HOST Tip Don't drink too much yourself. As the host, you'll be better able to stay on top of, and avoid, potential problems when you can think more clearly and act more quickly.

COMMON MYTHS ABOUT ALCOHOL

MYTH: Driving after only a drink or two is no big deal.
FACT: Drinking and driving is never OK. Impairment begins with your first drink. It's just not smart or worth putting yourself – and others – at risk.

MYTH: Eating a big meal before you drink will keep you sober.
FACT: Food in your stomach only delays the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream. A full stomach doesn't prevent the effects of alcohol or intoxication.

MYTH: You'll be more affected by spirits than by beer or a glass of wine.
FACT: A drink is a drink is a drink. A 12-oz. beer (5% alcohol per volume), a 5-oz. glass of wine (12% alc./vol.) and a 1.5-oz. serving of spirits (40% alc./vol.) are all equal in absolute alcohol content.

MYTH: Switching between beer, wine and spirits will affect you more than sticking to one type of alcohol.
FACT: Wrong. Your blood alcohol concentration or BAC – the percentage of alcohol in your blood – is what counts, not the beverages consumed. Alcohol is alcohol.

MYTH: It's just a wine spritzer/beer. It can't permanently damage you.
FACT: Any kind of alcohol, if consumed irresponsibly, has the potential to seriously damage your digestive system. Irresponsible drinking could damage your brain, heart, liver, stomach and other critical organs. Not to mention that it could also take years away from your life.

MYTH: Everybody reacts the same way to alcohol.
FACT: Everyone is different. There are dozens of factors that affect reactions to alcohol: your gender, body weight, body chemistry, time of day, how you feel mentally, fatigue – and the list goes on.

MYTH: It's OK for me to drink as much as my boyfriend or husband.
FACT: It takes less alcohol for a woman to become intoxicated because women process alcohol differently than men. They reach a higher blood alcohol level than men do after drinking the same amount, even if they're the same height and weight.

MYTH: Alcohol gives you energy.
FACT: Actually, it's the opposite. Alcohol is a drug. It's a depressant and slows down your ability to think, speak and move. Even at low levels, it affects your perception, coordination and judgment, long before any physical signs of impairment occur.

MYTH: You'll sleep better if you've had a few drinks.
FACT: Wrong. Alcohol may help you fall asleep because it's a depressant, but it interferes with the quality of sleep and cuts down on the amount of restful sleep you get.

MYTH: A cold shower and a cup of coffee are good ways to sober up.
FACT: Although they may make you feel clean and awake, nothing sobers you up but time. Coffee is a stimulant – it'll keep you awake but won't sober you up.

MYTH: Alcohol makes you sexier.
FACT: Alcohol clouds your judgment and makes you less inhibited. And, physiologically, alcohol reduces your performance. You could end up engaging in something you hadn't planned on, including unprotected and/or unwanted sex. That puts you at risk of unwanted pregnancy and contracting sexually transmitted diseases (including HIV). Definitely not sexy.

MYTH: If someone passes out after drinking, it's best to let them sleep it off.
FACT: If a friend or a guest passes out, never leave them alone. Have someone call 911 for medical assistance. Be sure to roll them onto their side, with their head on its side as well, until help comes.

MYTH: You can only become an alcoholic after years of drinking.
FACT: You can develop alcoholism at any age. It depends on how much and how often you drink.

MYTH: People who drink too much only hurt themselves.
FACT: Everyone who drinks has a partner, parent, child, grandparent, sibling or friend who worries about them. And what if the problem drinker gets behind the wheel of a car and kills someone?

MYTH: It's none of my business if a friend is drinking too much.
FACT: If you're a real friend, it is your business. You can't make them change, but you can be honest. Who knows? Maybe they'll listen. You might even be able to help them decide to get help.

MYTH: The worst thing that can happen when you drink too much is ending up with a raging hangover.
FACT: If only. For one thing, if you drink a lot of alcohol quickly, it can build up in your body so much that you can die within only a few hours from alcohol poisoning. As well, you're more prone to accidents, which can be serious or fatal. You may also end up getting behind the wheel of a car and severely injuring or killing someone – or yourself. Definitely much worse than a hangover.