I was in a situation like he describes not too long ago, out with a group of people and some were drinking including this corporate boss babe that I've known for a while. My solution was with dinner I had one glass of red wine and then refused more, with the excuse that I was paranoid about driving under the influence. Which is true - after I was hassled by cops last July about 20 minutes from home. I was 100% sober at the time, but had I not been, I would have been screwed.
Still, if there's any worry about taking things to excess, then it's better to simply avoid it totally.
