Alcohol and Personal Safety

If we're drinking, we're not fully in control. It's important to plan ahead so that we don't put ourselves at risk.

Daft and dangerous goings on . . .

Alcohol lowers our ability to decide what's safe and what's not and makes us less worried that something bad might happen to us. Alcohol can make us more excitable too and we can get into dangerous situations as a result.

But alcohol slows our reaction times, affects vision, balance and makes bodily movements harder to control. All of this means that we should avoid doing anything that demands physical co-ordination or quick reactions when we've been drinking.

Date rape

If we're drunk and can't look out for ourselves properly, we're at risk of being taken advantage of sexually. Our judge of character can also be affected.

There have been several waves of hype about people spiking drinks with drugs. While it is a problem and you should never let your drink out of your sight or accept drinks from strangers, the fact is that alcohol is the UK's no.1 date rape drug.

If you're out with mates, look after each other and stick together.

And yes – guys get raped too.

Drowning

Alcohol is a factor in about 7% of drownings. It's worth remembering that alcohol lowers body temperature. This means we can't withstand the effects of being in cold water for as long as when sober.

Freezing to death

Although it makes us feel warmer, alcohol lowers core body temperature. People who fall asleep drunk outside are at risk of hypothermia and death. Even if they're still awake but it's a cold night, there's still serious risk of hypothermia if you're not dressed for the weather. Hypothermia itself makes people sleepy as the body's main functions start to shut down.

England is not always a warm country! If you're going out drinking, make sure you dress well enough for the walk home.

Getting home safely

Finding a taxi can be a hard task at chucking out time so you might want to book one in advance. Finding the cash to pay for it can be another challenge so some folks like to keep a tenner somewhere they can't get it out at the bar too easily (in their shoe for example).

If you're walking, walk with someone you know and trust. If you have to walk alone, stick to well-lit and well-used routes and keep your mobile handy. Let someone know what you're doing if you can and call them when you get home.

Going home with someone you just met is potentially very risky. Smart people get a number and make a date for another time. If it really won’t wait, at least let a friend know what you're up to. If you're going to have sex, remember to protect your sexual health – use a condom and/or a dental dam!