How To Stay Safe This Summer While Drinking Booze On The Beach or the Dock!

As the weather warms and the days lengthen, many among us head to the nearest body of water — and reach for the booze when we get there.

Be it a beer, a seltzer, a shot of warm whiskey or a poolside margarita, few things sound as enticing as unwinding under the sun with a drink in hand. Yet, experts warn that summer fun poses some serious risks.

Some ways to stay safe while you sip include avoiding swimming or boating, taking care to properly hydrate and keeping tabs on your booze consumption.

Avoid the water if you’re wetting your whistle with alcohol

WARNING: it is imperative to be extra cautious when drinking around any water source, particularly if you plan on boating or swimming.

Alcohol impairs judgment, coordination, and reaction times … Drowning risks increase significantly with alcohol consumption because a person’s ability to assess their swimming strength and the water’s depth and currents is impaired.

Extra care should also be taken when drinking aboard a vessel, as intoxicated passengers are more likely to get injured or drown.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports that 60% of boating fatalities may involve alcohol.  Also, don’t ride with a drinking boater!  

Hydrate to dominate, snack to survive

Alcohol is a diuretic, and as anyone who has ever “broken the seal” can attest, it causes our bodies to expel fluids at a more rapid rate, leading to dehydration. 

When we combine these diuretic properties with intense sunshine, it’s something of a double threat that can easily tip us into the territory of heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Symptoms of these conditions include dizziness, fainting and headaches.

Keep tabs on your tipples

Don’t binge drink!  Maintaining your limits can be hard to manage at any time but especially during summertime day drinking — pouring drinks from a pitcher and replacing warm, half-empty beers with cold ones can make it difficult to keep track of your consumption.

Being conscious of how much you’re tipping back can save you from a soul-crushing hangover in the immediate future and serious health risks in the long run.