You might think that a stiff drink or two, or three, maybe four, will help settle your nerves before you embark on a first date with someone you met on an online dating site. But be warned: anxiety and alcohol can make a disastrous combination.
Here’s a rundown of the short-term effects of alcohol on the body and seven reasons not to (excessively) drink on your date.
Alcohol in the body slows the speed at which the nerves send messages. This is what causes slurred speech, impaired judgement, and poor reaction times. Essentially alcohol makes your brain process information slower, which doesn’t really give the best impression of you.
One drink may help the conversation flow, but after too many drinks self-awareness and inhibitions will be just a distant memory. Nobody enjoys a date when the other person dominates the conversation and over-shares their life story. You have two ears, and one mouth for a reason: you need to do twice as much listening as talking.
Not only does it slow you down, alcohol can bring you down to. Some people become the life and soul of the party after a drink or two, others can suck the life and soul right out of the party. If you tend towards being a morose drunk, stick to the soft drinks.
Alcohol diminishes your inhibitions, judgement and self control. Firstly, this may mean you drink more alcohol than you originally intended to, as the more you drink, the more confident you are that drinking was a good plan. Secondly, it may make you behave in ways that, in the cold light of day, you will regret.
If you are feeling nervous, your heart will already be beating faster than it normally does. Add to that the increase in rate caused by alcohol and you could find yourself suffering from uncomfortable heart palpitations.
Alcohol irritates the stomach and increases the production of stomach acid. This can cause uncomfortable heartburn, making it difficult to concentrate on your date, and burping, which is not very attractive.
In an effort to eliminate the alcohol from your body, your kidneys will produce more urine. Once you’ve made the first trip to the toilet, you’ll be going with ever increasing frequency. If raising urine output isn’t enough to get the job done, your body will start to exude alcohol scented sweat as well.
If you do decide to drink on a date, be sure to do so responsibly:
– Leave your car keys behind, and make sure you have safe transport arranged for your journey home.
– Either eat during the date, or before you leave home, as drinking alcohol on an empty stomach can heighten its effects.
– Alternate between alcoholic and soft drinks. The soft drink will help your body eliminate the alcohol efficiently, whilst giving you time to assess how much the drink has affected you so far.