The essential guide to outdoor drinking

Whether you're at a festival, watching the cricket or just having a barbeque with friends, outdoor drinking may be a feature of your summer.
  
But while longer days and warmer nights make us feel more Mediterranean, the results of excessive al fresco drinking can be all too typically British. Sun burnt backs, parched mouths and sore heads tend to be the natural consequence of a cider-fuelled festival afternoon.

Luckily, it doesn’t have to be this way. If you follow some simple advice, it's easy to make summer 2010 enjoyable and memorable rather then messy.

Al fresco alcohol advice

You may be tempted to start drinking alcohol earlier and for longer in the hot weather. But just because you're at a festival does not mean you should have a cider for breakfast.

Staying alcohol-free until the evening is a good idea. Why not think about making the most of the sunshine during the day by having plenty of refreshing soft drinks whilst watching your favourite bands. You want to remember the headliners after all!

As well as soft drinks, do remember to make room for food. Food at festivals has come on a long way since iffy lentil burgers and molten pies. Though you might not feel like eating in the heat, food is important and it will help slow down the effects of any alcohol you drink.

Water works

Long summertime alcoholic drinks made with plenty of ice may look refreshing, but the truth is that they actually work to increase your thirst.

"Alcohol is well-known to be a diuretic," says Moira L Plant, professor of alcohol studies at the University of the West of England. "It makes the kidneys excrete more water in the urine, which in turn makes you more dehydrated because you pee more fluid than you drink ."(1)

In combination with hot sun this boozy side effect can have some serious consequences. At the very least drink-fuelled dehydration can leave you feeling woozy, sick and ready to pass out. At worst it could cause organ failure or even bring on  a heart attack.

"There's a condition that's called 'holiday heart'," advises Oliver James, head of clinical medical sciences at Newcastle University. "It's when people out drinking while sunbathing get dehydrated and develop irregularities in their heart beat."(2)

To help minimise the risk of dehydration, drink plenty of refreshing soft drinks and keep a large bottle of water with you at all times and if you’re drinking alcohol, alternate with glasses of H20. In the middle of the day, when temperatures really start to climb, stick to soft drinks.

Be sun-savvy

Studies show that bad cases of sunburn can be linked to heavy drinking (4), so remember to reapply lotion regularly when you're outside (use at least SPF 15, and reapply regularly). It pays to watch out for friends who're beginning to turn red too. There's nothing worse than taking a nap in the garden and waking to find out no one has mentioned it's you who's getting barbecued.

"We've seen a huge increase in skin cancer, particularly among young women," says Moira. "Strong summer sun can be particularly damaging, but while people take sun cream with them when going to the beach, it's not something they always think about when sitting outside at a festival."(3)

Pace yourself

According to scientists, drinking alcohol disrupts the brain's ability to coordinate between ‘sensory input’ and ‘motor output’.(5) In short - too much booze interferes with your co-ordination, and can make you a slurring, staggering mess. Not a great place to be when you need to negotiate the way to your tent.

Sadly, being under the influence of alcohol could put you in danger too - statistics show that eight out of 10 pedestrians killed on Friday and Saturday nights have been drinking.(6) Consider this on your way back home once the bands have finished.

The key to staying safe is getting the hang of pacing yourself. After all, there's no point peaking before the night does. Kicking off with soft drinks and drinking moderately and slowly later on should keep you going until your favourite headliner takes the stage.  

Lastly, don’t let the sun’s haze make you forget to follow the government’s alcohol guidelines. They recommend men stick to three to four units of alcohol (that's no more than four single vodkas or two pints of ordinary strength beer) per day, while for women it's two to three units (not more than one 175ml glass of wine or three single vodkas). (7)

Evidence

1. Original interview.
2. Original interview.
3. Original interview.
4. See 'Drinking increases the risk of sunburn'  
5. Source Paton 2005
6. From NHS leaflet
7. From Drinkaware website.