There’s no shame in acknowledging that holiday parties are filled with booze (and free booze to boot, oof hangover!). December is known as the tipsy season. It’s a bit like wedding season (with all of it’s open bars) –the drinks just keep on coming. But unlike weddings, holiday parties stack up, so much so that we often hop from one to the next to the next within a single night.  It can be overwhelming and easy to lose count of champagne flutes. Plus all those drinks account for a large percentage of seasonal weight gain.

So how do you avoid drinking like a fish (even if it’s unintentional) this holiday season? Here are a few tips that will keep you in check and standing upright.

Always keep a glass in hand. If you have something, anything–water, diet coke, your non-alcoholic beverage of choice– no one will ever ask you what you’re drinking (and if they do, just raise your glass and toast them). People who are drinking, want other people around them to drink, but it’s no harm no foul if they don’t know what’s in your cup. Just an easy way to avoid peer pressure.

If you’re party hopping, make sure the first glass in your hand upon entry is water. So, if you have one or two drinks at one party and move quickly on to the next, the new venue is a great way to mark when you need water. Don’t assume that you don’t, just do.

Stay consistent. Open bars at multiple events sometimes mean that you have to mix up your drinks. If you have known trouble with mixing your liquors, stick to something common (and stay away from sugary mixed cocktails) and don’t veer off course.

And remember, on average the body metabolizes 8oz of alcohol in one hour. Be honest with what your limitations are.

-Arianna Schioldager