If someone asked you what alcoholic drink makes you the most talkative, would you have a go-to answer? Chances are good you have one.
Most adults believe alcohol affects their mood and actions in some way or another. Wine makes them chatty, beer makes them friendly, tequila makes them nuts. As you are planning what to pour yourself for Thanksgiving this year, you are probably thinking about what alcoholic beverage will make you sleepy and avoiding it.
Go ahead and drink that supposed sleep elixir if you think pairs best with turkey. It turns out that the type of alcohol you drink probably has no effect on your mood or actions, at least according to science.
In an interview with The Guardian, Dr. Guy Ratcliffe, medical director of the Medical Council on Alcohol, said the effects of alcohol on the human body are the same regardless of form. What matters most is the alcohol content consumed and the rate at which it was consumed. There has been no conclusive research to suggest types of alcohol make you act in a particular way.
Think about how much you drink
If you’re looking to balance your mood this Thanksgiving with alcohol, be cognizant of how much you are drinking and stick to lower alcohol content drinks. And maybe avoid politics when you sit at the dinner table.
Of course, monitoring your alcohol consumption has other benefits. It can keep you from overdrinking and risking a DUI on the way home from your in-law’s, especially when DUI patrols are typically strong over holiday weekends.
The most recent data on DUIs filed in Kentucky by county puts Kenton County in the top five, with 4,447 DUI filings from 2008 to 2012. Patrols are likely to look at the data and spend time in areas they believe are at a high risk for DUIs.
If you do find yourself pulled over, it helps to have an experienced attorney on your side to navigate the charges and mitigate possible punishment.
Whether or not you will have a happy holiday weekend is not dependent on the type of alcohol you drink – it’s on the decisions you make.