A problem that some people have is that they tend to lose it at the office Christmas party.
Because of this, they never get promoted, and stay near the bottom of the ladder.
You need help keeping it together; this is where you get help.
The person that most people like to encourage to do interesting stuff is the one that gets drunk fastest and loses control of their ability to make intelligent decisions.
This person is the hit of the party, as others take advantage of their lack of judgment for personal amusement.
The end result is that everyone has a great time and the person's reputation is trashed, and will most likely stay trashed.
There are ways to keep your reputation from getting trashed due to over-exuberance.
The big thing is to assign a goal for the evening.
The only thing to bear in mind is that getting drunk should not be your goal.
Attracting company and going home with your dignity intact should be.
By setting your goal and sticking to it, your dignity will be intact by the end of the evening.
Know your limit and stick to it.
The closer you get to your alcoholic intake limit, the more likely you will lose it.
Be honest to yourself about how much alcohol you can drink, and stick to about half of it.
Make sure that you have a full stomach, which gives you some resistance, and you should be okay.
Keep active.
The more active you are the more alcohol you will burn out of your system.
The more alcohol you burn, the less is in your system.
End result: You don't have enough alcohol in your system to make a fool out of yourself.
Fortunately, if it's a decent party there should be some decent opportunities to dance, which is a great way to get it out of your system.
Set up a friends network.
You need friends to help you stay sober, and to protect you from those that would you embarrass yourself.
Your friends can run interference and keep you grounded.
However, you need to establish this network ahead of time.
It's ideal if you can a circle of friends that will protect you in shifts, so that they can enjoy the party as well.
Nothing can be worse than having to miss a great party because they had to protect you.
Do leave early, but fashionably so.
You want to leave the party early, so that you don't drink too much and make a fool of yourself.
On the other hand, you don't want to offend the host by leaving early.
Find a compromise, and stick with it.
By following these tips, you should be able to maintain your reputation, or help heal one that has been damaged.
If you can maintain it, you should be able to be promoted and garner praise.
As long as you can keep your pants on and away from the copier...