Don't Let Alcohol Put a Chill on Your Summer!

The Addiction Resource Council reminds you that by following these simple guidelines, you can reduce your risk for an alcohol-related accident or health problem this summer.

• If you drive, do not drink; if you drink, do not drive. There is no safe level of alcohol for drivers because everyone reacts differently to alcohol on different occasions. If you are going out with others, decide beforehand who will drive on the return trip. Do not ride with drivers who have been drinking.

• Never drink and pilot a boat of any kind. The same things that make drinking and driving dangerous (impaired judgment, information processing, and coordination, among other alcohol effects) can be as deadly on water as they are on land. Boating, windsurfing, jet skiing and waterskiing -- anything that involves speed and skill -- can all be dangerous to anyone who has been drinking.

• Do not swim or dive if you have been drinking. Remember that alcohol will inhibit your swallowing and breathing reflexes, both of which are necessary for swimming, and make you feel warmer than you really are, putting you at risk for hypothermia in cold water. In addition, drinking affects your ability to judge distances and may lead you to swim too far out into a lake or ocean.

• If you are riding in a boat, remember that alcohol will impair your balance and increase your chances of falling overboard. This danger, compounded by alcohol's effects on your swimming ability, is a common cause of drowning.

• Remember that during the summer alcohol consumption can:

* more rapidly dehydrate you

* raise your blood pressure

* increase your chances of developing hypoglycemia, a     condition that causes weakness and interferes with the body's temperature regulation

* increase your chances of becoming a heat prostration or    stroke victim

• If you have a health condition that makes any of these effects particularly dangerous, do not drink in hot, sunny weather.

• Do not drink if any of the following is true:

                 * you are pregnant or trying to conceive
                 * you are using medicine of any kind
                 * you have had difficulty keeping your drinking                      moderate in the past

• Feel free to refuse alcohol for any other reason, regardless of pressure or encouragement to drink.

• Do not drink if you are a child or adolescent. For anyone under 21, alcohol is an illegal drug.

• Eat before and during occasions when you are drinking -- eating will slow alcohol's effects. Remember that drinks containing sugar, the beverages often chosen in hot weather, combine with alcohol to produce a hypoglycemic effect even greater than that caused by alcohol alone.

• If you are a woman, remember that alcohol will have a greater effect on you than it will on a man of your weight.

• Remember that alcohol will impair your performance in most sports, making you more vulnerable to accidents and injuries.

For more information contact the Addiction Resource Council at 262-524-7921.