Drinking goes hand in glove with Christmas celebrations but here are some sobering statistics.

Figures released by the Department for Transport’s latest THINK! Drink Drive campaign show a second drink could double your chance of being in a fatal collision.

It’s no wonder alcohol safety experts are calling for drivers to be aware of their alcohol levels the morning after drinking and not just immediately after.

In fact 20 per cent of the UK’s drink-driving convictions are as a result of “morning after”

breath tests, and in 2014 alone, alcohol accounted for 5,650 accidents and 8,320 casualties on UK roads.

Last year, 124 people in Essex were arrested during the county’s Christmas campaign against drink-drivers – with the majority being dealt with by the courts within a day of the offences. A total of 3,409 drivers were breath-tested between December 1 and Dec 31, including 160 who had been involved in road collisions.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with kicking back at Christmas but figures show alcohol consumption in Britain increases by a massive 40 per cent in December with 14 per cent of people admitting to downing more booze than they intended to over the season.

So if in doubt, leave the booze out. But that doesn’t mean you’re limited to drinking boring soda water or coke all night while everyone else indulges. There are plenty of amazing mocktails to see you through the silly season. If you just fancy a healthboosting Christmas free of booze there are bundles of recipes you can whisk up yourself at home.

Here are a couple to get your started...

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