For many people, taking a vacation is a great time to kick back, relax, and unwind in a way that you wouldn’t normally when you’re at home. If you’re over the legal drinking age, this might mean indulging in some alcoholic beverages at a more regular interval than usual. And while this can make for a more relaxing or exciting vacation, it also opens you up to some safety risks. So to help ensure that you’re able to enjoy your vacation without putting yourself in too much danger, here are three tips for safe drinking while you’re on vacation.
Always Have A Designated Driver
When on vacation, many people automatically have lowered inhibitions and are willing to do things that they ordinarily wouldn’t. And while this can be appropriate at certain times, when it comes to drinking and driving, you should never compromise. To help with this, Drew W. Edwards, a contributor to Psych Central, advises that you should always have a designated driver picked out before anyone starts drinking. This could be someone you’re on vacation with, or you could all decide that you’ll call a cab or other ride service to get you home safely. While either of these options is fine, you should make some type of plan to ensure that you won’t find yourself behind the wheel after you’ve had a few drinks.
Keep Your Body Fed and Hydrated
If you’re planning to drink a bit more while on vacation than you do at home, it’s important that you prepare your body for this. According to Chrisanne Grise, a contributor to the Huffington Post, this means ensuring that you’re properly feeding and hydrating your body. When you drink on an empty stomach, you can get more drunk at a faster rate, which could catch you by surprise and create a potentially dangerous situation. Also, drinking alcohol dehydrates your body, so you want to combat this by drinking water before, during, and after you’ve started drinking.
Don’t Let Your Drink Out Of Your Sight
Aside from just the dangers of being drunk and all that makes you vulnerable to, you also want to be careful with the way your drinks are prepared and how you allow them to sit when you’re not actively drinking them. According to Nancy Trejos, a contributor to USA Today, the best policy is to never let your drink out of your sight, from the time it’s being poured to the time you finish it. You could easily be given more alcohol than you think or could have something slipped into your drink if you’re not watching it, so make this a priority when drinking.
If you want to safely be able to drink while you’re on vacation, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you learn how you can do just that.