagne is already a critical issue. If she drinks the glass of champagne described above, she has also consumed 18 ml of pure alcohol, but must reckon with a blood alcohol concentration of around 0.36 per mille and is therefore no longer allowed to drive a car. In purely mathematical terms, a woman would have to weigh at least 82 kilograms to reach a BAC of 0.29 per mille after drinking a 150 ml glass of sparkling wine and thus still be fit to drive. The alcohol breaks down in the body over several hours. It is best to drink plenty of mineral water or tap water throughout the evening. This has two healthy aspects: on the one hand, fewer alcoholic drinks are consumed, and on the other, the kidneys and bladder are better flushed and the cells are supplied with plenty of water, as alcohol acts like a poison on the body’s cells.

We wish all our readers a happy new year and a happy, healthy & “water-friendly” 2018!