Brits have been warned not to get "blind drunk" and risk ending up in hospital during the ambulance strike by a senior NHS chief.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis said the public need to be "sensible" during a "difficult day" as more than 10,000 emergency workers from Unite, Unison and GMB unions stage walkouts over pay.
The NHS England medical director, a familiar face from Covid-era press conferences, issued the guidance amid warnings of severe disruption to services.
He told Today: "It's the season of parties, pre-Christmas, so do enjoy yourself but obviously don't get so drunk that you end up with an unnecessary visit to A&E.
"That's good advice at the best of times and certainly on today when we know that services are stretched.
"Certainly today is not the best of days to end up being in an A&E department if you don't need to be there, if you've got yourself blind drunk that doesn't sound like fun to me."
It comes after Health Minister Will Quince suggested people should avoid risky activities such as "contact sport" and unnecessary car journeys to keep safe.
Unions blame the government for allowing services to get so run-down that ambulances are spending hours waiting to hand patients to A&E.
But ministers have sought to blame striking workers for putting people at risk.
Mr Quince told BBC Radio 5 Live: "If there is activity people are undertaking tomorrow, whether it's for example contact sport or other things they may want to review that."
Asked if he was telling people not to play rugby tomorrow he replied: "I'm not saying that, I'm saying people should take extra care in the knowledge that there is going to be disruption to emergency services".
Asked if people should drive a car, he replied: "If there are unnecessary journeys I would say don't, no".
Asked if they should go jogging he replied: "I'm a big runner myself, I don't think that's a hugely risky activity... would I go running tomorrow if it was still icy? No I wouldn't, because that would encompass additional risk."
Today, Health Secretary Steve Barclay warned the emergency ambulance system "will be under very severe pressure".
He told Sky News: "We're saying to the public to exercise their common sense in terms of what activities they do, being mindful of those pressures that are on the system."
It comes as the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) said A&E departments were expecting some patients to turn up to hospital in cars rather than ambulances
RCEM President Dr Adrian Boyle said: "We're expecting people with strokes and heart attacks to turn up at the front door. Now, because of the delays this has already been happening quite a lot anyway.
"It is the best alternative to calling an ambulance - if you think you can get to hospital in a way that appears safe and efficient, with somebody giving you a lift, that might be a more appropriate thing to do."
He added that " hospitals are full to bursting" and some people would be waiting a long time in A&E.
Dr Boyle said the emergency system had been under "immense pressure" for the last three years, including "the worst we've ever seen it" in the last year when it comes to delays handing over patients to A&E.
He told Times Radio: "Trying to work out the effect of industrial action compared to a system which is already not doing what we want it to do is going to be difficult."
