Sobriety – It Isn’t Just for Driving

We all know better than to get behind the wheel of a car when we’ve been drinking. However, there are many other summertime activities that are best enjoyed sober, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Take boating, for instance. Did you know that alcohol may be involved in 60% of boating fatalities, including falling overboard? According to the Institute, a boat operator with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) over 0.1% (approximately 4 to 5 drinks) is 16 times more likely to be killed in a boating accident than an operator with zero BAC.

Overall, up to 70% of all water recreation deaths of teens and adults involve the use of alcohol. This is because alcohol decreases both ability and judgement.

Don’t Dive, (or Surf) Drunk

With a few drinks in them, surfers become over-confident, and take on wave conditions that are beyond their abilities. Drunk divers may collide with a diving board, or dive where the water is too shallow.

Swimmers jump into the water, oblivious to the effect alcohol has on dulling their senses and slowing their abilities — making them more vulnerable to hypothermia, cramping or being swept away by fast currents.

Dehydrated and Stupid is No Way to Have Fun

Being out for hours in summer heat only makes the effects of alcohol more dangerous. Not only is the heat dehydrating, but so is the alcohol. The two work together to greatly elevate the risk of heat stroke.

So, pack the cooler with hydrating, non-alcoholic drinks – and save any drinking for when the sun goes down and you’re safely at home. Even then, try to keep the drinking moderate, since it’s always best to begin your next day’s round of summertime fun without a nasty hangover.