Zebra striping is drinking hack 'everyone should be doing' at Christmas parties

It's finally here folks, the week of the dreaded work Christmas party.

Unless you're self-employed and fancy a few pints in the evening, or you absolutely adore 100 percent of your colleagues, there's always going to be something that stops you having the best time this Christmas.

Drinking is usually what people turn to when they want to make their office counterparts more likeable, but that comes with the caveat of making sure you don't have too much and embarrass yourself, whether that's by getting a little too confident on the karaoke or going way too far and blacking out.

Although some folks are avoiding hangovers by just giving up alcohol entirely, others are still partial to a tipple or two, particularly at Christmas time, so it's important to drink safely and sensibly if you are going out with a few workmates this week.

The work Christmas party can be a messy affair if you're not careful (Getty Stock Images)

For those of you who aren't familiar with the many ways that alcohol can do damage to your body, one of the key reasons we get hangovers is because our beers, wines and cocktails all work to dehydrate the body, despite how refreshing they might taste.

So, health professionals are urging people to follow a simple process known as 'zebra striping', which simply asks people to alternate between alcoholic drinks and water every time they go up to the bar.

Around a quarter of Brits claim to be 'zebra striping' already, while two-thirds said they include non-alcoholic drinks into their sessions.

In case you're a wine connoisseur or simply enjoy the taste of a nice cold pint, there's also another reason for drinking water, which is that it refreshes your palette before your next drink.

And it seems as if this method is already pretty popular, certainly among more experienced drinkers who can no longer hack the hangovers they were getting every other morning at university.

Having regular glasses of water might just save your night (Getty Stock Images)

Cosmopolitan goes as far as to suggest that 'everyone' should be trying out this new trend, with non-alcoholic beer makers Lucky Saint also encouraging it.

Luke Boase, founder of the company, told the outlet: "We've seen this trend of zebra striping grow massively this year, with a quarter of UK adults now doing it.

"Alternating between alcohol-free and alcoholic drinks is an easy structure to follow and helps people define how they are approaching their drinking."

Obviously, drinking lots of water is always a good idea both during and after a night out, and it's certainly cheaper than picking up a miracle hangover cure or heading straight to McDonald's.

It's could be worth giving this method a go this week if you are heading to a Christmas party, as it's always good to stay sober enough to remember the other embarrassing stuff your colleagues might get up to.

Please drink responsibly. If you want to discuss any issues relating to alcohol in confidence, contact Drinkline on 0300 123 1110, 9am–8pm weekdays and 11am–4pm weekends for advice and support.