Why I'm dreading Black Friday before Christmas

December is here and Christmas party season is in full swing.

Every work Christmas do, meeting with old friends or outing with family usually ends up with a few drinks somewhere along the line – as is tradition in this country.

In fact, it’s the favourite way to celebrate anything in Scotland, so Christmas and New Year are particularly known for it.

But it can all get a bit much. Venturing out into town can often mean stepping over sleeping drunks, or walking round people who have had more than a few too many.

Black Friday they call it - the REAL Black Friday, not that fake American one where we’re supposed to buy crap we don’t need at a price that’s no different from the rest of the year.

It’s the last Friday before Christmas, which in this case is today.

As people head out for a Christmas lunch with their work colleagues, lunch will inevitably become afternoon, and afternoon evening.

That means that if your lunch begins at 12pm and you have a cheeky wee glass of wine with your meal, finishing all three courses and then move onto the liquid round, then you could well be drinking for eight hours or more without realising it.

You wouldn’t do that at any other time of year, so keep that in mind when you go to stand up from the table to find your legs don’t work properly.

There’s nothing wrong with having a few drinks – I’m normally first at the bar – but it’s more important than ever to know your limits.

When you start to feel a bit wobbly or tired, having the courage and the good sense to stand up and tell yourself “I’m done” could be the smartest move you ever make.

It’s safe to say that if you’re that drunk then you probably won’t enjoy the rest of the night or indeed remember it.

So this year, get out there, have fun and live it up, but know when to draw and line under it.