It is National night out day today, it’s the time of year when it is hard to say no to a night out with friends and family. With students heading back to university, just round the corner, its never been more tempting to go out and indulge in the nightlife. However, it is vital to be aware of the dangers you can come across when you are out and about and under the influence.
Freshers’ Week
You might be living away from home for the first time – you can stay out as late as you want, do whatever you want. It can be a lot of fun!
So, the last thing you want is for a nasty incident to spoil all the new experiences that uni has to offer. Who wants a drunken university night out ending with lost phones, purses, wallets, or worse a fight or even a visit to A&E.
And remember – drinking doesn’t have to be a way of life at university. In fact, nearly one in six 16 to 24-year-olds in the UK (16%) say they don’t drink at all1 – it can be a great choice to have an active hangover-free social life.
Drink Spiking
Drink spiking can happen to any type of drink, whether alcoholic or non-alcoholic. The effects can be unpredictable but are likely to be more serious if someone who’s had their drink spiked has also consumed more alcohol, or other drugs. This is because of the combination of effects from the different drugs working at the same time.
Always keep an eye on your drink to make it more difficult for someone to spike it. The drink aware guide can help you recognise the symptoms of drink spiking so that you can act quickly to help yourself or another possible victim of this crime.
Alcohol related accidents
When we drink, we increase our risk of accidents happening. And because everybody reacts differently to alcohol, there is no minimum amount we have to drink in order to minimise this risk.
Drinking alcohol can:
- affect our judgement and reasoning;
- slow down our reactions;
- upset our sense of balance and coordination;
- impair our vision and hearing;
- make us lose concentration and feel drowsy;
Alcohol on holiday
Alcohol is sometimes associated with holiday relaxation. However, for some people it can be tempting to drink more than usual when taking a break from the everyday routine, especially if the weather is hot. And this can lead to taking unnecessary risks with your health, and your personal safety, while away.
Limit the amount of alcohol you drink and drink plenty of water or soft drinks in between alcoholic drinks to prevent dehydration.
For more information on any of the topics above please visit the Drink Aware website at Staying safe while drinking | Drinkaware.